Mikko’s making it: Rantanen settling in as Stars take upper hand in series

Mikko Rantanen has been on quite a journey this year.

The 28-year-old started the season as one of the cornerstone members of the Colorado Avalanche – Top 10 in career goals, assists and points, a member of the 2022 Stanley Cup champions, and one of the best playoff performers in NHL history. But, as it so happens in sports, Rantanen was due a big raise and the Avalanche had a hard time making the numbers work under the NHL salary cap.

So Colorado management did what it felt was best and traded Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 24. It was a bit of a shock for the big Finn, and he didn’t fit in right away after the trade. As the Hurricanes tried to negotiate a contract extension for Rantanen, it became clear that wasn’t going to work. So, as the NHL trade deadline neared, Carolina shopped Rantanen, and the Stars became the leading bidder.

The trade from Carolina was complicated, as Dallas only wanted to make the deal if it knew Rantanen would sign a long-term extension. At the last minute, a deal was worked out for an eight-year contract that would make Rantanen the highest paid Star with an average salary of $12 million. When you consider the Stars gave up two first-round draft picks, two third-round draft picks and top prospect Logan Stankoven to complete the trade, it was one of the most significant transactions in franchise history.

That, in itself, is a pretty emotional life experience for anyone.

But throw into the mix the fact that Rantanen is now facing his old team to start the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and things get revved up even more. It’s a mental tightrope, and it’s been clear that it isn’t easy for Rantanen. One of the most beloved players in Avalanche history, he’s now being booed at Ball Arena every time he touches the puck.

Thanks for everything, Mikko, but we really don’t like Victory Green.

“I’m sure he’s still feeling that out. It can take a minute,” said teammate Matt Duchene, who played with Rantanen in Colorado and has been through similar experiences in his career. “A guy of that caliber comes into a place and everyone has to adjust. He has to adjust. The team has to adjust. It’s a big thing. It’s part of the growing process.”

Five games into the adventure, everyone seems to feel a little better. Rantanen on Monday had a goal and two assists as the Stars won a 6-2 game to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven First Round series. Now, going back to Denver for Game 6 will be just a little bit easier.

“Huge relief for him,’’ Stars coach Pete DeBoer said after Rantanen put in his first goal of the series. “You could tell by our group’s reaction how happy our guys were for him. I mean they feel that, they see him carrying that around.”

Rantanen has quickly assimilated to the Stars. As a native of Finland, he has several fellow countrymen on the team, including linemates Roope Hintz and Mikael Granlund. He played with Duchene in Colorado and has fit in well with his new teammates. That said, it still is a process.

Former Stars forward Brett Hull joined the Stars in 1998 as a free agent after a decade in St. Louis. In the Second Round that year, Dallas played the Blues, and Hull said he felt the pressure. He was, after all, the last piece to what many felt was a championship team, so then pressure was real when Dallas took on the Blues.

Hull finished with two goals and four assists as the Stars advanced in six games that year. Dallas then went on to win the 1999 Stanley Cup, so it all worked out. It’s a lesson that Rantanen is hoping will repeat. He has stayed patient throughout the process, but he knows there are expectations.

“As long as you’re getting chances, you just have to stay with it,” Rantanen said. “It’s a long series.”

Rantanen has been solid in his all-around play and preaches a 200-foot game. He is a fantastic teammate and a great example in game preparation and leadership. That said, he has 105 points (35 goals, 70 assists) in 86 playoff games. That 1.22 points per game average ranks 10th all-time in NHL playoff history. It’s one of the reasons the Stars gave up so much to get him.

“I can’t tell you how professional he’s been in his approach every day, it’s been team first. You wouldn’t know he hasn’t scored. He cares about us winning; more importantly, he wants to know defensively what we can do and what he can do to help us win,” DeBoer said of how Rantanen was dealing with the fact he had one assist in the first four games. “But this guy has scored his whole life, he gets paid to score, you know when guys like that finally get one, hopefully look out.”

The Game 5 performance sets the stage for another intense test. Rantanen will again be the villain on Thursday at Ball Arena in Game 6. He will line up against good friends like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Gabriel Landeskog, who recently returned from a three-year injury absence, and try to send them home for the summer. It’s not personal, he just wears a different color now.

“It’s different now, for sure,” Rantanen said. “Good friends off the ice, but for this series, we’re obviously enemies.”

And when you think about just what that entails, it is an incredible challenge to Rantanen.

“I don’t think anyone should be surprised that this hasn’t come easily and all at once,” DeBoer said. “He played in one place for almost a decade, and he played with [MacKinnon] for almost a decade. And that guy…no one else in the league has that guy that plays that exact game. You’ve been working off a certain partner like that for a decade. It’s not an easy transition.”

And yet…it sure looks like he’s fighting through it with a fair amount of grace.

“He’s playing well all the time,” Hintz said. “Obviously, there’s times you don’t score, but you can’t get too frustrated. Just got to keep pushing and keep going, and eventually it’s going to come.”

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on X @MikeHeika.