The NHL trade updates have again encircled the headquarters of the Carolina Hurricanes. Are they planning to trade star forward Mikko Rantanen again? The biggest three-way deal of the game happened just one month ago when the Carolina Hurricanes signed Mikko, which involved the Chicago Blackhawks and the Colorado Avalanche. As the trade deadlines near, the question about Mikko Rantanen’s future is looming over the franchise.

But in his latest update, NHL Network’s Elliotte Friedman has dropped a major twist. He reported that the ball was now in the player’s court to decide his future. Friedman said, “The Hurricanes are waiting for Rantanen to give them any kind of indication of which way he’s leaning.” But most importantly, the insider didn’t forget to mention that the Carolina Hurricanes are the team that can give a $100,000,000 trade deal for a 28-year-old. In his previous contract, which was with the Colorado Avalanche, Rantanen had signed a six-year $55 million dollar deal that ended in 2024.

To say that Rantanen least expected a trade-off involving him is an understatement of the century. The NHL insider also pitched in regarding this situation of the star player saying, “Rantanen was shocked by the trade. And sometimes you just need time. It’s only human to collect your thoughts. And, you know, the Hurricanes have been on the road quite a bit.” But he must be fine enough to think about his future and deal with the Carolina Hurricanes as the deadline and rumors are not catching a break.

While adding fuel to Mikko Rantanen’s trade updates, NHL insider Pierre LeBrun has found ‘zero evidence’ that the Carolina Hurricanes are trading Rantanen. “I do not believe the Hurricanes are actually calling around telling teams they might trade Rantanen. From my conversations around the league over the past few days, I think what’s happening is a few teams have had the courage to call Carolina and just ask ‘What if?’ in case the Canes can’t extend him. But I’ve found zero evidence of Carolina actually initiating trade calls.” At least the Hurricanes franchise is not interested in making an initiative in Mikko’s case.

The drama of the Mikko Rantanen trade involving the Carolina Hurricanes

Since Rantanen landed in the city of Carolina, he has managed to score just three points in seven games while the Carolina Hurricanes won only two games in Mikko’s presence. So, talks about his projected contract and missing former teammate Nathan MacKinnon are also rife amid the trade rumors. The trade is nearing its deadline, of course on March 7 and you simply would not want to miss the drama Rantanen’s trade created.

NHL insider Renaud Lavoie revealed that the Carolina Hurricanes superstar demands a major extension paying no less than $14,000,000 per year. Meanwhile, experts and fans worry that the Hurricanes might repeat last year’s mistake with Jake Guentzel’s trade gone side-ways, as the ideal trade timing remains distant. Before Jake Guentzel bagged a 7-year, $63,000,000 contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2024, he could have been an unrestricted free agent by midnight at that time.

“It’s definitely been a little bit of a whirlwind, kind of first time through this whole process. Obviously things just didn’t work out in Carolina” Jake had said after the trade. The situation looks similar to Mikko Rantanen’s case. But he is expected to answer the trade offer of 8 years by the Carolina Hurricanes. But the drama doesn’t stop here.

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed on February 24: “There were talks between the Hurricanes and Rantanen during the Four Nations and we’ll see where this goes. His cap hit with the Hurricanes is 4.625 (million) so if they want to flip Rantanen and it comes to that, it’s a little over 2.3 Million.” But of course, the ball was in Mikko Rantanen’s court. The GM and owners have reportedly requested the star forward with an eight-year deal. The clock is ticking slower for the Hurricanes owners until Rantanen makes the final decision. We’ll just have to wait and see how it pans out.