Mikko Rantanen Says He Considered Carolina, but "Dallas Was a Better Fit"

The Stars' big trade deadline acquisition started off his Dallas press conference by setting the record straight and finished it by talking about barbecue

It sounds like Mikko Rantanen will be happy to be in Texas for years to come. That’s probably a safe assumption for anyone set to make $12 million in each of the next eight years, but given the whirlwind of Rantanen’s last six weeks, you could see the relief on his face during his first press conference in Dallas on Wednesday when he was talking about his future.

But before looking ahead, Rantanen took a moment while answering a question about when he decided on signing in Dallas by setting the record straight about his last stop in Carolina.

“I saw some things were said that I had a list of teams already when I went there [to Carolina], but that's false,” said Rantanen on Wednesday. “I went there when I got traded, obviously [a] big shock to leave Colorado. I went there with an open mind, tried my best on the ice, always, when I put the jersey on there.”

Rantanen’s comments were likely a response to Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour earlier this week, who seemed to imply Rantanen never considered staying in Carolina, and that he was only open to signing a long-term deal with four teams from the beginning of his time with the Hurricanes.

Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky later clarified that the team presented their case for Rantanen’s staying in Carolina, and that after Rantanen took some time to think about it, he eventually decided not to re-sign with the Hurricanes. Tulsky said that about a week before the March 7 trade deadline, Rantanen gave Carolina a list of four teams that Rantanen felt were “a better fit” for him.

Rantanen’s agent, Andy Scott, has also contradicted Brind’Amour, saying that after the shocking January 24 trade from Colorado to Carolina, Rantanen took time assessing his options. Per Scott, Rantanen didn’t make up his mind to move on from Carolina until after the Four Nations Face-Off had concluded in late February:

"This is a player that had a right to determine where he was going to play for the next eight years of his career," Scott said. "He gave it a lot of thought. Even at 4 Nations ... after 4 Nations, he had not made up his mind. And, ultimately, he did make up his mind and we helped Carolina out by providing a list of teams at that stage in terms of where he would go. But that is the truth — that's how this unfolded. Anything otherwise is just not the case."

-Andy Scott, per SportsNet

On Wednesday in Dallas, Rantanen reiterated that same sequence of events, including how his working with Carolina to be traded to teams he would sign a long-term extension with helped the Hurricanes to get a larger return than if they had flipped Rantanen only as a rental.

“[I] just decided a little bit before the deadline,” said Rantanen, “That Carolina would probably get a better return for me if I would do a sign-and-trade, so that would be better for their team rather than me being a rental and going to somewhere to play. You know, that was the decision, and then teams were interested. But I want to make it clear, I was open-minded in Carolina and really thought about staying there, and that was the initial thought when I got there, not before.”

Rantanen’s decreased production during his time in Carolina likely exacerbated Hurricanes fans’ frustration at his departure, as the 28-year-old right-winger has already equaled his two-goal output across 13 games in Carolina over just two games in Dallas thus far.

Part of that dip in point production (despite strong underlying numbers from Rantanen) maybe have been due to Carolina’s style of play being drastically different from Rantanen’s former team in Colorado, as the more unique style of offense that Brind’Amour’s Hurricanes play doesn’t necessarily fit Rantanen’s (many) strengths.

On Wednesday, Rantanen confirmed that one factor in his decision to sign a long-term deal in Dallas was indeed related to what happens on the ice.

“I think there is similarities for sure with us and Colorado,” said Rantanen of his new team in Dallas. “Like I said many times, I tried my best in Carolina, but you know, one of the reasons was for me to think where I really want to play hockey the next eight years, and Dallas was a better fit on the ice, better for me. It’s a style of play that’s similar to Colorado, so I think that was one decision to be made.”

As for his new linemates in Dallas, Rantanen has already played with two different centers in his two games with Dallas. After Roope Hintz took a puck to the face on Saturday night in Edmonton and left the game, Rantanen played the remainder of that game and the next one in Vancouver next to Wyatt Johnston.

Head coach Pete DeBoer confirmed on Wednesday that Hintz, after flying back to Dallas after the Edmonton game, will not be out long-term.

“I think we got really lucky,” said DeBoer of Hintz’s injury, pointing out that Mason Marchment missed a month with a broken orbital bone after taking a puck to the face earlier in the season. DeBoer said that Hintz is a possibility for Sunday’s game in Colorado, but as Hintz was required to keep a reduced heart rate for five days after the injury on Saturday night, he won’t be avaialble for Friday’s game in Winnipeg.

In Hintz’s absence, Rantanen practiced on a line with Johnston and Jamie Benn on Wednesday in Frisco, and DeBoer confirmed that Rantanen will likely get to play with multiple linemates in the final 18 games of the regular season.

“I know that he’ll have some chemistry with Roope,” said DeBoer of Rantanen. “I don’t know if he will with Wyatt Johnston or Matt Duchene, so it might give us an opportunity to see him with some other people.”

Johnston, like Rantanen, is also represented by agent Andy Scott. The 21-year-old center likewise signed an extension to remaining in Dallas last Friday, agreeing to a five-year deal averaging $8.4 million per year on the same day Rantanen signed his own eight-year, $12 million/ year (annual average value) extension.

“It’s awesome to know Mikko will be around here for those eight years,” said Johnston on Wednesday. “It was not a lot of fun playing against him, so it’s super exciting to have him on our side, and to have a chance to play with him.”

While Rantanen has been one of the most productive players in hockey over the last few years, those years also came next to perhaps the most productive players in the NHL in Nathan MacKinnon. But when asked about the challenge of adjusting to playing with different linemates, Rantanen also pointed out that even his chemistry with Nathan MacKinnon in Colorado took time to develop.

“It wasn’t like a snap of the fingers and we were playing on the same page the whole time,” said Rantanen. “So we just gotta get some games underneath us, and it’s gonna be good.”

As for the off-ice part of acclimating to Dallas, Rantanen said that he is looking to get out of a hotel as soon as possible, after which he’ll plan to rent a place for the rest of the year. But he’s already starting to get used to the neighborhood. He even went over to Esa Lindell’s house Tuesday evening.

“Esa invited me to his house last night, so I got to see his house. Looks nice,” said Rantanen with a smile. “It’s good. It makes the transition a little bit easier when you know certain guys. Any one guy, even, it makes it a little bit easier.”

As for acclimating to Texas culture, Rantanen pointed out that Finns love barbecuing in the summertime. He said he’s excited to “see some places and get some recommendations” about the best barbecue spots in Dallas.

Rantanen won’t get to play a home game in Dallas until next week, as the Stars have two more road games this weekend. One of those games, in fact, is a return to Rantanen’s prior home in Colorado, which will be Rantanen’s first game against the Avalanche since they traded him away back in January.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be weird for sure,” said Rantanen of facing his old team. “You know, when you spend nine, ten years in one organization, and you get to know the city, you everything, kind of. And then change comes, and you have to go back there and play in the visitor’s room, so it’s going to be different. But it’s good to see all the players and staff that I got to know over the years. It should be a fun game to play against your old friends.”

Rantanen said he’ll probably eat dinner with some of those former Colorado teammates on Saturday after Dallas flies in before the teams play the following day. But there’s one less enjoyable aspect of returning to an old team that Stars Head Coach Pete DeBoer has already warned Rantanen about.

“I’ll be honest with you, what I said to him was, ‘You got one more sh***y media day, and that’s it,’” recounted DeBoer with a laugh. “‘You get through Sunday, then it’s done.’”

Still, dealing with the media is a small price to pay for acquiring one of the elite wingers in the NHL. That’s a fact that is far from lost on a veteran coach like DeBoer.

“If you’d have told me two weeks ago that Mikko Rantanen would be playing for the Dallas Stars,” said DeBoer, “I would’ve asked to have some of whatever you’re drinking. Those guys don’t become available. And when they do, you have to act, and Jim [Nill] did. And our owner did, too.”