Some Thoughts on Mikko Rantanen's Suspension, Boarding, and the New Dallas Stars Identity

Every lesson has a purpose

Mikko Rantanen is going to miss the Stars’ next game against Edmonton on Tuesday after receiving the automatic one-game suspension from the Department of Player Safety (DoPS) for incurring two game misconducts for a physical infraction within the span of 41 games.

Naturally, everyone disagrees with this decision.

Some people think the minimum one-game suspension should have been increased, given things like the long-term injury to Romanov and the fact that Rantanen had just been penalized for the same thing earlier in the same week. Gotta teach ‘em a lesson!

I’ve also seen some Rantanen defenders claiming that or both hits shouldn’t have been a major penalty, because Coronato turned back into Rantanen before impact, and because of the Mayfield trip impacting Rantanen’s balance before the Romanov hit (which the DoPS agreed with enough to decline supplemental discipline).

I’ve also seen a fair few Islanders fans who are still enraged that Rantanen escaped supplementary discipline for the hit on Romanov that will keep him out for probably the rest of the season. That camp has been saying that Rantanen’s being allowed to continue playing makes the Department of Player Safety culpable for the injury to Coronato, which thankfully appears to be no worse than a busted nose. (Which, to be clear, still stinks. I would not want that to happen to me!)

(Also, I’ve weirdly seen a whole lot of Avalanche fans on social media who are suddenly very concerned about the league allowing the menace to society that is Mikko Rantanen to continue playing without a harsher punishment. Genuinely, like every third comment about any Rantanen thing I’ve posted on social media this week has been from an Avalanche fan who presumably is Totally Over The Mikko Rantanen Trade.)