Hurricanes HC makes astounding revelation about Mikko Rantanen's blunt decision to not sign with Carolina

By ARJUN B

Modified Mar 11, 2025 04:00 GMT

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Carolina Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour made a surprising revelation about forward Mikko Rantanen in an interview with Adam Gold on 99.9 The Fan on Monday.

Brind'Amour disclosed that Rantanen had bluntly told the Hurricanes that he would not re-sign with them when he was traded to the team on Jan 24.

"There's not been one guy that has left here because they didn't like it here. That was except for Mikko," Brind'Amour said. "And he didn't not like it. When he showed up, he said, 'There's four teams I'll go play for, but you're not one of them.'"

Rantanen only played 13 games with Carolina after being acquired from Colorado, tallying just two goals and four assists. Now with Dallas, he already has three goals and one assist in two games.

According to Brind'Amour, Rantanen never settled in with the Hurricanes and seemed uninterested in anything beyond just playing hockey during his brief tenure.

"Mikko was the only one that I've been associated with that said, 'This is not for me.' I think there's other circumstances on that," Brind'Amour said. "It's not because of the hockey, it's because, I think, his family — it wasn't for him."

The coach admitted that the front office probably should have known about Rantanen's lack of interest before trading for him.

"Good, I appreciate that he let us know that. We probably should've known that before we made the deal; maybe that changes how we go about things," Brind'Amour said.

Instead of losing Rantanen for nothing in free agency, the Hurricanes dealt him to Dallas at the trade deadline. In return, Carolina received Logan Stankoven, conditional first-round picks in 2026 and 2028, plus third-round picks in 2026 and 2027.

Mikko Rantanen calls signing with the Hurricanes "a shock"

Mikko Rantanen told Hockey Night in Canada's Scott Oake that Carolina had approached him about signing a contract extension shortly after acquiring him.

"I think it was last week," Rantanen said. "Obviously, [being traded to Carolina] was a shock. They wanted [to sign me] at that time. I just had to look at all the options."

Despite the Hurricanes' interest, Rantanen ultimately declined to sign an extension with Carolina.

"I've got to thank Carolina for the time I was there. The guys are great, the team is really good. But I had to look at it from all the angles, and this was my decision," he explained.

Mikko Rantanen has put together an impressive season so far, recording 73 points in 64 games.