Hurricanes, Mikko Rantanen try to stay focused amid NHL trade deadline speculation
The Mikko Rantanen watch intensified Thursday.
The Carolina Hurricanes forward was the last player on the ice for the team’s morning skate and his absence was being duly noted — until he skated out. All eyes then turned to the Canes’ game Thursday night against the Boston Bruins, and Rantanen again was on the ice and in the lineup.
Seth Jarvis’ goal with 18.6 seconds left in the third period gave the Canes a 3-2 victory and a third straight win. The Canes got a big game in net from goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, who had 32 saves, a shorthanded score from Sebastian Aho in the first period and a goal from defenseman Brent Burns in the second.
The game-winner by Jarvis came after Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov broke his stick attempting a pass from the Boston zone. Jarvis grabbed the loose puck between the circles and quickly fired it past goalie Joonas Korpisalo.
Morgan Geekie, a former Canes forward, had both goals for the Bruins, who outplayed the Canes in stretches of the game.
“We got the job done, but it wasn’t pretty,” Aho said.
One could almost hear a clock ticking Thursday. The NHL trade deadline is at 3 p.m. Friday, and much of the scuttlebutt around the league the past week has centered on Rantanen and whether the Canes would re-sign him, trade him, or keep him and try to agree on a new contract extension — possibly for eight years and more than $100 million — before July 1 and the start of free agency.
That question has been hanging over Rantanen and the Canes since Jan. 25, the day the Colorado Avalanche traded the former NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup winner to Carolina: Would he or would he not sign?
And, if the Canes believed they would not be able to get a new long-term deal done, would they trade him before the deadline and maximize a return after giving up forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury to the Avs?
Some media reports Thursday had the Canes mulling over potential trade options.
Rantanen did not speak with the media after the skate. He quickly was off the ice and out of the locker room.
In an N&O interview last week, Rantanen was asked about the speculation, about the possibility of signing a new contract and staying with Carolina, and of how contract talks with the team had progressed.
“I just focus on this team and winning games,” he said. “That’s my only goal. I don’t think about all that other stuff, really. Just what happens on the ice.”
Before Thursday, Rantanen had played 12 games for the Canes, with two goals and four assists — that after scoring 25 goals and putting up 64 points in 49 games in Colorado this season.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Thursday morning that the days leading up to the trade deadline remain stressful — for the players, coaches, executives.
“We don’t talk about it, it’s out of our hands,” Brind’Amour said of the Canes coaching staff. “From the players’ perspective, they’ve got jobs to do.
“We know how it works. It’s a business. You look around the room and almost every guy has been on a different team at some point, so everybody kind of understands it. At the same time, that’s not what we’re thinking about. You’ve got to go out and do your job.”
Canes defenseman Sean Walker understands it. A year ago, he was playing for the Philadelphia Flyers as the trade deadline approached.
Walker said Flyers coach John Tortorella was the one to break the news to him that he was likely to be dealt to the Avalanche, where he then would become teammates with Rantanen.
“That day, we were supposed to fly out to Florida and ‘Torts’ let me know something was probably going down,” Walker said. “It happened fast.”
Instead of flying to Florida, Walker soon was on a plane to join the Avalanche.
“I went home, my wife helped me pack my bags and I went out West,” he said, smiling.
Walker played 18 regular-season and 11 playoff games for the Avs. Leaving in free agency, he signed a five-year, $18 million deal with the Hurricanes last July.
For the Canes and all other teams, it will remain a stressful time until 3 p.m. Friday. Until then ..
“At the end of the day you have to go out there on the ice and put it in the back of your mind,” Walker said. “Play the best hockey you can and everything will fall into place.
“It can be tough but it’s just part of the job, just something you have to deal with. Just make the best of it.”
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 2:30 PM.
