The 4 Nations Face-Off is just around the corner, as it will start next week. With the NHL having a few matches to go today, the fans’ attention will immediately drift towards this tournament, as it will be replacing this year’s annual All-Star games. The four teams that are participating all have their own concerns, including Team Finland, who will be glad to have Mikko Rantanen on their roster. Why so?

While the Carolina Hurricanes forward was expected to miss out, owing to a lower-body injury. However, a Canadian sports reporter has confirmed that Rantanen is on his way to his home country, and this is welcome relief for Finland, which is currently grappling with significant roster issues.

Elliotte Friedman went to X to share the news, stating, “Mikko Rantanen is en route to Montreal and is expected to play for Team Finland.” For some, this update raised questions about why Rantanen is traveling to Montreal. While the reason might be unknown, the NHL reporter confirmed that he will then move to Finland for obvious reasons.

Owing to his lower-body injury, Rantanen has missed the recent games of the Canes. And how did he get injured? During the match between the Canes and the Minnesota Wild, Brent Burns shot the puck, and it directly struck Rantanen’s knee, causing him to wobble on the ice. The Wild already had their game advantage in the third period, and with the Canes not having the Finn at 100%, they did lose the match, 1-2.

However, concerns continued to pile up when it was officially announced that Mikko Rantanen wouldn’t be participating in the Canes’ latest game against the Utah Hockey Club. With this update, Team Finland can take a relaxing breath, as they will have a strong forward in their team if he gets ready for the matches. However, is Rantanen that good? 

Obviously, before the Finn got traded to the Canes during a three-way deal between the Colorado Avalanche, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Chicago Blackhawks, he was a star forward for the Avs. Indeed, he played 49 games for them, in which he secured 25 goals, 39 assists, and 64 points. This particular trade also raised a ton of questions for the Avs, who let go one of their major players, who even lifted a Stanley Cup with them a few years ago.

Mikko Rantanen wearing the Canes’ sweater might be awkward for a few fans, but his future in the NHL is still dark, as he has not received any contract extensions as of late. While he prepares for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team Finland’s main roster underwent a ton of changes for the tournament, owing to a certain concern.

Having Mikko Rantanen won’t solve their every problem

With Rantanen on the roster, Team Finland surely will have a strong forward lineup. However, three of the major defensemen on the team are injured and are already out of contention for the 4 Nations Face-Off. But who are they? It’s Miro Heiskanen, Jani Hakanpaa, and Rasmus Ristolainen, who have suffered different types of injuries, that have ruled them out of any kind of competition.

For Heiskanen, he got himself a knee injury after he collided with Vegas Golden Knights forward Mark Stone during a game last month. And as any kind of injury related to that area of the human body might take months to heal, he is already out of contention for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Following him on the list is Hakanpaa, whose injury details are not disclosed as of yet.

However, the recent addition was Ristolainen, as the Philadelphia Flyers defenseman suffered an upper-body injury. Team Finland, though, already has their hands on the replacement of these three injured players, who are Urho Vaakanainen, Henri Jokiharju, and Nikolas Matinpalo. With the team missing out on their major players, the fans would hope that the replacements would take upon the duty to perform at their very best in this international tournament.