Hurricanes Offer Mikko Rantanen Over $13 Million On Next Deal

All eyes will be on the Carolina Hurricanes and what comes next with Mikko Rantanen. As NHLTradeTalk.com has documented, Rantanen was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a three-team deal.

One of the big reasons he was traded from Colorado was that his contract negotiations stalled. Rantanen had been asking for $14 million a season, similar to what Leon Draisaitl got from the Edmonton Oilers this past summer.

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Colorado was not willing to go that high. The Avalanche did not want to pay him more than the $12.6 million Nathan MacKinnon was making, as Cale Makar needed a new deal as well. However, Rantanen was willing to wait until the season was over to start contract talks again. Well, the Avalanche did not wait and sent him to Carolina via Chicago to free up cap space and get Martin Necas and Jack Drury in the process.

Now, Rantanen’s new team, the Carolina Hurricanes, are in a similar position as his former team. The Hurricanes have to negotiate with a pending UFA, and the same trade rumors that came up in Colorado are swirling again in Carolina. The talk has been if the Hurricanes can’t sign him by March 7th, they will trade.

How Long Will the Hurricanes Wait on Rantanen?

However, recently, NHLTradeTalk.com, via Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, wrote that the Hurricanes met with Rantanen and his camp and made him a huge offer. The two parties will work through negotiations as Rantanen takes his time. But Carolina isn’t afraid to wait past March 7th to get a deal done.

Now, details are emerging on what exactly the offer was to Mikko Rantanen.

During the first intermission of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Blackhawks game on ESPN+ and Hulu in the United States, ESPN Hockey Analyst and Insider Kevin Weekes was asked about the latest on Mikko Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes. Weekes stated the Hurricanes made an offer north of $13 million to Rantanen’s camp.

“Well, there’s a lot out there, for sure. And speaking of people involved in the process, I know for a fact that the Carolina Hurricanes learned from last year when they acquired Jake Guentzel, who was the bell of the ball at the trade deadline. And this time around, they made huge waves by acquiring Rantanen, and now Eric Tulsky, the general manager and, of course, owner Tom Dundon, they learned.”

Is $13 Million Per Season Enough to Get This Done?

Weekes added that the Hurricanes were going to come with our best offer: “We’re coming with an aggressive offer. I’m told that that number is north of $13 million, somewhere between the $13-$14 million range.”

That is the number Mikko Rantanen has been looking for all along. However, he is in a tough situation right now as he tries to regain the form he had in Colorado before being traded to the Hurricanes. Rantanen wants to feel right before making a long-term commitment to Carolina.

However, there is a belief the two sides can work on a fair deal and get something done.

Weekes added:

And listen, it’s tough right now, and I’ll say this, Arda, quickly. It’s been a lot for him. It’s been a short time for him to get there, get acclimated, feel comfortable, and sign a contract extension. There’s been a lot going on, something not dissimilar to what happened to Rod Brind’Amour, the head coach, when he was traded from Philadelphia to Carolina. It takes some time to get acclimated, but I really think that the two sides are going to continue hammering away. Let’s see if they can find an area that they both believe is fair.

It will be interesting to see how things play out. Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky gave up a lot for Rantanen. They gave up a future star in Necas for a top-10 player in the NHL right now. The fact that ownership is willing to spend big on a player to keep him speaks to what Tulsky is building in Carolina.

It feels like there are winds of change coming with how people view the ownership in Carolina, especially if they get Rantanen extended.

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