Mikko Rantanen Exposes the Carolina Hurricanes in Finnish Interview: 'Thankfully It's Over'
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Mikko Rantanen exposed the Carolina Hurricanes in a Finnish interview after being traded to the Dallas Stars at the NHL deadline.
Last night, Mikko Rantanen took part in his first game as a member of the Dallas Stars against the Edmonton Oilers. The forward managed to score a goal and an assist, but his team ended up losing 5-4 in overtime.
However, the former Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes player looks forward to bouncing back after a tough stint with the Canes.
In a recent interview, Rantanen opened up about his situation and how he decided to sign an extension with the Stars.
He started off by revealing how hard the past week was for him:
"This week has been the hardest, especially the last couple of days, when I had no idea what would happen next.
First came the surprising trade out of Colorado. It was a shock. I didn't have a contract extension with Carolina and no information about the extension. It was stressful. I wondered what was going on here."
First came the surprising trade out of Colorado. It was a shock. I didn't have a contract extension with Carolina and no information about the extension. It was stressful. I wondered what was going on here."
He later talked about how he's happy that it's over, that he can finally get back to focusing on hockey:
"On the last day of play in Carolina (Thursday), it was really hard to focus on the important thing, which is playing, when I had so many other things on my mind. I'm happy that it's over. It's easier mentally now, and I probably won't have to think about things like that for eight years."
He continued by revealing how he decided to sign in Dallas:
"I had to look at all the options and think about life from different perspectives, including off the ice. I had a kind of free agent market, but this time in March and not July. However, the situation was not ideal.
When I was thinking about things, I thought I would fit in better here in Dallas. That's how I felt, and that helped me make the decision.
Dallas plays a lot with the puck. That's one of the big reasons why I wanted to come here. And there are a lot of good players here. Today we almost got to the same level, even though Roope (Hintz) was injured. That shows how deep our team is."
When I was thinking about things, I thought I would fit in better here in Dallas. That's how I felt, and that helped me make the decision.
Dallas plays a lot with the puck. That's one of the big reasons why I wanted to come here. And there are a lot of good players here. Today we almost got to the same level, even though Roope (Hintz) was injured. That shows how deep our team is."
He ended by talking about his relationship with Sebastian Aho, his fellow countryman, whom he left behind in Carolina:
"I talked to him a lot. It wasn't a nice situation. That's clear. It really wasn't a nice situation. We talked about things, and we're still friends."
Rantanen will need to perform well on the ice if he wants to prove to his new organization that they made the right choice by sacrificing a top prospect, draft picks, and money to get him from the Canes.
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