Mikko Rantanen’s NHL career has been a rollercoaster, with him being a part of the Colorado Avalanche and then being involved in numerous trades and contracts. He signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team deal in January, and then was offered by the Dallas Stars, making him an unbeatable offer.
Mikko Rantanen opened up about being traded
Scott Oake, from Hockey Night In Canada, interviewed the Dallas Star’s Mikko Rantanen, discussing the details of his trade. Oake asked why he chose Dallas, given his position as the prize deadline catch and his options.
“Mikko, you were the prize deadline catch and you had options. Why Dallas?”, asked Oake. Without hesitation, Rantanen replied, “Well, I just know how good the team is. Obviously, I like the whole setup they have and I played against them a lot. I obviously knew some guys from before and yeah, just a really good team overall.”
Rantanen also opened up about his decision to leave Colorado Avalanche, “I think it was last week, I just, obviously it was a shock and they didn’t want it to happen at that time and then I just had to look at all the options… the guys were great and the team is really good but, it’s just, I had to look at it from all the angles and this was my decision.”
When asked about the explosive possibilities, he further said, “Well, yeah, I think, you know, three good players so hopefully we can get on the same page… or I just have to talk to them as much as I can and try to get the chemistry going as quickly as possible.”
With the signing of Mikko Rantanen, the Dallas Stars (41-19-2) believe they possess the firepower necessary to make a deep playoff run and contend for the Stanley Cup this year. The team has been playing well, sitting second in the Central Division, eight points behind the Winnipeg Jets as of Saturday.
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Rantanen has been the offense’s chief contributor for most of the season, with his high-level scoring and playmaking skills on full display. As a member of the Colorado Avalanche, he notched a career-high 64 points in the form of 25 goals and 39 assists on 49 games. Since being traded midseason to the Carolina Hurricanes, he’s remained a contributor with six points in the form of two goals and four assists over 13 games. Now, as he joins a solid Dallas team, the Stars expect his skill and experience to take their championship hopes to a higher level.