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The Carolina Hurricanes made a massive trade for Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche. He scored his first goal since the trade in a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday. As he assimilates into his new team, questions about his free-agency intentions are rampant. The Score caught up with him on his thoughts on his Hurricanes teammates.
“The guys have been great,” Rantanen said. “They’re a resilient group and they work really hard. You can tell they’ve had success in the last couple of years and they play really well together. I’m glad to be part of it.”
Rantanen's goal was his 26th of the season but first with the Hurricanes. The assist came from Jack Roslovic, who gave up his number 96 for the new addition. Rantanen spoke about Roslovic after the game.
“When it comes to his number, Rantanen said all he had to do was ask Roslovic. ‘He’s a nice guy,' he said. ‘I told him I’d buy him a nice watch.'”
Now the Hurricanes have a big decision to make in free agency. General manager Eric Tulsky has already said that he wants to bring Rantanen back but the price is what drove him away from the Avalanche. Having a massive second half will be key for Rantanen getting what he wants.
The Hurricanes must re-sign Mikko Rantanen
The Avalanche got a massive return package from the Hurricanes for Mikko Rantanen. Martin Necas has been one of the best goal-scorers in the league this year and Jack Drury is a promising prospect. Losing both of those players and not keeping Rantanen would be mortgaging their future beyond repair.
Last year, the Hurricanes traded for Jake Guentzel at the deadline. He was the best player moved mid-season but did not stay in Carolina in free agency. They did not give up as much to get Guentzel, so losing him was not the worst thing. They still had enough pieces to make the Rantanen trade. But there is no third move to make and try to get a premier scorer.
Rantanen told reporters that he was willing to take less than market value to stay with the Avalanche. The thing missing from that quote is what he considers market value compared to what the Avalanche think his value is. The Hurricanes should sign him regardless of the contract to keep their competitive window open. It may be a $14 million cap hit, but it would be worth it for this player.
