Mikko Rantanen traded to Stars in deal that could secure the Stanley Cup for Dallas

The biggest deal of the NHL trade deadline is done.

Mikko Rantanten’s stay in Carolina was about as long as Abe Simpson’s taking a lap around the “Maison Derrière” burlesque house when Bart spotted him. Rantanen was dealt to Dallas on Friday after being unable to reach an agreement with the Hurricanes on a long-term deal — it’s reported that Rantanen will now sign an eight year deal with Stars worth $12M AAV.

Details are still being hammered out, which could take all the way to the deadline due to the contract extension, but we have an idea of the framework of this deal.

The Hurricanes were in an unenviable position, entirely of their own making. Trading for Rantanen was a swing at the fences, hoping they could convince him to re-sign and stay in Raleigh alongside fellow Finnish superstar Sebastian Aho, but that never materialized. Not only were the sides unable to work out a deal, but Rantanen never really worked inside Rod Brind-Amour’s system, registering just six points in 13 games.

It raises very real questions about whether Rantanen was as elite as the numbers showed, of if he was a very major benefactor of Nate McKinnon’s brilliance in Colorado. More concerning for Carolina than the lack of points was Rantanen’s woefully inefficient shooting, which say at 5% during his time with the Hurricanes, a significant drop-off from his 18.5% with the Avs.

Now, what does this mean for the Stars? If Rantanen’s performance issues were simply a product of not fitting the Canes system then it’s a phenomenal win for them. An Avs-level Rantanen wouldn’t just transform Dallas’ front line, he might be enough to bring home the Stanley Cup.

If this is a case where Rantanen just doesn’t work away from McKinnon then this real will end up being a mess. While Dallas didn’t necessarily go “all in,” they did trade three solid assets and more importantly inked a massive deal.

Ultimately this was a mutually beneficial deal. Carolina rolled the dice and it didn’t work, but got a good return back. Dallas potentially got a player who can win them the cup and take them to the next level.