Rantanen's trade to Stars caps 'crazy' stretch for high-scoring forward

Mikko Rantanen called it “crazy.”

First, the Colorado Avalanche traded him to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 24. Then, the Hurricanes flipped him to the Dallas Stars before the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday.

Two trades in six weeks.

“It’s been something that I never thought I would experience,” the forward told TSN, “but here we are.”

It’s simple, though.

Rantanen is one of the best players in the NHL, but he was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.

When the Avalanche couldn’t sign him to a long-term contract, they felt they had to get something for him rather than risk him walking away for nothing.

The Hurricanes felt acquiring Rantanen was worth a shot. By doing it well ahead of the Deadline, they gave themselves and Rantanen time to explore their options. When they couldn’t sign him to a long-term contract, either, they felt the return from Dallas outweighed the benefits of keeping him as a rental for the rest of this season and then likely losing him as a free agent.

The Stars made the trade and signed Rantanen to an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value). He will make his Dallas debut at the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, Victory+).

Rantanen said he thought about his life on and off the ice, and he liked the fit in Dallas.

“I’ve played against Dallas a lot,” he told TSN. “I know they have a good team. I know the city well enough and everything there, and I’ve only heard good things about the organization and everything, so at the end of the day, it was easy. Easy decision at that point.”

Obviously, this is bitterly disappointing for Colorado and Carolina.

The Avalanche were hoping to keep Rantanen, who had spent his entire NHL career with them, become an elite player with them, and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2022. They sent him to the Hurricanes, only to see him end up with a Central Division rival.

They are going to have to face the 6-foot-4, 215-pound man known as “Moose” often in the regular season -- starting March 16, when they host the Stars at Ball Arena in Denver -- and perhaps in the Stanley Cup Playoffs too.

“Those games are going to [stink], like, a lot,” Colorado defenseman Devon Toews said. “It’s not going to be fun to play against him and to have to deal with his big body and his presence down low and his scoring ability. Trying to shut that down is a problem, a big problem to figure out.”

The Hurricanes added a superstar but failed to convince him to stay.

“I think we have a great organization,” Carolina GM Eric Tulsky said. “I think we have a great coach. I think we have a great locker room. But it doesn’t fit for everyone, and it just didn’t feel like home to him, as far as I can tell. And that’s OK. You know, it’s a person’s life, and he’s making an eight-year commitment.”

At least Colorado and Carolina each mitigated the loss.

The Avalanche received forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury from the Hurricanes, along with a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a fourth-rounder in 2026.

The Hurricanes received forward Logan Stankoven, two conditional first-round picks (2026 and 2028) and two third-round picks (2026 and 2027). Each first-round pick slides to the next year if it falls in the top 10.

“Honestly, when you look back at the whole thing, we recovered a lot there,” Tulsky said, “and I’m pretty happy with where we ended up in the end.”

Of course, no one is happier than the Stars.

They went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 and the Western Conference Final each of the past two seasons. They’re third in the NHL with 84 points, and here comes Rantanen. The 28-year-old has 70 points (27 goals, 43 assists) in 62 games, tied for 11th in the NHL.

He has generated 1.25 points per game in the playoffs in his NHL career, tied with Mark Messier for sixth among players who have appeared in at least 35 games. The only names higher on the list? Wayne Gretzky (1.84), Mario Lemieux (1.61), Connor McDavid (1.58), Leon Draisaitl (1.46) and Nathan MacKinnon (1.30), Rantanen’s old Colorado teammate.

Stars general manager Jim Nill was voted NHL GM of the Year by his peers each of the past two seasons for a reason.

“The chance to acquire and extend one of the best forwards in the NHL is an opportunity that we couldn’t pass up,” Nill said. “He demonstrates exceptional skill and vision on the ice, and his size, consistency and versatility make him one of the most complete players in the League. Mikko’s experience in the postseason is an invaluable asset to our team as we work toward the goal of winning a Stanley Cup.”

NHL.com independent correspondent Ryan Boulding contributed to this report