Why Rangers playoff hopes brighter after rival trades Mikko Rantanen to Stars
After a whirlwind of rumors, hypotheticals, and drama, the Mikko Rantanen saga with the Carolina Hurricanes finally came to an end Friday. The New York Rangers rival in the Metropolitan Division shipped Rantanen to the Dallas Stars for forward Logan Stankoven, 2026 first- and third round picks, and 2027 first- and third round picks. Rantanen also signed and eight-year, $12 million AAV extension with the Stars in the deal.
Well, that was interesting, to say the least.
The Hurricanes made a huge splash by acquiring Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche just six weeks ago. In the deal, they traded away Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and a 2025 second-round pick. Carolina was labeled as a true Stanley Cup contender after that deal, but things quickly went south after it became clear Rantanen was hesitant to sign a long-term contract and forego unrestricted free agency at season’s end.
So, the Hurricanes were faced with the question of keeping Rantanen with the risk of letting him walk for nothing in the summer, or trading him ahead of the deadline and salvaging some sort of return. They opted for the latter in this deal, but salvaging is just about the best they could do.
All in all, the Hurricanes trade Necas, Drury, and a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick for Stankoven, Taylor Hall, two first round-picks, and two third-round picks, with 13 games of Rantanen in the middle. To call it a disaster in Carolina is an understatement. Necas had become one of their better players and leading goal scorers, and Drury was becoming a young mainstay in the lineup.
Related: Rangers archrival finally gets it, throws in towel with Brock Nelson trade
Rangers chasing wild card spot, Devils and Hurricanes trending downward
While the primary focus for the Rangers is on securing a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference for the time being, keep an eye on both the Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils.
Where the Hurricanes were once a huge threat to the Rangers, should they meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again, now many are counting them out as contenders after a severe mishandling of assets. As for the Devils, they’ve looked vulnerable since the New Year and now lost stud center Jack Hughes for the season following shoulder surgery. Then on Friday, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald announced that top defenseman Dougie Hamilton is out for an extended period with an unspecified injury and Jonas Siegenthaler is done for the season.
That the Devils failed to make a big move ahead of the deadline doesn’t quell concerns that they’re in trouble with a quarter of the season remaining.
The Devils are third in the Metro with 72 points; the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Rangers are chomping at the bit with 68 and 67 points, respectively. Depending on how these last 20 games go, the Rangers sights may not be on just a wild-card spot, but a spot in the top-three of the division, just as former Rangers goalie Marty Biron told Forever Blueshirts earlier this week.
The Hurricanes currently hold second place in Metropolitan Division with 78 points, 11 points ahead of the Rangers, who have points in five of their past six games (4-1-1). Carolina seems more sturdy than New Jersey and should remain in the division’s top three.
The operative word is should. How shaken — if at all — are Carolina’s players that Rantanen wanted no part of being a part of its present nor future. Stankoven is a nice player in his first full NHL season, but not a difference maker right now like Rantanen nor not even in the same league as Necas, who has 21 goals and 70 points this season.
Maybe the Rangers can’t catch the Hurricanes, but they’d sure love to face them — instead of the any of the Atlantic Division powerhouses — in the first round of the playoffs. So, gunning for the Devils is that more important for the Rangers.
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