Hurricanes' Rantanen misses Utah game with lower-body injury as 4 Nations nears
Published
With the 4 Nations Face-Off just around the corner, Team Finland received some concerning news on Saturday as it was revealed star Carolina Hurricanes forward Mikko Rantanen would miss the team's matinee against the visiting Utah Hockey Club with a lower-body injury.
Rantanen suffered the injury late in Thursday's loss to the Minnesota Wild when he took a shot off the knee.
The 28-year-old right winger has struggled during his short time with Canes after being acquired from the Colorado Avalanche last month, scoring one goal and one assist over six games. Rantanen had 25 goals and 39 assists over 49 games with the Avs, his 10th season with the team, before being traded.
Centre Martin Necas, who went from Carolina to Colorado in the blockbuster, has four goals and five assists in eight games with his new team.
Rantanen is in the final season of a six-year, $55.5 million contract and will be a free agent this summer.
Selected 10th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft, Rantanen has represented Finland at the 2016 World Junior Championships and the 2016 World Championships, winning gold and silver, respectively.
Finland plays the United States on Thursday from Montreal's Bell Centre in their first game at the 4 Nations Face-Off before taking on rival Sweden on Feb. 15, also in Montreal, and Canada on Feb. 17 in Boston.