Closing in on Friday’s 3pm ET trade deadline with a quickie blog for a Wednesday night.
According to multiple sources, the Carolina Hurricanes are doing their Mikko Rantanen due diligence, checking out potential returns as either a rental or with an extension — assuming he’s willing to sign anywhere before July 1.
Among the teams believed to be very interested are Toronto, Dallas and Los Angeles — although that’s a ridiculously incomplete list. Who wouldn’t want him at a $2.3 million cap hit, if Carolina retained 50 per cent of Rantanen’s salary. But, a trade return would be much better for the Hurricanes if Rantanen agreed to extend with a new team, something else everyone’s trying to determine.
There are teams willing to step up in exchange for long-term security.
If Carolina does not like the offers, they can keep the winger and make a run. But they have opened the door and we will see where this goes.
