The Dallas Stars are just hours away from returning Mikko Rantanen to the lineup.
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said Friday that Rantanen will “certainly” play this weekend during the team’s back-to-back in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
“He’s very close to playing,” Gulutzan said. “I think, certainly, he’ll play one of these games. If it’s not Saturday, certainly it’ll be Sunday, or maybe both. We’ll see how he’s feeling after today’s skate and tomorrow morning.”
Rantanen has not played since the Olympic break. He suffered a lower-body injury late in Finland’s semifinal matchup with Canada on Feb. 20, which led to his absence from the bronze medal game against Slovakia and every Stars game since.
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Rantanen — who joined the team ahead of last season’s trade deadline and signed an eight-year, $96 million deal at the time — was Dallas’ leader in points up until his injury with 69 (20 goals and 49 assists) in 54 games this season.
The Stars also provided an update on forward Sam Steel, who exited Thursday’s loss against the New York Islanders early.
Gulutzan said Steel will miss the rest of the Stars’ east coast road trip to head back to Dallas and be evaluated.
“It’s probably a hip flexor or a groin,” Gulutzan said. “We’ll see how bad it was. It wasn’t as bad this morning as we thought it was yesterday, which is a good sign, but we do have to send him back and get him looked at.”
Steel has played in 72 games for the Stars this season, totaling 33 points on 12 goals and 21 assists. He is a key contributor on the Stars’ penalty kill.
Injuries have crushed the Stars all season. Until Rantanen’s return, Dallas is currently without four forwards — with Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa rounding out that list.
Faksa has not played since the Olympics. Hintz played one game before suffering a lower-body injury against Colorado on March 6. Neither player is expected to return until just before the playoffs.
The Stars are on a four-game losing streak and have dropped five of their last six. In that stretch, they’ve particularly struggled offensively, so Rantanen’s return comes at an important time.
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