NHL insider gives eye-opening take on Mikko Rantanen's future with Carolina Hurricanes past trade deadline 

The last month has been a whirlwind for Mikko Rantanen. The career-long Colorado Avalanche was blindsided by a blockbuster trade on January 25 that sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Martin Necas, Jack Drury and draft picks.

As a pending UFA, Rantanen's future with the Avs was uncertain, but no one expected him to be traded midseason. He was taken aback, and his performance in seven games as a Hurricane has shown this, with only three points (one goal, two assists).

The trade surprisingly came without an extension and with Rantanen's struggles so far in Carolina, trade talks have emerged as he could potentially be moved again before the deadline.

NHL insider Frank Seravalli believes the situation between Rantanen and the Hurricanes could play out.

"Is the owner willing to roll the dice, to your point, on the back end of this? And potentially have him walk for nothing, on July 1," Seravalli said. "I really have a lot of hesitancy to say that he'll be comfortable with that on the back end. Meaning oh yeah, no problem, we traded those assets for this guy and one playoff run. If he's not committing, I'm not a believer that Tom Dundon loves that idea, just based on what I know of the situation."(19:30).

"So I would lean toward, if you've truly put the dollars on the table, and you've put what you believe is a fair eight-year deal on the table. And he's not committing to you or is non-committal, my money would be on them flipping him," Seravalli added.

With under two weeks until the March 7 NHL trade deadline, the hockey world will have its eyes on Mikko Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes.

Many teams around the league would have an interest in Mikko Rantanen

If Mikko Rantanen's name emerges on the trade market once again, expect a lot of teams to show interest.

NHL insider David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period linked Rantanen to the Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights in his most recent trade watch list.

Rantanen's season totals stand at 67 points (26 goals, 41 assists) in 56 games played. The situation appears to be fluid and could change any day.

For now, Rantanen is a Hurricane and will be in action on Tuesday night in Montreal against the Canadiens. The puck drops at 7 p.m. EST at the Bell Centre.