The Vegas Golden Knights are among the several teams who are showing interest in Mikko Rantanen.
The Carolina Hurricanes acquired Rantanen earlier this year from the Colorado Avalanche in a blockbuster trade. However, with Rantanen in the final year of his six-year $55.5 million deal, his name has come back up in trade talks.
If Carolina can’t re-sign Rantanen, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman says several teams including the Golden Knights will show interest in him.
“You’ve gotta think teams like Vegas, Dallas, Winnipeg, Florida, Tampa, Toronto. I wonder what (Carolina) could get for him with that kind of competition?… All these teams are gonna be sitting there saying if we don’t do it then who else around us is going to do it?,” Friedman said on 32 Thoughts.
Friedman also points out that Carolina can retain 50% of his remaining money which would make him even cheaper.
“He’s the guy, a lot of people are going to see where this is going to go with him. I do believe there were some talks between the Hurricanes and Rantanen during the 4 Nations. We will see where this goes. If Rantanen is a pure rental, the lineup is going to be very long,” Friedman said. “The thing about Rantanen is, that the Blackhawks ate 50% of his salary. So, if you take a look at him in Carolina, his cap hit there with the Hurricanes is $4.625. The Hurricanes have three retention spots. If they want to flip Rantanen and it comes with, it is a little over $2.3 million. Anybody can do that.”
Rantanen has skated in 55 games recording 26 goals and 40 assists for 66 points. But, with Carolina, he’s recorded 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points in 6 games.
Insider Says Hurricanes Likely to Flip Rantanen
If Carolina doesn’t have a contract extension done with Rantanen before the March 7 trade deadline he could be dealt.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff has put Rantanen back on the trade bait list ahead of the deadline and says a trade seems more and more likely with each day passing.
“The Canes pulled off the blockbuster deal almost exactly one month ago, snatching Rantanen from Colorado on Jan. 24,” Seravalli wrote. “One month later, they haven’t come to an agreement on an extension. Rantanen’s production has slipped in Carolina, too, with just two points in six games – even if his underlying numbers suggest he’s played just as well (or better!).
“Carolina won’t be afraid to flip him if they can’t extend him, and the closer we get to March 7 without a deal, the more likely it is. Chicago already retained half, so Carolina could knock Rantanen down to just a $2.313 million cap hit for the remainder of this season if they wanted. Juicy,” Seravalli added.
Rantanen is a two-time All-Star and won the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Golden Knights See Key Defenseman Suffer Injury
Vegas could have some additional cap room to work with ahead of the deadline.
At the 4 Nations Face-Off, Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore broke his wrist and is out for the foreseeable future. The Golden Knights could put Theodore on LTIR which means his cap hit wouldn’t count against the salary cap for however long he is injured.
If Theodore can’t return until the playoffs, where there is no salary cap, Vegas would be able to use that salary space to add an impactful player like Rantanen.
Vegas is 33-17-6 and in second place in the Pacific Division.
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