Carolina Hurricanes forward Mikko Rantanen is opening up about the trade that sent him to the team. Rantanen was dealt from the Colorado Avalanche on Friday January 24, in a three-way trade that involved Carolina and Chicago.
Rantanen was in many ways the face of the Avalanche, so it wasn’t easy for him to leave Colorado.
“It has been emotional. It was kind of a surprise to me, but I’m playing with a really good team now… I’m excited to be here,” Rantanen said, per Fan Duel Sports Network.
Carolina is certainly happy to have him. The club is searching for the right combination of players to reach a Stanley Cup Final. The Hurricanes are 30-16-4 this year, and second in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division.
Mikko Rantanen might be the right ingredient to help the Hurricanes
It wasn’t easy for the Avalanche to part ways with Rantanen, and rightfully so. The forward had posted 681 points for the franchise, including 287 goals. He helped Colorado win a Stanley Cup just a few years ago.
“It’s a bittersweet day, right?” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said, per NHL.com. “Mikko is a decorated player for us, he’s an elite winger in this league. So, it was a tough few days, but we just felt the timing was right, and the last few days it kind of came together.
“We decided to act yesterday, but it wasn’t without a lot of serious thought, I can assure you of that.”
The Hurricanes hope that Rantanen can continue his consistent play. Carolina wants to play physical hockey, that includes battling consistently for the puck.
“He’s a fantastic fit for the way we play,” Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said. “We play a system that has us battling for pucks along the walls and trying to make plays at the net front and he’s just one of the best in the League at some of those things. A lot of the identity of our team right now come from the way Jordan [Staal] plays and sort of carries plays with his heaviness and his strength, and Mikko can do all of that, but with really high-level skill to go with it. So, I don’t think there’s any question that he’s going to be a tremendous fit on the ice and I’ve heard nothing but good things about him off the ice.”
In his first game for the team on Saturday, Rantanen had five shots on goal but no points. Hurricanes fans hope that he gets on the board, when the club plays the New York Rangers Tuesday.
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