The Four Teams That Mikko Rantanen Was Willing to Sign an Extension With Have Been Revealed
Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
A new report from The Fourth Period reveals that Mikko Rantanen was willing to sign an extension with only four teams before ultimately agreeing with the Stars.
Mikko Rantanen was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes last month, but head coach Rod Brind'Amour indicated Sunday that the headline forward had his in-season contract choices down to just four teams.
On 'Canes Corner' with Adam Gold on 99.9 The Fan, Brind'Amour did say that the Hurricanes were out of the picture for a long-term extension.
"There's not been one guy that has left here because they didn't like it here - except for Mikko. He didn't not like it. When he showed up, he said 'there's four teams I'll go play for, well, you're not one of them.
' So, there's 28 other teams he wasn't going to," Brind'Amour candidly said. "The better question is should we have known that before we signed him or attempted to sign him.
"Mikko is the only one that I've been associated with that said 'this is not for me' and I think there are other circumstances on that. It's not because of the hockey. It was because, I think, his family, it wasn't for him. . .
Good. I appreciate that he let us know that. We probably should have known that before we made the deal. Maybe that changes how we go about things."
' So, there's 28 other teams he wasn't going to," Brind'Amour candidly said. "The better question is should we have known that before we signed him or attempted to sign him.
"Mikko is the only one that I've been associated with that said 'this is not for me' and I think there are other circumstances on that. It's not because of the hockey. It was because, I think, his family, it wasn't for him. . .
Good. I appreciate that he let us know that. We probably should have known that before we made the deal. Maybe that changes how we go about things."
Florida, Vegas, Dallas and Toronto were the four teams Rantanen would sign with
Rantanen ultimately signed an eight-year, $96 million deal with the Dallas Stars, his acquiring team, according to TFP's David Pagnotta. The Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights were among the teams on his shopping list.
TSN's Bob McKenzie penned Friday that the Toronto Maple Leafs did have genuine interest and are a team Rantanen would have possibly considered in free agency this summer.
There are conflicting reports, however, on whether he was going to sign with them immediately after a trade.
The Los Angeles Kings also bid on Rantanen, but he wasn't yet willing to sign long-term. The Edmonton Oilers showed interest, but discussions never went beyond the initial stages.
In return for Rantanen, Carolina picked up young star Logan Stankoven, two first-round picks, and two third-round picks from Dallas.
On Saturday, in an interview with Hockey Night in Canada's Scott Oake, Rantanen confirmed that he refused to sign with the Hurricanes during the week.
"I think it was last week," Rantanen said. "Obviously, (being traded to Carolina) was a shock. They wanted (to sign me) at that time. I just had to look at all the options.
I've got to thank Carolina for the time I was there. The guys are great, the team is really good. But I had to look at it from all the angles, and this was my decision."
I've got to thank Carolina for the time I was there. The guys are great, the team is really good. But I had to look at it from all the angles, and this was my decision."
| POLL | ||
MARS 11 | 951 ANSWERS The Four Teams That Mikko Rantanen Was Willing to Sign an Extension With Have Been Revealed Did Mikko Rantanen make the right choice signing with the Stars? | ||
| Yes | 639 | 67.2 % |
| No | 312 | 32.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
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