The plot twist is delicious, though.
The Avalanche sent Rantanen to the Eastern Conference. But when Rantanen didn’t sign with Carolina, the Hurricanes put him right back into the Central Division by flipping him to the Stars on March 7, and he signed with Dallas.
The Stars would have been happy just to see Rantanen off the Avalanche. He had 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 14 games against Dallas in the playoffs in his career, including five points (two goals, three assists) in six games last season. He averages 1.25 points per game in the playoffs, tied with Mark Messier for sixth in NHL history among those who have played at least 74 games. He’s a load at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds.
But taking him off the Avalanche and ending up with him on the Stars? Twice as nice. Rantanen had 18 points (five goals, 13 assists) in 20 games after the trade, one point behind Duchene (five goals, 14 assists) for the team lead in that span.
“It was always MacKinnon, Makar, Rantanen, those were the guys,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said. “Him not being out there is obviously an advantage for us, and [having him] on our team is even better. Not having him on the other side protecting those pucks, making it hard to play against, that was …”
Robertson laughed.
“That’s great that we have it now,” he continued. “That’s a nice thing we don’t have to deal with. I’m sure it’s going to be very emotional for him playing against them in the playoffs, but he’s a pro. He’s ready for it.”
Rantanen already has gotten his first game against Colorado out of the way, and it was in Denver too. In only his fourth game with the Stars, he had an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss at Ball Arena on March 16.
“I’ve talked to him,” Duchene said. “Going back in there the first time, I told him, I said, ‘Hey, if you’re feeling anything, come chat with me, because I’ve been through it.’”
Duchene, selected by Colorado with the No. 3 pick of the 2009 NHL Draft, spent nine seasons with the Avalanche. He wanted a change and went to the Ottawa Senators in a complex three-team trade Nov. 5, 2017, that ultimately helped both sides. From there, he bounced to the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Nashville Predators and the Stars.
He has faced the Avalanche in the playoffs twice. He scored in double overtime to eliminate them in Denver last season.
“It's hard,” Duchene said. “It took me a long time to feel half-comfortable playing back there. I mean, when it’s your first team, it’s always harder. I’ve never felt like that going back to the other places I’ve played. And crowds get hostile, regardless of what kind of terms you leave on, in a playoff series.
“He was a very celebrated guy when he was over there, and I’m sure it’s going to be a little bit the opposite now. That could be tough. But I think once you understand that that’s just sport and it’s not a personal thing, you’re just a piece of meat skating around on the ice and that’s how people look at you, once you kind of realize that, you kind of take in stride a bit more.”
“The Moose” is the elephant in the room.
But it might help to talk about it.
“We’re here for him to deal with any of those extra emotions,” Duchene said. “Playoffs is already stressful enough. Adding that on top’s tough, so not sure how it’ll be for him. Everyone’s personal experience is different. But yeah, it’s definitely something you’re not used to.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Ryan Boulding contributed
