Colorado Avalanche star played through gruesome injury in NHL playoffs

Last postseason, Mikko Rantanen terrorized his former team, the Colorado Avalanche. His explosion in the series effectively put the Avs’ Stanley Cup hopes on ice.

Rantanen would go on to have one heck of a postseason, even if the Dallas Stars fell by the wayside in the 2025 Western Conference Final.

Fast forward this year, and Rantanen seemed a shell of his usual self. He missed time during the stretch run and struggled in the Stars’ first-round series against the Minnesota Wild. While he scored one goal and six assists in the six-game series, something was definitely off.

Now, we know what it was. Rantanen played through a gruesome injury in the series against the Wild. According to reports, the former Colorado Avalanche star tore his MCL at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

While the injury wasn’t as severe as it could have been, it was enough to derail his usual game-breaking style. It was too bad that Rantanen had to play through such an injury.

But as Colorado Avalanche fans know very well, Rantanen is a gamer. He’s not the sort of guy who will sit by idly while his team battles. Rantanen did his best, and unfortunately, could not help his team advance to the next round.

If there’s one regret in this entire situation, it’s that the Colorado Avalanche didn’t get a chance to meet the Dallas Stars in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. It would have been a good opportunity to get revenge on Dallas while taking on a familiar face in a different uniform.

Rantanen will now have the rest of the offseason to heal and recover. He should be back at full strength in the fall.

The Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, continue to roll. They’ll be looking to take a 3-0 series lead on Saturday night as they take on the Wild in Game 3 of their second-round series.  

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