NHL Trade Rumors: Elliotte Friedman claims multiple teams including Toronto Maple Leafs eyeing $55,500,000 Hurricanes forward

NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has reported that several teams are interested in Carolina Hurricanes forward Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen is in the final year of his six-year, $55.5 million contract. Carolina acquired him from the Colorado Avalanche in a three-team trade on Jan. 24.

On Friday's episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Friedman said:

"I think a lot of people are looking to see where this is going to go. I do believe there were some talks between the Hurricanes and Rantanen during the 4 Nations, and we'll see where this goes. I think if Rantanen is a pure rental, the lineup is going to be very long.

"You've got to think teams like Vegas, Dallas, Winnipeg, Florida, Tampa, Toronto. I wonder what you can get for him with that kind of competition."

Friedman explained that the Chicago Blackhawks retained 50% of Rantanen's $9.25 million salary. So, his current cap hit with Carolina is $4.625 million. If Carolina keeps part of his salary, teams could get him for around $2.3 million.

"The Hurricanes have three retention spots. If they want to flip Rantanen, it's a little over $2.3M; anybody can do that," Friedman said. "You're going to be able to find a way to handle that. ... If he's available, there will be teams saying, 'We can't sign him, but we'll want to do him as a rental.' And I think it could be good teams."

Mikko Rantanen has 66 points in 55 games this season, with 26 goals and 40 assists. However, since joining Carolina, his scoring has slowed.

Mikko Rantanen's recent struggles after trade to Hurricanes

In the six games following the trade, Mikko Rantanen has recorded only one goal and one assist. Before the 4 Nations Face-Off, he went three straight games without a point. In the tournament, he scored one goal and finished with a -1 rating.

Rantanen plays on Carolina's top line with Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. The Carolina Hurricanes are second in the Metropolitan Division with 70 points and a 33-19-4 record. They will likely retain Rantanen considering their goal of winning the Stanley Cup.