Who would settle for less pay, especially when you’re a star athlete who potentially stands to lose millions by signing the wrong deal? Well, the now former Carolina Hurricanes star Mikko Rantanen would. Why you ask? Well that’s exactly what SDPNsports Executive Producer, Drew Livingstone, who has worked at Sportsnet, tried to answer on social media.
Trade rumors surrounded Rantanen ever since he came over to the Hurricanes, linking him with several teams like the Maple Leafs, he finally settled for a team at the 11th hour. With the trade window deadline looming, The Fourth Period reported that Rantanen had signed with the Dallas Stars. Yet here’s the kicker. The Finnish hockey star left $1.5 million on the table.
“So Rantanen rejected $13.5M from Carolina and settled for $12M in Dallas,” Livingstone wrote on X. The producer followed the statement up with his take on why Mikko Rantanen chose the Dallas Stars instead of just singing a contract extension for a million and a half more. “Speaks volumes about Carolina’s ability to retain and maybe even Brind’Amour as a head coach,” he added.
An ice hockey fan challenged the theory, citing the lack of income tax in Texas, saying Rantanen would ultimately earn more in Texas. However, Livingstone suggested the Canes had already considered that disparity when making the offer. “For sure, but they made up for that when they apparently offered $13.5M,” he explained in the comments.
So Rantanen rejected $13.5M from Carolina and settled for $12M in Dallas.
Speaks volumes about Carolina’s ability to retain and maybe even Brind’Amour as a head coach
— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) March 7, 2025
Thankfully, Mikko Rantanene himself shed some light on why he decided to sign the whopping eight-year, $96 million contract with Dallas. “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,” explained the forward. Unfortunately, this is a bitter pill to swallow for the Canes and the Avalanche.
The two teams opened up on losing Mikko Rantanen
The fuss about when Mikko Rantanen would end up has popped up in the headlines quite often lately. With the hockey star’s $55,500,000 contract with the Colorado Avalanche coming to an end this season this year, they sent him over to the Canes. While Rantanen wasn’t outstanding for the Hurricanes, he was a championship winning player for Colorado.
Rantanene helped the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022. Naturally, the Avalanches were also interested in getting the Finnish star back in their camp. Unfortunately, they’ll now have to have Mikko Rantanen in a Dallas Stars jersey. Aves defenseman Devon Towes anticipated how it would be fun taking on the 250 lb NHL forward.
“Those games are going to [stink], like, a lot. 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,” Toews said as per NHL.com. However, the Canes seemed to be ok with not retaining the forward.
GM Tulsky explained that while he believes the Carolina Hurricanes have a great team and coach, it may not be a perfect fit for everyone. “It just didn’t feel like home to him, as far as I can tell. And that’s OK,” said Tulsky. However, this shouldn’t be surprising, as insider Elliotte Friedman had revealed that the Canes were ready to settle for a good deal in exchange for trading Rantanen. That being said, eight years is a significant commitment. Only time will tell how well the 28-year-old fits into the Dallas Stars style of doing things.
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