EDMONTON — There’s a greater sense of comfort for Mikko Rantanen this time around as he joins the Dallas Stars compared to the previous time he switched teams in January.
“I know it’s going to be this team for a long time, and that makes me excited — and maybe mentally for sure,” he said.
Rantanen, a one-time 50-goal scorer and two-time 100-point getter, will make his Stars debut Saturday night in Edmonton after being acquired in a massive trade that saw Logan Stankoven and four draft picks head to the Carolina Hurricanes. Rantanen is expected to play on a line with center Roope Hintz and left winger Jason Robertson.
Rantanen described the last couple days before the deadline and trade as “crazy.”
“Not a lot of sleep and a lot of being on the phone,” he said. “I’m glad it’s over, though.”
At least he wasn’t blindsided by what was going on like he was when he was traded to Carolina. Rantanen was involved in the process this time and that resulted in him signing an eight-year, $12 million AAV extension — a $96 million contract with a no-movement clause that kicks in next season.
Welcome to our Finnish Mafia, Mikko Rantanen. 🇫🇮
We have signed Mikko Rantanen to an 8-year contract extension through the 2032-2033 season.@Shift4 | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/apPyvwVlP3
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) March 7, 2025
The Hurricanes wanted to extend him and, according to colleague Chris Johnston, offered him a nine-figure contract that he turned down. He was a Hurricane for six weeks and part of that time he was away from the team playing for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
He was there long enough to record six points in 13 games and give Jack Roslovic a Rolex watch for surrendering No. 96.
Though Rantanen said he enjoyed playing for the Hurricanes and leaving “wasn’t an easy decision,” he didn’t quite envision himself with them long term.
“The trade came as a surprise, and then you have to look at all the angles of your life and on the ice,” Rantanen said. “Carolina is a very good team. They’ve had lots of success the last couple of years.
“Looking at it, Dallas was maybe a better fit for me. I had to think about myself and what fits for me. That’s why it led to Dallas.”
Rantanen is about to play for his third NHL team this season. That’s a lot of upheaval for someone who spent the first 9 ½ seasons of his career in one place.
Veteran forward Matt Duchene played with Rantanen for parts of three seasons from 2015 to 2017 in Colorado. Back then, Duchene, the third pick in 2009, was a longtime Avalanche. Since then, he’s played for four other teams, including the last two seasons in Dallas. He knows a bit about what Rantanen is going through.
The Stars’ large contingent of fellow countrymen — which Duchene dubbed the “Finnish mafia” — will undoubtedly help Rantanen get settled in his new environment. But it’s on the whole group to help ease the transition.
“It’s up to us to support him,” Duchene said. “As good of a player as he is, if he’s not feeling comfortable, he’s not going to be able to do his thing.
“I will say that in terms of an environment to come in and feel comfortable right away, this is as good as it gets.”
Stars coach Pete DeBoer said the personal adjustment is 80 percent of the transition for Rantanen. The other 20 percent is what happens on the ice.
DeBoer has little concern there. He’s coached against Rantanen for years while with in Dallas, Vegas and San Jose.
“I’ve seen more than enough of him from the opposing bench during my time,” he said. “Just really happy to have him on our side and be working with him. I’ve admired his game for a long time.”
The Stars have added one of the NHL’s top wingers, giving the Stars a true game-breaker along the lines of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with the Oilers and Rantanen’s former teammates Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
It’s given the team a real shot in the arm.
“You can count on two hands, probably, the guys that are on that list in the league and to actually go out and get one (is huge),” DeBoer said. “The guys on that list don’t become available (often). When they do, you have to take a really hard look at getting a guy like that.
“I give (GM) Jim (Nill) a ton of credit. It’s easy for a coach to give up first-round picks and prospects sitting where we sit. It’s a different story in that chair. It’s a testament to the belief he’s got in our group.”
There’s no question the balance of power has shifted in the Western Conference. The Avalanche added Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle, but it’s Rantanen going to the Stars that deservedly got the most attention.
The Oilers, who knocked off the Stars in the conference final last June, have certainly taken notice.
“Any time a team adds a top player, one of the best wingers in the league — he’s big, he’s strong, he can score — it’s going to give us a lot more trouble,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said.
The Stars now have Rantanen in the fold for as many as nine playoff runs. They’re focused on the here and now, but it’s clear they intend to be a threat for a long time.
That’s part of what appealed to Rantanen, too, and why he didn’t hesitate to lock in with the Stars for the long haul.
“They beat us last year with the Avs and dropped us in the second round,” Rantanen said. “It’s a lot of good players, a deep team. It’s exciting because they’ve been very close the last two years to get to the finals. They’ve been right there. Hopefully, I can help them try to get into those games again.”
(Photo: James Guillory / Imagn Images)
