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Mikko Rantanen’s stay with the Carolina Hurricanes lasted just long enough for him to turn down a nine-figure contract offer before getting flipped back to another Central Division contender in a stunning move just hours before the NHL’s trade deadline.
The 28-year-old winger landed with the Dallas Stars on Friday, according to league sources, acquired in exchange for 22-year-old forward Logan Stankoven plus first-round picks in 2026 and 2027 and third-round picks in 2026 and 2027 from a Hurricanes team that didn’t want to risk losing Rantanen for nothing in free agency.
The framework of the trade was agreed upon by the teams late Thursday night on the condition that Rantanen reached terms with Dallas on a contract extension. That was met Friday when he agreed to an eight-year, $96 million deal with a full no-movement clause.
The deal restores some lucrative professional security to a world turned upside down in recent weeks. Rantanen had been in no man’s land since getting blindsided by a trade from the Colorado Avalanche to Carolina on Jan. 24.
The Hurricanes made a big contract pitch to Rantanen during last month’s 4 Nations Face-Off break, but they weren’t successful in convincing him to engage in negotiations. He never seemed entirely comfortable in Raleigh, N.C., after spending a decade with the Avalanche, and that’s reflected in his modest stat line: two goals and six points in 13 games.
It didn’t diminish Rantanen’s overall trade value after playing more than 600 NHL regular-season games with an average of 1.09 points per game. He’s also considered one of the premier playoff performers of his generation. In the postseason, the Finn has averaged 1.25 points per game and helped the Avalanche win a Stanley Cup in 2022.
For the Hurricanes, this is a story of nothing ventured, nothing gained. They managed to acquire a much younger asset in the 22-year-old Stankoven than either Rantanen (28) or Martin Necas (26), who was the jewel they surrendered in the original trade with the Avalanche. Stankoven is a promising young center under team control for five more seasons.
They also turned a 2025 second-rounder and 2026 fourth (sent to Colorado in the first Rantanen deal) into two firsts and two thirds.
The Stars, meanwhile, are all in after falling short in back-to-back trips to the Western Conference final.
In landing a monster fish in Rantanen, they may be shifting the conference’s balance of power ever so slightly — although it’s notable that his acquisition came within hours of Colorado acquiring center Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders, and Dallas may meet Rantanen’s former team as soon as the first round of the playoffs.
The Stars had previously acquired center Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci in a Feb. 1 trade with the San Jose Sharks and are still poised to welcome forward Tyler Seguin (hip) and defenseman Miro Heiskanen (knee) back to the lineup at some point this spring.
They are banking on the fact that Rantanen’s second trade of the season won’t catch him off guard to the same degree that his first one did. He’s been the subject of increasing trade speculation over the past two weeks and wasn’t nearly as surprised by Friday’s move. Plus, he’s landing on a roster with several of his countrymen, including Heiskanen, Roope Hintz and Esa Lindell.
Rantanen’s experience has been highly unusual for an NHL player, especially one with his resume, reputation and long list of accomplishments.
When it was all said and done, his tenure with the Hurricanes lasted 42 days.
He’s now committed the rest of his prime to the Stars and can only hope that chapter is more memorable.
Required reading
(Photo: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
