Finland members Mikko Koivu, Valtteri Filppula ruled out of Winter Olympics

In a major loss for Team Finland, Mikko Koivu and Valtteri Filppula will both miss the Winter Olympics to continue rehabilitating ankle injuries.

Filppula, who was expected to play a large role on Team Finland, injured his ankle against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and is expected to miss the next three weeks. The 2014 games in Sochi would've been Filppula's second Olympics. With 41 points in 56 games in the NHL this season, Filppula's production will be missed on a suddenly depleted Finnish squad.

Wild captain Koivu officially pulled out of the games on Friday after determining the right ankle injury that has kept him out of the lineup since Jan. 4 isn't healed enough to skate in Sochi for two weeks. Although team doctors say he's on the right track, he felt pain in his ankle while skating this week and decided to rest instead of traveling to Russia.

Koivu, 30, will likely still have one more opportunity to play in his third Winter Olympics in 2018. He helped Finland win a silver medal in Turin, Italy, in 2006 and a bronze medal in Vancouver, Canada, in 2010.