It was clear that Mikko Rantanen was not exactly about being traded by the Colorado Avalanche, the only NHL club he had ever known.
It was in Colorado where he spent close to 11 seasons, won a Stanley Cup in 2022, had 681 points (287 goals and 394 assists), and made lifelong friends. That is why it came as such a shock to him when the team sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes back in late January.
Rantanen made it clear that he was not going to sign an extension in Carolina, so the Hurricanes traded him to the Dallas Stars, where he signed an eight-year, $96 million contract.
While Rantanen, 28, had 18 points (five goals and 13 assists) in 20 games with the Stars, he did not look like himself. He had trouble putting the puck in the net, look frustrated at times, and was not producing at the level he was used to.
He even carried his struggles into the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs against his former club. Through the first four games, Rantanen had just one assist and was a +/- – 4.
Fast forward to now and things are much different for Rantanen. Not only did his team beat the Avalanche in seven games and are now up 1-0 in their second round series with the Winnipeg Jets, but Rantanen is one of the main reasons why the Stars are playing so well right now.
As of this writing (Thursday, May 8), Rantanen leads the league in points (15), goals (eight), and is tied for sixth in assists (seven). He has especially been hot in his team’s last four games:
- Monday, April 28 vs. the Avalanche: One goal and two assists for three points.
- Thursday, May 1 vs. the Avalanche: One goal and three assists for four points.
- Saturday, May 3 vs. the Avalanche: Three goals and one assists for four points.
- Wednesday, May 7 vs. the Jets: Three goals for three points.
Scoring a hat trick is a feat, especially in the postseason, where checking is a lot tighter and scoring chances are harder to come by. As such, the fact that Rantanen posted back-to-back hat tricks is very impressive.
What is also impressive is what he did in Games 6 and 7 against the Avalanche. In those games, Rantanen became the first player in NHL history to record four-point periods in back-to-back games.
There are several reasons why Rantanen is on fire right now. For starters, he is putting a lot of pucks on the net.
He has fired 17 shots on goal in his last four game,s with many others being blocked or deflected. Rantanen has one of the best shots in the game, which has been clear in this year’s playoffs as his shooting percentage is currently (As of Thursday, May 8) an amazing 27.6 percent.
Another reason why he is playing so well is because he looks to be settled into his new home. It probably is not easy to spend the bulk of your career with one team and then be traded by that team, which is exactly what happened to Rantanen and the Avalanche.
Now with Dallas, Rantanen appears to be returning to his offensive form. Even a few weeks after he was traded and then extended by the Stars, Rantanen told NHL.com that there were a lot of similarities between the Stars and Avalanche that allowed him to be himself on the ice.
“They play puck possession, and I think there are similarities between Dallas and Colorado,” Rantanen said. “Like I’ve said many times, I tried my best in Carolina, but 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 style of play for me that’s similar to Colorado, so I think that was one decision to be made.”
Lastly, he is playing with a lot of confidence. He is making a lot of plays with the puck, is generating a lot of scoring chances, and is being in the right place at the right time.
Stars head coach Pete Deboer told Mike Brehm of USA Today that what Rantanen is doing right now is incredible.
“Let’s see how long he can run this for,” Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. “He’s rolling and he’s feeling it. Pretty impressive what he’s doing, considering the opponent and the time of year and how he’s dominating games.”
For the Stars, if Rantanen keeps doing what he does best and keeps playing at this level, hockey’s Holy Grail may become well within reach.
ITR 37: Round Two – Inside The Rink
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