Report: Mikko Rantanen Trade Talks Between Canes, Stars Stall amid Contract Buzz

The Mikko Rantanen saga could end with him remaining a member of the Carolina Hurricanes after Friday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, after talks of a deal with the Dallas Stars have reportedly stalled.

Per TSN's Darren Dreger, the Stars and Hurricanes were unable to finalize a deal for the 28-year-old.

Dreger did note there's always a chance talks between Dallas and Carolina could resume before the deadline, but there's nothing in place right now.

This came after Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported the two teams had an agreement in principle for Rantanen on the condition that he could reach terms on a long-term contract extension with Dallas.

Rantanen's contract status has already created a lot of drama this season. The Hurricanes just acquired him on Jan. 24 because the Colorado Avalanche didn't want to meet his reported asking price of $14 million annually on an extension.

It was a stunning move for a playoff contender like the Avalanche to trade a player as good as Rantanen, but perhaps it spoke to how deep the divide between the two sides had gotten.

Conventional wisdom would say that the Hurricanes figured out a contract for Rantanen before executing the trade, which turned out not to be the case.

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Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network reported on Friday that Carolina's most recent offer to Rantanen was in the range of $12 million to $12.5 million annually, but the belief is he could get at least $13 million per season on a new deal.

It's unclear what Dallas' offer to Rantanen was, with Seravelli only noting they had not hit his "number in their first pass."

Rantanen is in the final season of a six-year, $55 million contract signed in September 2019. The 28-year-old is on pace for his third consecutive 100-point season. He has 70 points in 61 games between the Avs and Hurricanes.

The Stars are looking to get over the hump in the playoffs after back-to-back losses in the Western Conference Finals. They are currently second in the Central Division with 84 points, six behind the Winnipeg Jets for the top spot.