Everybody knows how much fuss is going around. Mikko Rantanen. Just a day ago, Elliotte Friedman told fans that the Los Angeles Kings are interested in him. The inside has hit the internet again to drop a major update. The trade deadline is closer now, and Rantanen has been the center point on every single trade talk as the right winger reaches the last year of his six-year $55,500,000 contract with the Colorado Avalanche (former team).
Per many sources, the Carolina Hurricanes are so much into trading Mikko. But NHL insider Elliotte Friedman’s latest update on Thursday has given some sigh of relief to Carolina Hurricanes fans. Friedman just dropped a single line of update, saying, “Mikko Rantanen is taking warmups in Carolina.” Now that’s a major twist. It’s not even 24 hours since the same person said, “I think Carolina is doing its due diligence as we speak, trying to see what the market is for Rantanen. I believe they’ve talked to several teams.”
Mikko Rantanen is taking warmups in Carolina
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 6, 2025
He also said that the Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, and most importantly, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the top trade destinations for the Hurricanes right winger. So, is the franchise not gonna trade him? Well, per the insider’s update, he is playing today against the Boston Bruins. And that’s a subtle way for the Hurricanes to say that they are not gonna trade him. Well, fans’ reactions to Elliotte Friedman’s update will absolutely shock you.
Let’s just take a quick look at Mikko Rantanen’s the topmost trade destinations which are worth knowing. First of all, insiders say the Toronto Maple Leafs stand as the most prepared team to pick up Rantanen. As per reports, they want this 29-year-old beast in their team, even if they have to trade three Maple Leafs players. They’d absolutely do anything to have Rantanen’s backing on ice.
Easton Cowan, Fraser Minten, and Bobby McMann are (or were?) the three players on the hit list to get traded for Rantanen. All three players are in their last year of contract with the Maple Leafs. The Leafs expect to have $28.8 million in free cap space for 2025-26, compared to the $2.2 million they currently have. Managing Mikko Rantanen’s $9,250,000 average annual salary when they have to, wouldn’t be a big deal.
The other teams are, as already mentioned, the Dallas Stars and the Kings. But as the NHL trade deadline is just one day away, NHL fans believe that the Carolina Hurricanes are not gonna trade him. Really? Fans have a thing or two to say about the right winger who has scored a total of 70 points this year, 9th in the entire league.
Fans believe Mikko Rantanen gonna be in the Hurricanes building amid trade rumors
First, the Los Angeles Kings, then the Stars, then the Maple Leafs. It is like a roller coaster ride not only for Mikko Rantanen but his fans, too. That’s why a fan said on X, “Seeing a ‘Mikko Rantanen…’ notification is getting real scary.” The rumors are still piling up, but after the NHL insider’s above update, fans are now in a position to firmly believe that ‘Mikko Rantanen is not going anywhere.’ And that’s literally one X-user commented on Friedman’s post, “He plays there, Elliotte.”
Another fan confirmed this by commenting, “If he plays, he isn’t getting traded, Carolina wouldn’t risk getting him hurt due to trade value,” which Elliotte had already revealed. Mikko will carry a cap hit of $9,250,000 if the Hurricanes trade him. Friedman’s update says the same thing, that he is “taking warm up.” But some fans don’t believe this and expressed their take: “I’m hearing he puts his pants on one leg at a time.” A lower body injury? “Unconfirmed at this time.”
But to continue with the positive comments for Carolina fans, one fan gave a (false?) sigh of relief, saying, “Cause they’re not trading him, silly people. They get blown away with an offer, and he really isn’t gonna sign. Maybe so. but I don’t see it happening.” Well, it was one of the biggest trades in the NHL world when Mikko Rantanen was dropped a transfer memo before J.T. Miller’s went to the New York Rangers. The Colorado Avalanche traded Mikko on January 24, 2025.
Well, it’s almost clear that Mikko Rantanen is playing today. While at the same time, that update is also darkening the fact that he will be in the Carolina Hurricanes headquarters. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
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