Sources: Rantanen to Stars if new deal reached

The Dallas Stars acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes and signed him to an eight-year, $96 million extension, the team announced Friday.

Carolina is getting two first-round picks, two third-round picks and Logan Stankoven in return.

Rantanen will get a full no-move clause as part of the deal, sources said. He acknowledged the trade in an interview with TSN.

"Really excited to be part of the group. They've got a really good team," Rantanen said of the Stars, who are second in the Central Division entering Friday.

Following the addition of Rantanen, the Stars are now the co-betting favorites with the Florida Panthers to win the Stanley Cup with +600 odds at ESPN BET as of Friday afternoon.

The deal was in place Thursday night but was contingent on Rantanen agreeing to an extension with Dallas. His camp and the Stars worked on the framework Friday to seal the deal ahead of the 3 p.m. ET trade deadline.

"The chance to acquire and extend one of the best forwards in the NHL is an opportunity that we couldn't pass up," Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a statement. "He demonstrates exceptional skill and vision on the ice and his size, consistency and versatility make him one of the most complete players in the league. Mikko's experience in the postseason is an invaluable asset to our team as we work toward the goal of winning a Stanley Cup."

The Hurricanes -- who traded for Rantanen in January in a massive three-team deal -- had tried to sign the 28-year-old winger to an extension themselves. However, Rantanen told Carolina he wasn't ready to make a decision, sources said, which led to the Hurricanes fielding offers from several teams.

"At the time, I obviously had to look at all the options because there was no deal when the trade happened," Rantanen told TSN about joining the Hurricanes. "So I was in the situation that I had to look at my life ... not just on the ice but off the ice."

Carolina, also a team with Stanley Cup aspirations, is expected to use its new draft capital to make more trades to improve the roster ahead of the deadline.

Rantanen was shocked by January's trade that saw him leave the Colorado Avalanche, the only NHL team he had played for to that point. Rantanen was on track to reach free agency for the first time in his career before the Dallas deal came together.

Only the team that had Rantanen before free agency had the ability to sign him to an eight-year contract, or he could have signed a max seven-year deal July 1.

The Hurricanes made a huge splash when acquiring Rantanen, giving up two solid roster players in Martin Necas and Jack Drury. The deal also included Carolina acquiring Taylor Hall from Chicago.

Necas had scored 55 points in 49 games for Carolina this season before he was traded to Colorado, but the Hurricanes were willing to take the gamble for a talent such as Rantanen.

Rantanen has 27 goals and 70 points this season. The 6-foot-4 power forward posted a career-high 55 goals with the Avalanche in 2022-23 and followed that with 42 in 2023-24.

Stankoven, 22, has nine goals and 29 points in 59 games for the Stars this season. He was a 2021 second-round pick for Dallas.