"Ridiculous if they move him" - Pierre Lebrun makes his feelings known on possibility of Hurricanes trading $55,500,000 superstar

On Wednesday, TSN Hockey insider Pierre LeBrun discussed whether the Carolina Hurricanes might trade Mikko Rantanen. LeBrun said on "SC with Jay Onrait" that the idea seems unlikely but depends on team owner Tom Dundon.

Rantanen is playing his 10th NHL season. He was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the Hurricanes in late January. The trade involved the Blackhawks as a third team.

"They just acquired the best rental player of the last 10 years in the NHL,” LeBrun said. “And the East is wide open. All due respect to the Washington Capitals who are an unbelievable story in first place, the Eastern Conference hasn't been this wide open in forever.

"The reason I'm not ready to say that they definitely won't trade him is because I can't predict how owner Tom Dundon will react at the end of the day if they can't get him to sign an extension by next Friday, March 7. I mean, if the owner gets angry, all bets are off..."

Rantanen is a top-six forward on any team. This season, he has 26 goals and 41 assists in 57 games. Since joining Carolina, he has added scoring depth to their lineup. And since his $55.5 million contract with an AAV of $9,250,000 expires after the 2024-25 season, speculations say his next AAV will be between $12-$14 million.

The Hurricanes are fighting for a playoff position in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 33-21-4. Once Rantanen settles in the Carolina lineup, he will be a major offensive producer.

LeBrun believes trading Rantanen would make little sense unless contract talks fail.

"But all things being equal and sanity prevailing, you're not going out if you're trading Miko Rantanen and getting equal value than what you traded for him to Colorado to begin with," LeBrun said. "You're not going out and getting a Martin Necas and a directory for rental..."

"He was blindsided by that trade, never saw it coming, went away for 4 nations. He just needs time. And as someone said to me this week, is March 7 enough time? Maybe, maybe not. Maybe he needs more time than that. And then how does Carolina react? We'll see. But I think it's ridiculous if they move him."

Though he had a recent scoring slump, Rantanen remains an important player with over two consecutive 100-point seasons.

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Elliotte Friedman talked about Mikko Rantanen's contract talks with the Hurricanes

NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman discussed Mikko Rantanen’s contract talks with the Carolina Hurricanes on "NHL Tonight: First Shift." Carolina offered Rantanen an eight-year, $13 million AAV contract and is waiting for his response.

With the Mar. 7 trade deadline approaching, Friedman questioned if Rantanen would decide in time.

“They've made a strong offer right away,” Friedman said. “But I think the biggest question is; what is Rantanen’s timeline? That becomes the number one thing. Is he going to be in a position to give them an answer before next Friday? And if the answer to that is no, then how do the Hurricanes feel?”

In free agency, Rantanen’s max contract would be seven years at $14 million per season. The Hurricanes’ offer beats that, but Rantanen’s decision remains uncertain.