Dallas Stars get bad news on Mikko Rantanen ahead of Olympic break return

The Dallas Stars will return to action following the NHL’s Olympic break, but they’ll be without star forward Mikko Rantanen for now. Rantanen missed Team Finland’s bronze medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics after suffering an injury earlier in the tournament.

The 29-year-old, who signed an eight-year, $96 million contract with Dallas in 2025, has been a vital piece of the Stars’ forward group since joining the franchise.

Rantanen, who has been one of Finland’s top performers in the Games, was ruled out ahead of the third-place matchup in Milan. The nature and extent of his injury have not been disclosed. The Stars told Dallas-based WFAA they won't have any official updates on Rantanen or Faksa until they return to the Dallas metroplex.

"I would say to you that we are going to miss him for a little bit here, but I don't know quite [the extent]. He's going to see [the doctor] today, but I wouldn't expect him for the first game or maybe even the first two." Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Monday.

The Stars return to action at American Airlines Center on Wednesday against the Seattle Kraken at 7 p.m.

More NHL news:

• Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs now forced to face tough reality
• Jack Hughes has forever changed his value
• Zach Werenski made 'the play before The Play'
• Connor Hellebuyck has changed his story forever
• Alex Ovechkin has shared an update on his retirement plans
• Evgeni Malkin gets big news on a possible future