The Dallas Stars proceed to surge after winning 14 of their last 16 games, but they could possibly be without two of their most significant players for a lot of the remainder of the regular-season.
Stars radio analyst Bruce LeVine passed along an update from head coach Glen Gulutzan regarding Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz, in addition to Radek Faksa, on Monday.
“Mikko Rantanen continues to be greater than 10 days to 2 weeks away from any possible return. He won’t go on the road with the team this week,” LeVine reported. “Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa are further away from consideration.”
Rantanen suffered his current lower-body injury while playing for Team Finland on the Winter Olympics in Milan. He missed the bronze medal game, although his country was capable of secure third place.
Hintz, also coping with a lower-body ailment, has been out for the last week and a half. With just 15 games left of their regular-season, it’s possible that each Hintz and Faksa might be out until Round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It’s an unlucky update on all three players, however the silver lining is that Dallas is playing a few of its best hockey of the season at the right time. The Stars are 8-0-1 since coming back from the Olympics, outscoring their opponents by a margin of 21 in that span.
They’ve closed the gap on the Colorado Avalanche within the President’s Trophy race, and are actually just three points behind their bitter rivals.
Even without Rantanen, Hintz and Faksa, it’s totally possible that the Stars could find yourself being the highest regular-season team in 2025-26. They lost 6-3 to the Utah Mammoth on Monday night, but before then, hadn’t lost in regulation since Jan. 22.
Each Tyler Myers and Michael Bunting have looked like solid matches since coming over from the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators, respectively, and have helped to bolster the depth within the absence of the three key forwards.
The hope is that Rantanen will give you the option to return before the top of March, while a perfect scenario would see Hintz get right into a couple more games before the top of the regular-season.