The Carolina Hurricanes made the trade of the season by landing Mikko Rantanen in January. They gave up Martin Necas and Jack Drury to land him, two young forwards with star potential. Rantanen's contract expires after this season and his negotiations with the Avalanche fell apart. As the Hurricanes start to negotiate with Rantanen, free agency is looking like an option for the Finnish forward. The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported this from the 4 Nations Face-Off.

“In the chatter over the last few days around 4 Nations, there’s a lot of talk surrounding his future and it not likely being in Raleigh,” Pagnotta said.

He continued, “Carolina is willing to give him the big bucks that he’s looking for, in that $14 million (per year) range. So that’s not an issue. It really is going to come down to Mikko Rantanen and being comfortable staying there long-term, and there are a lot of people around the league, there’s a lot of chatter among teams that they’re doubting that’s the case.”

The Hurricanes gave up a lot to get Rantanen and he fits their needs perfectly. They have been missing an elite goal scorer for the last decade and Rantanen is exactly that.

The Hurricanes must figure out the Mikko Rantanen situation soon

Carolina Hurricanes right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) skates with the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at Lenovo Center.
James Guillory-Imagn Images
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The NHL trade deadline is on March 7 and the Hurricanes have seven games before then. If they cannot get Rantanen to sign a long-term deal in Carolina before then, they must explore trading him. While they likely will not get a player of Necas' level back in a deal, getting something for the asset is important.

The Hurricanes do not have to have ink on paper by March 7, but they have to be closer than this. While the money is on the table, he may not want to spend the rest of his career in Raleigh. One thing that could help the situation is his recent time with Sebastian Aho on Team Finland in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Aho and Rantanen played together in the tournament and will pick it back up in Raleigh. The Hurricanes have to hope that Aho sold Rantanen on being his teammate long-term while they were in Montreal and Boston. If he did not, a trade could be coming so that they didn't deal Necas and Drury for nothing.

Every team in playoff contention should be in on Rantanen if he gets traded. And if he does, that team should sign Rantanen before he hits free agency on July 1. If he gets traded twice and still hits free agency, it would be one of the most bizarre seasons ever.