Nine additional NHL teams reached out to the Carolina Hurricanes about trading for Mikko Rantanen before the Dallas Stars finally took possession of the star forward at the deadline.
Pierre LeBrun reports for The Athletic that nine NHL teams including Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights alongside L.A. Kings and Edmonton Oilers together with Utah Hockey Club, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken showed interest in Rantanen.
According to LeBrun the Maple Leafs together with the Panthers both intensively pursued this trade while Toronto attempted to persuade Mitch Marner into relinquishing his no-trade rights but Marner did not accept.
TSN reporter Ryan Rishaug revealed the Oilers actively negotiated to obtain Rantanen while chasing a deal worth more than the Dallas agreement of eight years with $96 million.
Rantanen joined the Hurricanes in January when they traded forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury and two future draught picks including a second in 2025 and a fourth in 2026 to the Avalanche.
The Hurricanes prevented the Oilers from finishing the proposed trade because they lacked sufficient assets.
By trading forward Logan Stankoven alongside three draught picks to Carolina Hurricanes the Stars acquired Rantanen when he approves an extension agreement.
The deal for Rantanen includes a yearly average pay of $12 million and his no-trade provision remains active until 2032-33 season.
LeBrun revealed that Colorado Avalanche presented Mikko Rantanen with a maximum yearly offer of $11.65 million before his trade to Carolina Hurricanes took place.
The Carolina Hurricanes proposed to pay Rantanen $12.5 million annually during a proposed eight-year term but he did not believe he fit into the organisation.
The Stars General Manager Jim Nill confirmed to LeBrun that negotiations with the Hurricanes started approximately two weeks before the deadline took effect.
“We started talking and kept in touch. As the deadline approached, the discussions intensified over the last four or five days.” Nill said.
