The Dallas Stars' playoff exit came with a sobering revelation: star forward Mikko Rantanen played through a torn MCL in his knee, an injury that hampered him for the rest of the season. General manager Jim Nill confirmed the news during his end-of-year media availability, shedding light on why the dynamic scorer never looked like himself after the Olympics.

Rantanen suffered the injury while representing Finland at the Winter Games in February, where he helped the team capture a bronze medal. The setback forced him to miss 15 games for the Stars upon his return to North America. He managed just 10 regular-season games down the stretch, posting only one goal and four assists—a far cry from his explosive first half. In 54 games before the Olympics, the 29-year-old had already tallied 21 goals and 51 assists, putting him on pace for a career year.

"Major injury. Came back, he's very competitive," Nill said. "Did he come back too soon? Not too soon, but would have been nice to have one or two more weeks to really settle in. He never really got going again."

The playoffs offered little relief. Rantanen managed just one goal and six assists as the Stars fell to the Minnesota Wild in six games in the first round. It was a stark contrast to last spring, when he exploded for nine goals and 13 assists in 18 games during Dallas' run to the Western Conference Final—the team's third consecutive trip to that stage.

Nill confirmed that Rantanen will not require surgery and will benefit from an extended offseason to fully recover. The GM also noted that the Stars were never at full strength all season, calling it "hard to believe" and something he'd "never seen before."

Looking ahead, the Stars face critical roster decisions. Jason Robertson, who scored 45 goals this season, is set to become a restricted free agent. Nill made it clear the team wants to keep him long-term. "We want him to be a Dallas Star the rest of his career," he said. Meanwhile, longtime captain Jamie Benn is weighing whether to return for an 18th NHL season—all of which have been spent in Dallas. "We want him back," Nill added.

With Rantanen on the mend and key pieces potentially returning, the Stars are hoping a healthy roster can reignite their championship aspirations next season.