NHL News: Hurricanes star makes major admission on Mikko Rantanen’s upsetting move to Dallas

While expectations for the Carolina Hurricanes last NHL season included serious hopes of reaching the Stanley Cup Finals, their overall performance was still impressive. That said, some believe certain decisions may have influenced the outcome — including Mikko Rantanen’s departure to the Dallas Stars.

Pyotr Kochetkov, one of the standout players under Rod Brind’Amour, was blunt when addressing the team’s situation — acknowledging that the departure of extraordinary talent from the roster may have held back the team from reaching an even higher level.

Although Rantanen had a brief stint with the Hurricanes after being traded from the Colorado Avalanche, his level of play impressed everyone within Carolina’s facilities — though unfortunately, the excitement didn’t last long.

“We lost Rantanen, Necas – it would be stupid to turn a blind eye to that, because they are key players, leaders of the team,” the goalie said via sports.ru. “Even though Rantanen did not become a leader for us, you saw what he did in Dallas. You could say he led the team to the second round when he beat Colorado in Game 7.”

“He was a high-level player. You see how he acts, how he sees the game. Even in the training process, there was something to learn from him,” Kochetkov also added. “He is a great professional, he has been playing in the league for a long time. There were many interesting things that he did – his routine. Overall, I can only speak positively about him.”

Necas was another departure Kochetkov openly lamented

The Carolina Hurricanes traded forward Martin Necas to the Colorado Avalanche as part of a three-team blockbuster deal in January 2025. This move came after a season of trade speculation and a short-term contract that did not fully resolve his long-term future with the team.

While Necas provided a high-skill offensive presence and speed, his departure was a significant shake-up to the Hurricanes’ forward group.

In exchange for Necas and other assets, the Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen from Colorado and Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks. The expectation was that Rantanen would provide the elite goal-scoring that the Hurricanes felt they lacked.

However, Rantanen’s tenure was brief, as he was subsequently traded to the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline after failing to agree on a contract extension, which complicated the team’s forward situation.