Mikkola logged an assist, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Stars in Finland.
Mikkola has four assists over his last five games, and that's with the 28-year-old not seeing anything more than a trace of power-play time. He's been a consistent part of the Panthers' top four on the blue line, which gives him some proximity to the team's top forwards. Overall, Mikkola has six helpers, 16 shots on net, 23 blocked shots, 15 hits, 10 PIM and an even plus-minus rating through 13 appearances.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: Provides assist in win
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Mikkola notched an assist in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Rangers.
Mikkola snapped a three-game point drought with the helper. The 28-year-old defenseman doesn't offer much in the way of offense, but he continues to see top-four minutes on a shutdown pairing with Dmitry Kulikov. Mikkola is at three assists, 11 shots on net, 11 hits, 14 blocked shots, six PIM and a minus-4 rating through nine appearances.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: Nabs two helpers Tuesday
Rotowire
Mikkola picked up two assists in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets.
The veteran blueliner collected his first points of the season, as he had a hand in a Dmitry Kulikov tally in the second period and Eetu Luostarinen's game-winner in the third. Mikkola produced a career-high 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 82 regular-season games for Florida last season, but his true fantasy value lies elsewhere -- he already has 10 blocked shots through five games in 2024-25, including four Tuesday.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: Bags apple in loss
Rotowire
Mikkola logged an assist, four hits and two blocked shots in Sunday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Rangers in Game 3.
Mikkola helped out on an Aleksander Barkov goal in the third period. The helper was Mikkola's first point in nine games since the start of the second round, though his lack of offense hasn't cost him a spot on the Panthers' second defense pairing. The 28-year-old has just three points to go with 11 shots on net, 43 hits, 20 blocked shots, 16 PIM and a plus-1 rating over 14 playoff outings.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: One of each Monday
Rotowire
Mikkola scored an empty-net goal, added an assist, logged five hits and blocked three shots in Monday's 6-1 win over the Lightning in Game 5.
Mikkola helped out on Carter Verhaeghe's opening goal in the second period and scored the final goal of the game in the third. This was Mikkola's first multi-point effort since Dec. 6. He's maintained steady ice time in a top-four role this season, though he's rarely been a big contributor on offense. The 28-year-old blueliner had three goals, 17 points, 93 shots on net, 199 hits, 124 blocked shots and 69 PIM over 82 regular-season outings.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: Assist ends lengthy drought
Rotowire
Mikkola earned an assist in Thursday's 3-2 loss to the Islanders.
Mikkola's 11th helper of the season ended his 29-game pointless drought. He earned the secondary assist on a second-period goal by Aleksander Barkov. The 27-year-old Mikkola has three goals, 14 points, 56 PIM, 175 hits and 113 blocked shots across 73 appearances this campaign while occupying a middle-pairing role.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: Two helpers in victory
Rotowire
Mikkola logged a pair of assists in Wednesday's 5-4 win over Dallas.
Mikkola picked up his first assist on Evan Rodrigues' opening tally in the first period before nabbing a second helper on Carter Verhaeghe's goal early in the second. The 27-year-old Mikkola now has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) through 25 games, just three shy of his career high set in 2021 with St. Louis. While Mikkola isn't expected to provide much in the way of scoring, he's been a steady defensive presence on Florida's second pairing, recording a plus-9 rating with 40 hits and 51 blocked shots.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: Lights lamp twice in win
Rotowire
Mikkola scored two goals in Monday's 5-3 win over the Oilers.
It's the first multi-goal game of Mikkola's career, and with three markers in 18 games to begin the campaign, he's already tied his career high. The 27-year-old blueliner is off to a flying start to begin his first season with Florida, collecting seven points, 24 hits, 29 shots on net, 40 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating while seeing a career-high 20:22 TOI.
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Panthers' Niko Mikkola: Signs with Florida
Rotowire
Mikkola signed a three-year, $7.5 million deal with the Panthers on Saturday, per PuckPedia.
Mikkola is the third defenseman signed by the Panthers on the opening day of free agency, following Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Mike Reilly. While he doesn't bring much offensively, the 27-year-old Mikkola is the strongest defender of the trio. The 6-foot-5 blueliner posted six points in 81 games between the Blues and the Rangers last season, adding 151 hits, 106 blocked shots and a plus-6 rating.
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Rangers' Niko Mikkola: Included in mega-deal Thursday
Rotowire
Mikkola, along with Vladimir Tarasenko, was traded to the Rangers on Thursday from the Blues with Sammy Blais, Hunter Skinner and conditional picks in 2023 and 2024 going the other way.
Considering Mikkola has just four goals in 139 games for the Blues over his four-year NHL career, the Rangers certainly aren't bringing him in to produce offensively. Still, the 26-year-old defenseman should immediately jump into a top-4 pairing, especially after Libor Hajek was placed on waivers to clear a spot on the blue line. While fantasy players are unlikely to be directly impacted by this move, it could mean reduced save totals for the Rangers' netminders with Mikkola averaging 1.36 blocks per game this season.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Stays busy in middle frame
Rotowire
Mikkola earned a game-high plus-3 rating during Wednesday's 5-2 victory over the host Blackhawks.
Mikkola endured an eventful second period Wednesday. The 26-year-old defenseman was on the ice for all five of the teams' combined goals during a frantic 6:25. The Blues pulled out to a 4-2 advantage during the pivotal time span. Mikkola finished with four shots and a team-high four blocks, helping the Blues capture their fourth win in a row. The bottom-four defenseman has just one point over seven November contests.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Gets on scoresheet Saturday
Rotowire
Mikkola notched an assist, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Golden Knights.
Mikkola had the secondary helper on Ryan O'Reilly's game-winning goal. The assist was Mikkola's first point in 12 appearances this season, though he's more of a physical presence on the blue line. The 26-year-old defenseman has added 28 hits, 26 blocked shots, 15 PIM and a plus-3 rating, and he should continue to see steady playing time with Robert Bortuzzo (upper body) on injured reserve.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Signs one-year extension
Rotowire
Mikkola signed a one-year, $1.9 million extension with the Blues on Sunday.
Mikkola set career highs in games played (54) and points (13) during the 2021-22 season. The 26-year-old figures to garner a similar reserve role during his fourth year in Saint Louis.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Grabs helper in loss
Rotowire
Mikkola notched an assist and two blocked shots in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Avalanche in Game 6.
Mikkola's first and only point of the playoffs was the secondary helper on a Justin Faulk tally in the first period. In 12 playoff outings, Mikkola added 36 hits, 21 blocked shots and eight PIM as a physical presence. He was likely playing above his level a bit -- the absence of Torey Krug (lower body) required Mikkola to see more of a top-four role than expected. The 26-year-old had 13 points, 109 hits, 81 blocked shots and 55 PIM in 54 regular-season outings. He's an arbitration-eligible restricted free agent this summer, and likely one the Blues will want back on a team-friendly deal to serve in a third-pairing capacity.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Provides two assists
Rotowire
Mikkola notched two assists, three hits and two blocked shots in Sunday's 6-3 win over the Ducks.
Mikkola had been a healthy scratch for the last eight games, and he clearly played like he had something to prove. The 25-year-old helped out on goals by Vladimir Tarasenko and Pavel Buchnevich in the contest, snapping his personal 17-game point drought. Mikkola is unlikely to see more than third-pairing usage when he's in the lineup, but he could carve out a regular role if Robert Bortuzzo (undisclosed) and Torey Krug (upper body) remain out. Mikkola has 13 points, 57 shots on net, 108 hits, 80 blocked shots, 55 PIM and a minus-6 rating through 53 appearances this season.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Two helpers in win
Rotowire
Mikkola collected two assists while adding three blocked shots, two hits, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the flyers.
Both helpers came in the third period as the Blues broke open a 1-1 tie. Mikkola is emerging as a steady fantasy asset in formats that count a wider variety of categories, and over the last 13 games he's amassed one goal, seven points, 16 PIM, 21 shots on goal, 29 blocked shots, 32 hits and a plus-2 rating.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Gets physical in win
Rotowire
Mikkola contributed two hits and two PIM in a 2-1 win over the Stars on Sunday.
Miikola has 41 hits and 22 PIM on the season. With just four points in 21 games, though, he's barely relevant from a fantasy perspective.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Nabs first two helpers of season
Rotowire
Mikkola dished out two assists in Thursday's 6-2 win over Detroit.
Mikkola assisted on the second of Nathan Walker's three goals, then added a helper on Colton Parayko's game-winning marker. These were the first two assists of the season for the 25-year-old Finn, who also has one goal in 11 games while playing a stay-at-home role that limits his fantasy upside.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Playing Monday
Rotowire
Mikkola (COVID-19 protocols) will suit up against the Knights on Monday after being activated off non-roster injured reserve, Jim Thomas of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Mikkola will be appearing in just his third game of the season in part due to his stint in the NHL's COVID-19 protocols. Even when fully fit, the Finnish blueliner is far from a lock for the lineup and will likely have to spend some time watching from the press box throughout the year.
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Blues' Niko Mikkola: Placed on COVID-19 list
Rotowire
Mikkola was placed on the non-roster COVID-19 list Friday.
Mikkola has registered a plus-3 rating through two appearances with the Blues this season. It's unclear if he'll be available for Sunday's game against the Ducks. Robert Bortuzzo or Calle Rosen will likely slide into the lineup if he's unable to play.
