The Carolina Hurricanes made a statement with their trade for Mikko Rantanen back in late January. The Hurricanes needed an elite goal scorer for the longest time before this move. Rantanen was a pending unrestricted free agent. However, having his goal-scoring ability in the lineup instantly made Carolina a Stanley Cup contender.
However, as the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline draws near, speculation has run rampant over the possibility of another trade. Reports have indicated the Hurricanes could flip their star forward ahead of the March 7th deadline. Especially if they decide to retain half of the $4.625 million cap hit they are on the hook for.
At this time, it remains entirely speculation. Neither the Hurricanes nor Rantanen have made an official statement regarding their future together. Still, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun wrote about the situation on Monday. And he believes that any discussions taking place are not being started by Carolina.
“I do not believe the Hurricanes are actually calling around telling teams they might trade Rantanen. From my conversations around the league over the past few days, I think what’s happening is a few teams have had the courage to call Carolina and just ask ‘what if?’ in case the Canes can’t extend him. But I’ve found zero evidence of Carolina actually initiating trade calls,” LeBrun wrote for The Athletic on Monday.
Where Hurricanes, Mikko Rantanen stand in contract talks
Mikko Rantanen loved his time with the Colorado Avalanche. So much so, he was reportedly willing to take a massive discount to re-sign with the franchise. However, they decided to move on, putting him in a situation of negotiating with an unfamiliar team.
Rantanen was reportedly blindsided by the Avalanche trading him to Carolina. And he has taken some time to process everything between the trade and last week’s 4 Nations tournament. Carolina understands the position their player is in, according to LeBrun.
“I also think the Canes understand that between a trade out of Colorado that blindsided him and barely getting a chance to acclimatize himself to his new surroundings in Carolina, in part because of the time away at 4 Nations, Rantanen needs time still to contemplate things. And that’s what is happening now. He’s thinking things over,” LeBrun wrote for The Athletic.
The Athletic’s NHL insider also noted that Carolina had made a pitch to Rantanen over the 4 Nations break. The Hurricanes forward was skating for Team Finland during the tournament. But he met with Carolina’s brass over Zoom for what was described as a “detailed” pitch.
Whether Rantanen re-signs in Carolina remains to be seen. However, as the NHL Trade Deadline nears, the speculation will grow louder. This will certainly be a situation fans want to monitor before March 7th rolls around.
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