More And More Mikko Rantanen
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic: So, Mikko Rantanen has not been off to the greatest start point wise in Carolina. Averaging around a point every other game is probably not ideal going forward. However, all the underlying numbers are exceedingly high. When does the dam break?
A few get concerned that Rantanen might become what Timo Meier has in New Jersey. When the finish goes south, it is a hard thing to get back. Is there reason to panic? The answer is no one truly knows. Carolina has to balance trying to re-sign Rantanen to an extension or flip him at the deadline. Of course, the third option is to do nothing and hope for the best in the offseason.
NHL Rumors: Mikko Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes Will Meet, and Many If’s on the Situation
The flip side is that Carolina moved Martin Necas, who has taken off in Colorado. No one should be shocked by this. Carolina owner Tom Dundon is not the most patient man, and Eric Tulsky has quite a tightrope to negotiate. It does feel more obvious that Carolina is riding it all with Rantanen beyond March 7th.
Ottawa Sees The Walls Closing In
Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun: Ottawa is a player who could use a Mikko Rantanen at this point. Frankly, the Senators need healthy bodies more than anyone. With Brady Tkachuk, Shane Pinto, and Josh Norris all currently sidelined, Ottawa finds itself precariously close to the last wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Again, Steve Staios has seen his team lose five straight games and not look good in any of them. Worse, injuries seem to be lingering and so is the poor play. Staios has precious little cap space and draft equity (lost a first-rounder in either 2025 or 2026) from the Evgenii Dadonov fiasco.
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What does this mean for Ottawa? Ottawa has a couple of defensemen they could move, but again, any bigger splashes are unlikely. The Senators have to hope for help from within if it wants to hold on to a playoff spot.
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