Latest update on Mikko Rantanen’ trade offers in Carolina!

Mikko Rantanen has gotten a lot of people talking at this time, while the Carolina Hurricanes have made it clear they want to keep him in the fold. They reportedly offered the star forward a lucrative contract offer during the 4 Nations Face-Off, exceeding the $100 million mark.

According to insider Chris Johnston, the Hurricanes are giving Rantanen some time to give them an answer, adding that his camp is expected to let the team know in the next few days where things stand on contract talks.

If he does not provide them a clear answer or if he turns down the offer, Rantanen will be traded once again as Carolina does not want to risk losing him for nothing next summer.

The Hurricanes could therefore flip Rantanen again by the deadline and might be looking at different trade suitors as they awaited his answer. Johnston reports that “several teams have inquired about a trade”, however, no offer has been placed on Carolina’s table. Johnston stated on last night’s Insider Trading on TSN: 

“Obviously, if the answer is they don’t want to engage in talks at this time, then he’s got to live with whatever happens. And on that side of the ledger, the Hurricanes have been talking to a number of teams. What they’ve told them so far: ‘We do not intend to trade this player. We will circle back if that changes.’ But at this point in time, Carolina is not talking trade in a serious way with the other teams. They have to figure out where Rantanen’s head is at in the first place.”

At the end of January, Carolina sent forwards Marin Necas and Jack Drury along with a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche for Rantanen.

If the Canes indeed pull the trigger ahead of March 7 and get Rantanen on the move again, they would likely be looking for players who can help them win in the short-term and who are under control moving forward.

However, Frank Seravalli reported last night that, according to sources, even if Carolina gets a hard “no” on contract extension, they are “very much” willing to keep Rantanen for playoff run.

This will be an interesting one to keep an eye on.