Rantanen will play for Finland in 4 Nations
Published
Star forward Mikko Rantanen will be healthy enough to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Finland head coach Antti Pennanen told reporters Monday.
The 28-year-old missed Carolina's last game before the tournament on Saturday because of 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.
Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour was unsure of Rantanen's status for the tournament over the weekend.
"I know, it's not serious serious, like long term, but I'm not sure what his thought is about playing (in 4 Nations) or not moving forward," Brind'Amour said.
A native of Nousiainen in Finland, Rantanen was acquired by the Hurricanes from the Colorado Avalanche last month in a blockbuster deal also involving Taylor Hall, Martin Necas and multiple draft picks. He has one goal and one assist in six games with the Hurricanes post trade, giving him 26 goals and 40 assists for 66 points in 55 games combined between the two teams.
Other 4 Nations injury news
Meanwhile, Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby is "good to go" for the tournament despite an upper-body injury suffered last week. He had missed Pittsburgh's last two games.
However, Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes will not play for the United States after being ruled out with an undisclosed injury. He was replaced on the American blueline by Ottawa's Jake Sanderson.
The four-team tournament begins Wednesday and runs through Feb. 20 at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston.