Dallas Stars forward Mikko Rantanen sustained a lower-body injury during the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and will be out indefinitely. The team's leading scorer is anticipated to return before the regular season concludes, though he faces at least two weeks sidelined. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan emphasized the challenge of replacing Rantanen but highlighted opportunities for others to step up.
Mikko Rantanen, the Dallas Stars' top scorer with 69 points (20 goals, 49 assists) in 54 games this season, suffered a lower-body injury at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The forward missed Finland's 6-1 bronze medal victory over Slovakia on Saturday after recording six points (two goals, four assists) in five tournament games.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan provided an update on Tuesday, stating that Rantanen had a doctor's appointment the previous day. "He will be back before the end of the regular season from all the indications we are getting but he's going to be out for ... it's not days," Gulutzan said. He added, "He had a doctor's appointment with our docs yesterday and he is going to be ... it won't be one or two games, it will be, let's start [at] two weeks and then see where it goes from there. So he will be out for some time."
The Stars, holding a 34-14-9 record and third place in the Central Division—six points behind the Colorado Avalanche—resume play Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken, their first game after the Olympic break. With 25 regular-season games remaining, including a finale at the Buffalo Sabres on April 15, the team must manage without Rantanen in the short term.
Gulutzan acknowledged the difficulty in replacing a player of Rantanen's caliber. "Hard to replace. ... It's just an opportunity for other guys to get more time and step up in that role," he said. "You can't replace a player like him, but you can mitigate the loss for a bit and that's what we're going to try and do with different guys. There's only a few of those superstars in the League and they are hard to replace."
Rantanen joined the Stars via a trade from the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7 last season, where he posted 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 20 regular-season games and led the playoffs with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 18 games.
