Rantanen ready to start new chapter after trade to Stars 

EDMONTON -- Mikko Rantanen joined his new teammates Saturday morning, hours before making his Dallas Stars debut against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, CITY, Victory+).

Given the Stars’ rivalry with the Colorado Avalanche, there were plenty of familiar faces.

“I guess it happens quick when it happens,” Rantanen said after his first morning skate with the Stars. “There’s always talks and rumors going around. It happens quick and I’m sure for the guys too.

“I was playing against them a lot in the same division with Colorado and battling hard, and they were enemies. Now we’re teammates all of a sudden. It’s different, but I’ve already met the guys and they’re all good guys, so it’s fun.”

Dallas acquired Rantanen, a forward, from the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday for forward Logan Stankoven, a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a conditional first-round pick in the 2028 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in 2026 and a third-round selection at the 2027 NHL Draft.

Rantanen will play on a line with left wing Jason Robertson and center Roope Hintz in his Stars debut.

Following the trade Friday, Rantanen signed an eight-year, $96 million contract ($12 million average annual value), avoiding unrestricted free agency July 1. The 28-year-old said he was happy to have the uncertainly regarding his future laid to rest after he was acquired by Carolina from Colorado in a three-way trade involving the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 24. The Hurricanes traded Rantanen to the Stars after the sides could not come to terms on a new contract.

“When you get traded, it takes you by surprise a little bit, and then you don’t have a contract with a new team and you try to look at everything not just only on the ice, because you’re basically a UFA,” Rantanen said. “Carolina is a very good team, and I enjoyed my time there. I had some friends there that I knew from before.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, and obviously I’ve been talking to many players around the League, and it helps that there are a lot of Finns on this team, and I knew them well. They only had good things to say about this team.”

Rantanen sent a text message to Matt Duchene on Friday, informing the Stars center they were about to become teammates again.

“He and I have kept in touch since we played together in Colorado (2015-18),” Duchene said. “I texted him that morning and told him to keep me posted. He texted me about two hours before it broke and said it’s done. Even at that point, you’re still wondering if it’s going to happen. It just seemed like it came out of nowhere.

“I don’t think we expected that, but it was a nice surprise for us for sure. I played with him early in his career for parts of three years and played against him a lot in the same division. He’s a great player, great guy. His resume speaks for itself as he’s won (with the Avalanche in 2022). He’s done the thing that a lot of us are trying to do, so it’s great to add that experience in the locker room.”

A native of Nousiainen, Finland, Rantanen joins fellow countrymen, forwards Hintz and Mikael Granlund, along with defensemen Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen. Each was selected to play at the 4 Nations Face-Off last month, but Heiskanen was unable to pariticipate because of a knee injury sustained Jan. 28 at the Vegas Golden Knights. He was placed on long-term injured reserve Friday.

“I’ve already told him he can lean on me for whatever he needs and any questions and things like that, whether it’s off the ice or on the ice,” Duchene said. “He’s got his fellow Finnish mafia, we have the 4 Nations Finnish team on this team, so he’s got those boys too.”

With Rantanen in the mix, the Stars (41-19-2) believe they can contend for the Stanley Cup this season. They entered Saturday second in the Central Division, eight points behind the Winnipeg Jets.

Rantanen had 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 49 games with Colorado and six points (two goals, four assists) in 13 games with Carolina.

“I’ve played against him quite a bit over my career, I know what he’s capable of and he’s put up superstar numbers, he’s a superstar player and it’s not quite often when you get that injection of talent in your lineup right away, especially this late in the season,” Robertson said. “We know how important it is to get a player of his caliber. It’s definitely exciting. We got him for the next eight years, but right now when you add someone like that, this late in the season, it’s big.”

With so many acquaintances on the team, Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said it should not take Rantanen long to get up top speed.

“When a guy comes in, for me, 20 percent of this is going to be about hockey,” DeBoer said. “He’s been well-coached and won a Stanley Cup. The systems are the systems, he’s going to have to get used to some linemates and his role on our team. This is going to be 80 percent comfortable off the ice, and we’ve got a really good leadership group that’s going to help with that.”