Erik Karlsson Speaks Candidly About Rickard Rakell's Injury and Its Effect on Sweden's Olympic Hopes

The Pittsburgh Penguins are off to a surprisingly hot start in 2025/26, with the team going 6-2-1 through their first nine games as they sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division.

Unfortunately, the team confirmed on Sunday that Rickard Rakell suffered a hand injury on Saturday, revealing that he will be out for 6-8 weeks after undergoing surgery on the left hand.

With the Olympic Games just a few months away, there were fears that this may effect Rakell's chances for Team Sweden, with veteran teammate Erik Karlsson addressing that situation on Sunday following the tough news on the star winger.

Clearly, the Swedish players are incredibly passionate about playing for their country, and with the Olympics set to finally feature NHL players once more, missing Rakell would be a huge loss for Sweden.

This season, Rakell has been off to a great start with 3 goals and 8 points in 9 games played, with the team hoping he can recapture this form when he returns if they're still rolling the way that they are now.

Ultimately though, with a 6-8 week time frame, the hope is that he'll be back to 100% and contributing for the Penguins again before the Olympics, and after the team's hot start, they could still be in the midst of a playoff race heading into the Olympic Games.