Banners Fly Forever: Hurricanes Must Keep Mikko Rantanen

The Carolina Hurricanes must make the tough choice and keep Mikko Rantanen for the rest of the season.

Feb 27, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) skates against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images / James Guillory-Imagn Images

Who is the best team in the Eastern Conference, aside from the Washington Capitals? There is no clear answer currently. The Tampa Bay Lightning are red-hot. The Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs are battling for the Atlantic Division as well.

What about the Carolina Hurricanes? With the NHL Trade Deadline closing in, the contract talks and trade status of superstar forward Mikko Rantanen have taken center stage. Will they move him? Even after Rantanen reportedly shut down contract negotiations, do the Hurricanes think keeping him as a rental is worthwhile?

If the Hurricanes are, in fact, canvassing the league for a potential Rantanen trade, it makes absolutely zero sense. The Hurricanes are in second place in the Metropolitan Division and have just as great a shot at coming out of the East as any other playoff team. Why would a contending team part with a Stanley Cup-winning forward who can register 100 points per season?

The answer is, you don't.

So what, the Hurricanes will likely lose Rantanen for nothing in free agency. So what if they could have received a prospect or draft pick in return?

It's meaningless.

But a Stanley Cup championship is worth everything to these players and organizations. A championship negates all bad errors and erases the memory of doubts. A championship banner flies forever.

Having Rantanen in their lineup gives Carolina the best chance to win a Stanley Cup. Isn't that worth the risk?

This isn't an organization in the middle of a rebuilding process. They don't need young talent that can carry the franchise into the future. They need to make good on their current situation. They have talent and depth at every position and are in the middle of a wide-open playoff race. If that isn't the ideal situation to hang onto a pending free agent, especially one of the caliber of Mikko Rantanen, I don't know what else is.

The Hurricanes' management and the NHL community may believe the team faces an impossible decision, but it should be easy. The Canes must do the tough thing and keep Rantanen for the stretch run, no matter what it costs them after.

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