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The Dallas Stars will be a contending team for many years after their work at the NHL Trade Deadline.
Dallas was the benefactor of the Mikko Rantanen drama, as they ended up being the team to ink him to an eight-year contract extension. The move sets up the Stars with the perfect veteran addition to their young core, and could be the move to finally put them over the hump in this year's playoffs.
Dallas didn't give up too much in the deal with the Carolina Hurricanes, sending Logan Stankoven and two first-round draft picks in the swap. It wasn't the return the Hurricanes wanted, but the Stars were the only team to reach the crucial extension. Rantanen couldn't agree on a contract with the Colorado Avalanche, which prompted them to send him to the Hurricanes. However, Carolina cut their losses and added some assets instead of losing him for nothing in the offseason.
Rantanen wasn't the only massive contract Jim Nill added on trade deadline day. Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston share the same agent, who had a great day when the Stars doubled up and signed Johnston to an extension. The extensions mean that Rantanen, Johnston, Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Esa Lindell, and Jake Oettinger signed until the end of the 2028-29 season.
The Stars sit second in the Central Division, eight points behind the Winnipeg Jets. However, Dallas has two games in hand on Winnipeg and could catch them by the end of the year. If not, we could be on a collision course for a Rantanen return to Colorado in the first round of the playoffs.
Stars' “Finnish Mafia” adds a new member
The Stars added Mikael Granlund from the San Jose Sharks earlier this season. Granlund had 45 points in 52 games with the Sharks and nine more in 13 games with Dallas. The Granlund addition brought the Finnish-born total to four, but Rantanen increased it to five. Granlund's contract expires after this season, but Rantanen, Heiskanen, Hintz, and Lindell are with the team for the long haul. If Granlund wants to maintain a piece of home, he might also sign an extension.
You can't underestimate the value of chemistry and familiarity. Many felt that Rantanen would be a good fit in Carolina because he joined a fellow countryman in Sebastian Aho, but other external factors led to the quick breakup. However, it is well-known that Rantanen and Hintz are good friends back in Finland and train together. It seems like Rantanen's departure from the Avalanche was a massive shock after making his home in Denver, but spending the next six years minimum in Dallas with Hintz is a welcome replacement.
Rantanen has two goals in two games in Dallas, the same number he had in 13 games in Carolina. He had found a good linemate in Hintz, who has qualities similar to former linemate Nathan MacKinnon, with his elite speed. However, Hintz suffered a gruesome-looking puck to the face in the Stars' last game, which will keep him out of the lineup for at least a week.
Returning players will give Dallas significant postseason boost
Hintz isn't the only Finnish-born player not in the Stars' lineup. Heiskanen is out month-to-month with a knee injury, and the Stars hope he can return for the postseason. Dallas' Finnish Mafia uniting for the postseason could be scary for the rest of the Western Conference. However, it isn't just the Finland-born players that the rest of the conference will have to worry about.
Let's not forget the chemistry Tyler Seguin and Matt Duchene were starting to build before Seguin's injury. Seguin's long-term injured reserve helped the Stars acquire Granlund and Rantanen, but if his recovery from hip surgery goes well, he should be able to return after the regular season ends. Seguin had over a point per game before he left the lineup, which would've been the first time since 2015-16.
If everyone returns for the postseason, the Stars will have one of the best rosters in the cap era. It could include a third line of Jamie Benn, Johnston, and Granlund. The fourth line would also be an elite young line of Mavrik Bourque, Sam Steel, and Oskar Back. The Avalanche isn't easy to match up against for any team in the playoffs. However, the unfortunate truth for Colorado is that the one team that could match their talent up and down the lineup might be the Stars in the first round.
It'll be bad news for the teams' fans but great news for hockey fans who want to see the matchup when both teams haven't gone through the grind of a couple of rounds.