"Canes lost the trade" "First Heiskanen, now this": NHL fans react to concerning Mikko Rantanen injury update ahead of 4 Nations

The Carolina Hurricanes announced that star forward Mikko Rantanen will not play against the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday afternoon. He will be sidelined because of a lower-body injury.

Insider Elliotte Friedman said Rantanen was injured by a Brent Burns shot during Thursday's 2-1 loss to Minnesota. This puts his availability for Team Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in doubt.

Fans have started to react to the surprising news on X (formerly Twitter).

"Canes lost the trade," one fan wrote.

"Rip Finland. First Heiskanen. Now this," another fan wrote.

"4 nations gonne be a bunch of 3rd & 4th liners," another fan added.

Fans are concerned that this could cause Rantanen to miss the 4 Nations. He's one of several high-profile players dealing with injuries ahead of the best-on-best tournament.

More fans have reacted, referencing his struggles after the trade from Colorado to Carolina.

"Bust without MacKinnon," one fan wrote.

"No it's not. He realizes that it was a mistake to come to Carolina," another fan wrote.

"The organization that gets the most unwarranted praise in the league just gave away Necas for NOTHING. Rantanen gonna get flipped again like Vanek," added one more fan.

Plenty of fans continue to debate who won the trade between the Avalanche and Hurricanes.

Mikko Rantanen has had a slow start to his Carolina Hurricanes tenure

Mikko Rantanen has not been lighting up the scoresheet the way fans expected.

In six games played as a Hurricane, he's produced just two points (one goal, one assist). His lack of offense has translated to the Canes going 2-3-1 in that span. While it's a small sample size, it's a stark contrast from his 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 49 games with the Avalanche.

Martin Necas' tremendous play in Colorado hasn't helped the cause either. In eight games as an Av, Necas has racked up nine points (four goals, five assists) and has fit seamlessly alongside Nathan MacKinnon on the top line. These two will be compared for a long time following the blockbuster trade on Jan. 24.

The Hurricanes will be in action without Mikko Rantanen on Saturday afternoon when they host the Utah Hockey Club. The puck drops at 1 p.m. ET at Lenovo Center.