Mikko Rantanen’s trade to the Carolina Hurricanes was arguably the biggest storyline during the 2024-25 NHL season, though his time with the organization was anything but a success. After the Dallas Stars traded for Rantanen and signed him to a big extension, fellow Finnish star Sebastian Aho voiced a sincere admission about playing with ‘The Moose’.
It felt like the dream scenario for Aho and Rantanen who would get to play together on a star-studded Hurricanes roster. However, it was deemed too good to be true.
Rantanen refused to commit to a contract extension in Raleigh, and instead played his cards with the NHL trade deadline approaching. Finally, Rantanen found his way out of Carolina, making his way to Dallas, where a new chapter awaited during his frenetic campaign.
Rantanen played just 13 games with the Canes, registering two goals and four assists, far below the production expected from him. As the Hurricanes and Rantanen focus on their objectives, and move on from their failed experiment, Aho dropped an honest admission.
”I would be lying if I said that I didn’t want Mikko to stay,” Aho said during an interview with Finnish news outlet Ilta Sanomat. “Maybe this was the correct decision for both parties in the end. Mikko got the noise off his mind and went to a good team. And all this surrounding big drama, it never appeared between the two of us at any point. We are still friends.”
Peace and quiet
Raleigh isn’t the biggest city in the nation, but the spotlight landed squarely on the North Carolina town amid the buzz surrounding Rantanen’s dramatic experience with the Hurricanes.
Now that the 28-year-old Finn has moved on to Dallas-Fort Worth, the locker room can feel a big weight lifted off their shoulders, as the storm has passed. “No more need to speculate what’s gonna happen next. Luckily that part of the business is behind us,” Aho added.
What could’ve been
Winning makes everything easier in the NHL, it’s easier to sweep the trash under the carpet and move on, even if players aren’t comfortable. But when things head south, everything gets more complicated.
”Of course I would’ve hoped that everything would have started rolling since first day on, but sometimes that stuff takes time,” Aho stated. “I guess we both ended up trying to squeeze too hard. At least for myself I can say that my play got full of over-trying.
“Maybe that was part of the reason we didn’t quite end up clicking. We played some good games too, that had a lot of scoring chances. If we would’ve succeeded in scoring goals more, naturally the vibes would have been completely different.”