For the second year in a row, the Carolina Hurricanes have swung big for a trade. Ironically, it is for a player in their walk year and a player who likely wasn’t going to be able to stay with their team. The player acquired is Mikko Rantanen, who is arguably a top ten player in the sport. Rantanen is the exact type of player that the Hurricanes need and for many reasons. Also, they should be ready to get a contract extension ready.

Rantanen is the Perfect Fit

If there is a glaring need for the Hurricanes, it’s that they are missing a super star. Sebastian Aho is without question a star in this league, but he is the only player they have that’s on a super star level. When all is said and done, Aho could go down as the greatest Hurricane. But he needs a running mate and a player they can have form a dynamic duo. enter Rantanen.

Rantanen is the perfect fit for the Hurricanes. Yes Jake Guentzel was also a great add by the Hurricanes at last years deadline, but Rantanen fits the Rod Brind’Amour system. Tulsky touched on that after the acquisition.

Eric Tulsky on Mikko Rantanen joining the #Canes – https://t.co/Wkqi037z9h pic.twitter.com/NgWgOVirvO

— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) January 25, 2025

“I mean he’s a fantastic fit for the way we play. We play a system that has us battling for pucks along the walls and trying to make plays at the net front and he is just one of the best in the league at some of those things.”

He is a big winger and plays the power forward role well. He can get in on the forecheck and wear down the opposition. Oh, and he’s an offensive wagon that’ll build that Finland chemistry with Aho and improve the power play.

Rantanen has been one of the best players over the last five seasons. Rantanen has had the fourth most points in this span with 431. The players he trails behind? Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Nathan MacKinnon. The Oilers duo and the player he formed an elite duo with. This is what the Hurricanes are getting and landing players of this caliber are not always available. So, if you are general manager Eric Tulsky, the goal is to put pen to paper.

Extending Rantanen is a Must

It’ll take time, but Rantanen had a good first game in a Hurricanes sweater. He finished with a team high five shots on goal, saw top power play minutes, and nearly 20 minutes of total time on ice. Not bad for just be acquired the night prior. Now that Tulsky has identified the player that he believes fits this teams identity and can make a high impact, the goal is to extend him.

The Hurricanes were willing to extend Guentzel, but he then jumped ship to the Tampa Bay Lightning. This could be a blessing in disguise, as Rantanen is their type of player and also a better one. There have been reports that Rantanen is seeking $14 million per season on his next deal. It wasn’t evident that he would stay in Colorado, so Carolina swooped in.

The Hurricanes are not known for handing out large contracts. They’ve been able to lock in their players at very friendly rates. However, they did pay Aho $9.75 million per season, so they paid him like the star that he is. They’ve stepped outside of their comfort zone in order to pay Aho and will need to do the same for Rantanen if he is to remain a Hurricane beyond 2024-25.

Tulsky is doing his due diligence and has already begun the preliminary discussions regarding an extension with Rantanen and touched on how that went.

“Part of it [is] he needs to spend a little bit of time getting to know us and making sure he likes the city, he likes the team, he likes the coach, likes the players.  That’ll happen over the next days, weeks…  We will be talking to the agent throughout.

I wouldn’t expect him to sign away the next six, seven, or eight years of his life without knowing what he was getting into.

We have that opportunity [to talk extension], that’s part of what doing (the deal) early buys – the chance for everybody to understand the relationship before we commit to anything.  Of course, we would love to get it done and we will be working on that.”

This is a team that plans on contending and winning the Stanley Cup. Rantanen is a highly caliber player and built a legacy that’ll last forever in Colorado. A 2x All-Star, sixth in goals for the franchise, seventh in points, and most importantly a Stanley Cup Champion.

Rantanen is excited to be a Hurricane and now it’ll be something to monitor when it comes to him being a long term piece of the puzzle.