Confirmed Trade: [DAL/CAR] Mikko Rantanen (signs 8 years, $12M AAV) for Logan Stankoven, c. 2026 1st round, c. 2028 1st round, 2026 3rd round, 2027 3rd round

[John Mandalorian]

And I say Rantanen is twice the player Stankoven is ever going to be. And not just sizewise.

The picks though? There's always a chance.

Such an R rated post.

 

[Fatass]

Because Colorado did not allow it.
They rather blindsided Rantanen with the trade. Vegas vibes for sure.

And since the Rantanen for Nescas (plus Drury) trade clearly Nescas has been the much better player. Rantanen needs to play a lot better (which obviously he can) to be a good add by Dallas. He clearly wasn’t a good fit with the Canes.

 

[John Mandalorian]

Because Colorado did not allow it.
They rather blindsided Rantanen with the trade. Vegas vibes for sure.

Rantanen may have been in shock that it actually happened but "blindsided" is inaccurate.

There was a text exchange between he and Aho before the trade happened where Rantanen admitted he could be traded. Again, this was days before it happened.

Plus, there was that story by Lavoie that seemed too out of the blue where he said the Avs might trade him.

 

[Bruce Granville]

& that’s also on Carolina for agreeing to it

And they should not be surprised if a player is shocked, plays worse and does not want to stay.
But…you live and learn.
Next time don‘t wait until the last day and you can still sign other players.
Rakell, Boeser and Ristolainen were still available…

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

And they should not be surprised if a player is shocked, plays worse and does not want to stay.
But…you live and learn.
Next time don‘t wait until the last day and you can still sign other players.
Rakell, Boeser and Ristolainen were still available…

Rakell is probably the one that could have happened. Ristolainen was never a need or an option and it sounds like Boeser wasn't moving as Vancouver's ask was ridiculously high.

Maybe there is another player that got traded elsewhere that Canes wanted but couldn't make happen.

 

[Bruce Granville]

Rakell is probably the one that could have happened. Ristolainen was never a need or an option and it sounds like Boeser wasn't moving as Vancouver's ask was ridiculously high.

Maybe there is another player that got traded elsewhere that Canes wanted but couldn't make happen.

Rakell was a done deal but Canes ran out of time. That is almost confirmed.
As for Boeser and Risto, I was only looking at players who were on the market but didn‘t get traded.
I could imagine that a first and a prospect/additional picks could have moved the needle.

Somehow they Canes again were too late. Guentzel would have signed if they didn‘t drag it until the end or Canes could have kept a D or two if they had the decision earlier.
I see here a pattern and it doesn‘t look good.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Rakell was a done deal but Canes ran out of time. That is almost confirmed.
As for Boeser and Risto, I was only looking at players who were on the market but didn‘t get traded.
I could imagine that a first and a prospect/additional picks could have moved the needle.

Somehow they Canes again were too late. Guentzel would have signed if they didn‘t drag it until the end or Canes could have kept a D or two if they had the decision earlier.
I see here a pattern and it doesn‘t look good.

I'm not really gonna fault Canes management for the Rantanen hold up. It was a massive deal with Dallas and an extension needed to be worked out. It got done when it got done. It would have been nice to finalize sooner and have more time but it is what it is.

The Guentzel thing does irritate me though. He fit so well here with Aho and his contract ask was totally fine, they didn't need to grind things over $1m per year or whatever it was. The only thing I can think of is that he was 30 years old which is usually the age the Canes don't like to start paying players but you're either signing him or you're not. He's a free agent so you either pay the number or move on.

In the long run I think Carolina will be able to use the cap space from Necas/Rantanen/Guentzel/Burns/Orlov (how ever you want to look at it) well this off season. They should be targeting Bennett and Ehlers and re-sign Hall

Ehlers - Aho - Jarvis
Svech - Bennett - Blake
Martinook - Staal - Stankoven
Hall - Kotkaniemi - XXX

If the Canes move into next season with something like that then I don't think anyone is gonna have issues with the forward group.

 

[Bruce Granville]

I'm not really gonna fault Canes management for the Rantanen hold up. It was a massive deal with Dallas and an extension needed to be worked out. It got done when it got done. It would have been nice to finalize sooner and have more time but it is what it is.

The Guentzel thing does irritate me though. He fit so well here with Aho and his contract ask was totally fine, they didn't need to grind things over $1m per year or whatever it was. The only thing I can think of is that he was 30 years old which is usually the age the Canes don't like to start paying players but you're either signing him or you're not. He's a free agent so you either pay the number or move on.

In the long run I think Carolina will be able to use the cap space from Necas/Rantanen/Guentzel/Burns/Orlov (how ever you want to look at it) well this off season. They should be targeting Bennett and Ehlers and re-sign Hall

Ehlers - Aho - Jarvis
Svech - Bennett - Blake
Martinook - Staal - Stankoven
Hall - Kotkaniemi - XXX

If the Canes move into next season with something like that then I don't think anyone is gonna have issues with the forward group.

I read Bennett is a Leafs fan…
I agree on the whole Guentzel issue. And it drives me crazy…it‘s not like he asked for 10+ million.
But not signing him and losing Skeij and Pesce and Teravainen really downgraded the team.
If you play a grinding, 200 ft style of hockey and have players who work for you…KEEP THEM!

It‘s not like Carolina is the #1 destination for free agents…which brings me back to Bennett.
He has his ring and might want stay in Florida or play in Ontario…I would guess you need an overpayment to convince him.
And it might still not be enough. Just like Rantanen, who would have preferred Toronto.

 

[Chan790]

Rakell, Boeser and Ristolainen were still available…

Our second win of the day was not spending assets on short-term fixes for a team going nowhere this year.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

I read Bennett is a Leafs fan…
I agree on the whole Guentzel issue. And it drives me crazy…it‘s not like he asked for 10+ million.
But not signing him and losing Skeij and Pesce and Teravainen really downgraded the team.
If you play a grinding, 200 ft style of hockey and have players who work for you…KEEP THEM!

It‘s not like Carolina is the #1 destination for free agents…which brings me back to Bennett.
He has his ring and might want stay in Florida or play in Ontario…I would guess you need an overpayment to convince him.
And it might still not be enough. Just like Rantanen, who would have preferred Toronto.

I feel like if Bennett was staying in Florida he would be re-signed. The fit also has to be there. If Toronto re-signs Tavares then there’s not really a fit in Toronto.

At this point we’ll have to just see what Bennett wants.

I really don’t have an issue with not re-signing Pesce and Skjei based on the deals they got. Pesce is still good but his best days are behind him and he was replaceable. Skjei was great but it’s big money for a long time. Nikishin and Morrow coming will re-shape the defensive outlook at the team but we do need a Burns replacement.

Ekblad and Pionk are the only RHD options on the UFA market really and I’m not sure I see a good fit there but we’ll see. I think they will look for a trade as they have the space and assets. Canes absolutely need to be aggressive this offseason though. The East isn’t nearly strong as the west but there are still good teams. Mostly in the Atlantic though. Path to the ECF for the next few years might not be too tough depending on what other teams do.

 

[Bruce Granville]

I feel like if Bennett was staying in Florida he would be re-signed. The fit also has to be there. If Toronto re-signs Tavares then there’s not really a fit in Toronto.

At this point we’ll have to just see what Bennett wants.

I really don’t have an issue with not re-signing Pesce and Skjei based on the deals they got. Pesce is still good but his best days are behind him and he was replaceable. Skjei was great but it’s big money for a long time. Nikishin and Morrow coming will re-shape the defensive outlook at the team but we do need a Burns replacement.

Ekblad and Pionk are the only RHD options on the UFA market really and I’m not sure I see a good fit there but we’ll see. I think they will look for a trade as they have the space and assets. Canes absolutely need to be aggressive this offseason though. The East isn’t nearly strong as the west but there are still good teams. Mostly in the Atlantic though. Path to the ECF for the next few years might not be too tough depending on what other teams do.

Just ask Colorado how they feel about Makar…

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Just ask Colorado how they feel about Makar…

Haha ya probably him and Q Hughes are the two least tradable pieces in the NHL right now. Two years time I wouldn’t be surprised if Makar is the highest paid player in the league

 

[Breakers]

My god did Rantanen play this poorly in terms of money.

 

[bleedgreen]

Could be. Could be.

Stank is a damn fine player and may well make this a solid deal for Carolina in the long-run. This is still a gigantic ooph to Carolina in the short-term, especially a year removed from failing to re-sign Guentzel.

As smart as I think Carolina's management is...ownership is going to drive away as many players as they can attract with this mindset and it burned them this time, as it was inevitably going to do eventually. Learning when to just not say something to the media is something Dundon needs to learn.

Given the circumstances I don't think Carolina did all that poorly here...it's just that they effectively punted a season while in the midst of their window because of their inability to sign Rantanen. The way Dundon talks wouldn't make me eager to re-sign either. These players are just commodities to be bought and sold...I feel like there shouldn't be any level of surprise when such a mindset results in players saying nope, even if it's the harsh truth.

Every owner realistically views their players that way, most are just usually smart enough to speak in bullshit code rather than gloat to the media like they've cracked the code.

This was a tough situation for Carolina and this return is hugely preferable to losing Rantanen the way they lost Guentzel...but it feels firmly avoidable if Carolina had a less cutthroat owner. Live by the sword, die by the sword. Owners who write off the human factor are bound to accumulate failures.

Friedman has started to hint that the Canes were given some indication pre trade that Rants would sign with them. I’m curious if that story starts getting fleshed out.

 

[BB88]

My god did Rantanen play this poorly in terms of money.

?
Maybe it never was about money

As you could see by him leaving money on the table

 

[Blueline Bomber]

?
Maybe it never was about money

As you could see by him leaving money on the table

If it was never about money, why did he play hardball with Colorado in the first place?

 

[shadow1]

Because Colorado did not allow it.
They rather blindsided Rantanen with the trade. Vegas vibes for sure.

Friedman said on his post-deadline podcast that Colorado let Carolina talk to Mikko and his agent. The Hurricanes asked Mikko if he'd be willing to sign there. He said yes. But Mikko and his agent thought it was a negotiation tactic by the Avalanche.

He was only blindsided because he severely misread the room.

 

[Avs2022]

After thinking about this, I feel like, the Dallas Stars payed too much.

Does anyone have the same opinion as me?

I do. Let's see how he does there. Everyone making conclusions about his play. Last 2 years something was off with him. Before that, he was elite and could drive his whole line with or without Mackinnon.

 

[elmaco]

Friedman said on his post-deadline podcast that Colorado let Carolina talk to Mikko and his agent. The Hurricanes asked Mikko if he'd be willing to sign there. He said yes. But Mikko and his agent thought it was a negotiation tactic by the Avalanche.

He was only blindsided because he severely misread the room.

His agent misread the room, what an effing Matlock this guy is. Propably the sole reason why he had to leave COL.

 

[MrHeiskanen]

Logistics are always funny in these situations.

 

[japhi27returns]

Carolina did

This is their win now window and they definitely aren’t closer to winning now than 6 weeks ago

They are miles away

They were miles away 6 weeks ago. They have huge gaps - look at down the middle, or on D. They have a few nice pieces and I’d argue the best piece is their coach.

Just not a great team, the picks and Stank is a good return for 1.2 more seasons of Necas.

They sure haven’t been well run the past few years, and I’d be questioning why they can’t get players to commit to that market, but they are not close to being a true contender IMO.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

If it was never about money, why did he play hardball with Colorado in the first place?

Don't bother. That poster would be in here fighting tooth and nail to defend Rantanen from kicking a baby in the face

 

[elmaco]

My god did Rantanen play this poorly in terms of money.

How come? He has the biggest net income in the league atm.

 

[BB88]

If it was never about money, why did he play hardball with Colorado in the first place?

He didn’t

He said he was willing to leave money on the table but you can’t just lowball him and expect to take anything

He had a 13.5M offer from Toronto, over 100+ deal from Carolina and he took 96M from Dallas

& no the taxes would make the same at 12.5M in Colorado, not 13.5-14M

 

[kanucks25]

Seems like Canes' owner's main goal is to create a strong, consistent business rather than do what it takes to win a Cup.

Other teams that were arguably better than Carolina to begin with loaded up and Carolina does the opposite.

Good luck with that