9:44 a.m.: Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic adds the Golden Knights and Panthers as teams who have made legitimate pitches for Rantanen in the last 24 hours, also moving the player to the top of his pre-deadline board. Vegas would need retention on Carolina’s part to get a deal done with $2.4MM in deadline cap space, with the Hurricanes likely targeting someone like 24-goal man Pavel Dorofeyev as part of the return. Florida wouldn’t need retention after placing Matthew Tkachuk on LTIR for what’s expected to be the remainder of the regular season, and might need to surrender top forward prospect Mackie Samoskevich to get it done. He’s recently been elevated to a top-six role in Tkachuk’s absence.
8:10 a.m.: The Maple Leafs, Stars, and Kings are three teams expressing high levels of interest in star right-winger Mikko Rantanen, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman writes. After reports first surfaced last month that the Hurricanes could flip Rantanen after acquiring him from the Avalanche in a January blockbuster if extension talks weren’t productive, Carolina has “opened the door” on trade talks late this week, Friedman said. There’s a long list of teams to display interest so far – including the Devils, James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now said Tuesday.
It remains to be seen how willing the Hurricanes are to move Rantanen, who will likely need to agree in principle to an extension with his new club for them to land the return they desire. Carolina isn’t a seller in any capacity – they’re nine points ahead of the playoff line and have a 99.6% chance at a playoff berth, per MoneyPuck – so they’re presumably not interested in futures as the primary value in a return.
The 6’4″ Finn hasn’t been what the Hurricanes expected when they surrendered Martin Nečas, Jack Drury, and three draft picks to acquire him and Taylor Hall in a three-team deal with the Blackhawks six weeks ago. Despite spending most of his time in the lineup stapled to star countryman Sebastian Aho’s wing as expected, he’s scored just 2-4–6 through 12 games in Carolina with a minus-two rating.
Rantanen’s brief but underwhelming showing outside of Colorado, where he’d torched the league for 1.28 points per game since 2020, will weigh on teams’ minds as they debate how many resources they’ll commit to acquiring and extending him. With an eight-year deal, he’s virtually guaranteed to become one of the four highest-paid players in the league, surpassing Oilers star Connor McDavid’s $12.5MM AAV and likely even former teammate Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6MM cap hit. AFP Analytics even projects an eight-year extension for Rantanen to cost $13.65MM per season, approaching $110MM in total value and making him the second-highest paid player in the league next season behind Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl, who’ll be kicking off a mega-extension with a $14MM cap hit.
While there will surely be NHL players coming off the acquiring teams’ roster in a Rantanen return, the Maple Leafs are the only one of the above group who would need to make a money-in, money-out deal. Carolina, who has Rantanen on their books for $4.625MM against the cap after Chicago retained half his salary in January’s trade, can make him a $2.3MM player by retaining an additional 50%. That wouldn’t require additional shuffling on the Stars’ or Kings’ end.
Carolina will need an immediate replacement at wing in the deal. While it’s likely to be a downgrade in terms of overall reputation, they’ll still be asking for a bona fide top-six piece with other assets in the deal to make up the difference in trade value. For Toronto, that could mean parting ways with pending RFA Matthew Knies, shifting William Nylander to the left wing to replace him and casting Rantanen and Mitch Marner as their top two right wingers. Another bottom-six depth piece, potentially Calle Järnkrok, could also be out the door to help the Hurricanes replace the void left by William Carrier when he underwent lower-body surgery in late January.
The Kings have made their desire for a right-handed scorer public over the last few weeks and will pivot to second-line type names like the Islanders’ Kyle Palmieri if their efforts to land Rantanen are futile. Carolina likely demands someone like Trevor Moore in return, who erupted for 31 goals last year but has just 12 in 51 games this year. Breakout 23-year-old Alex Laferriere, who’s posted 15-16–31 in 56 games, is also an option as a centerpiece, but would require more additional assets from L.A. than Toronto would need to provide on top of the more highly-touted Knies.
Dallas, who’s already added Mikael Granlund to their forward group, has more appealing NHL-ready young talent to offer than their Western Conference rival. Either 2024 AHL MVP turned NHL full-timer Mavrik Bourque or 22-year-old Logan Stankoven could immediately slot into the Canes’ top-nine (or top-six, in Stankoven’s case), and are more in Knies’ territory in terms of long-term offensive ceiling than Laferriere and Moore.
To the Caps for Mangiapane and Lapierre, who’s ready for a bottom 6 role on a real contender.
That’s nowhere near enough
plus 1st rounder this year and 2nd/3rd next year.
Still not enough. You don’t get 100 point players for a first and two bottom sixers. Caps would have to love something substantial and I don’t know they have the star power to make it happen…maybe Dubois, McMichael, Ctistall and a first but even then…
LOL!
It’s like Groundhog Day…
Rantanen can’t agree to a long-term deal with Colorado, so they ship him to Carolina.
Rantanen can’t agree to a long-term deal with Carolina, so they ship him to ???.
Rantanen can’t agree to a long-term deal with ??? so they let him walk.
Rantanen bit more than he can chew with his contract negotiations with Colorado. He will return to Colorado where he is comfortable after he becomes a UFA.
I think CAR would want the closest player to Rantanen they could get, not a package. So, something more like Fiala for Rantanen.
That doesn’t work for the Canes cap-wise unless they send another player to LA. Can’t imagine the Kings are willing to retain on a deal running through 2029.
Oh, right, they are getting Rantanen at the discount rate.
Maybe Kempe (with just enough retention) for Rantanen.
If CAR trades Rantanen for a package, they’ll have essentially turned a top tier contender into a rebuild with two bad trades.
I WOULD say that CAR biting the bullet and resigning Rantanen today (especially since he and his agent have to be getting a bit nervous at his market eroding and him being labeled a product of McKinnon) is the most likely scenario, except that the Canes don’t look to have a huge amount of cap next year and Dundon is a weird guy who does weird things, so who knows.
Nope, try again. Not a chance at all the Kings trade Kempe.
NO chance they trade a 28 year old 70 point RW for a 28 year old 100 point RW?
The Leafs will have a hard enough time keeping Marner, so why would they trade away a low cost talent like Knies for another player they can’t keep (Rantanen)?
That is my dream. We trade Mikko for Knies then we sign Marner in free agency. He’s a better fit for Rod’s system than Mikko is.
Necas has 13pts in as many games in DEN. COL has gone 8-5 in those games.
Rantanen has 6pts in 12 games in Raleigh. CAR has gone 5-7 in those games.
Not a great sample size for Rantanen, but he has prob hurt his stock a little bit with his play so far. He def won’t get the $13MM+ a year he was asking for at this rate.
Let’s see what Carolina can get for him, but in hindsight, they sure didn’t help their chances of winning the Cup with this trade.
The team that trades for him will have to have deal in place with him if not he will become a free agent July 1. If so I would say he will be back in Colorado.
Nic & Nic for Mikk…
I floated this a few days ago and it popped up on the PDOcast yesterday.
Vegas retains on Hague to make it “dollar-in-dollar-out. Roy fills a need and is a bargin replacement and upgrade for Drury. Hague is an RFA they can afford to extend. If there’s a team that believes they can resign Rantanen for eight years… it’s the Golden Nights – who throw in a pick or prospect if necessary.
Who say No?
Rantanen was offered a very large contract by Colorado, Then, After he was traded, He claimed he would take a big discount to stay with the Avs, Since being traded, He’s been acting like a child, And playing as if he’s disinterested, He clearly needs to grow up!
so basically it’s Vegas, stars or kings cause no way Carolina trades him to TO, Fla or NJ
no way the Leafs are giving up knies for Rantanen. likely would be happy moving Robertson, Jarnkrok and a 1st and 2nd if the canes retain.
I don’t see how the Kings could pull this off. The problem is giving back Carolina something that helps them now. Kings don’t have the depth to send back Fiala or anyone significant without creating more holes in the top 9.
They need to trade with a team that will accept future considerations. G prospect plus picks
As a Canes fan, I just don’t think Mikko fits in Brind’Amour’s system. I trade him for the best young offensive guy you can get, no matter the conference. You then use the money earmarked for him to get Marner who is a Rod type of guy. A little crazy how it works but Marner / Young Scorer and picks is better than Necas / Drury and picks.
Toronto & Florida getting Mikko Rantanen from Carolina is highly unlikely as both teams (TOR & FLA) would have to give up one of their star players for sure in return let alone Carolina isn’t going to send Rantanen to a eastern playoff contender that they may face unless they get a star in return & more. Honestly, Toronto & Florida are trying to keep up with Tampa’s elite offensive depth now since they loaded up yesterday with Bjorkstrand & Gourde.
Of the 3 western teams, if one team can pull off getting Rantanen it would be Vegas as they are not afraid to shake things up. Dallas maybe could pending who they would have to give up. LA I know is looking for a scoring winger but hard to say who LA could give up for Rantanen. LA may have to wait until FA to try & get either Boeser (who they reportedly want) or Rantanen (if he hits the market).
I think Carolina will hold on Rantanen for the season & let things play out from there.