Speculating the 4 NHL teams Mikko Rantanen could have played for based on Rod Brind'Amour's latest revelation feat. Dallas Stars 

The Carolina Hurricanes felt that they had no choice but to trade star forward Mikko Rantanen at last Friday's NHL Trade Deadline rather than risk him leaving during the offseason via free agency in exchange for nothing in return.

And it turned out that was the correct move based on Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind'Amour's words on Monday, who revealed that Rantanen had informed him he had no interest in signing a long-term deal with Carolina.

"There's not been one guy that has left here because they didn't like it here. That was except for Mikko," Brind'Amour told 99.9 The Fan's Adam Gold. "And he didn't not like it. When he showed, he said, 'There's four teams I'll go play for, but you're not one of them.'

"So there's 28 other teams he wasn't going to. The better question is should we have known that before we signed him or attempted to sign him," he added.

Brind'Amour continued by saying that Rantanen never truly felt settled in Carolina.

"Mikko was the only one that I've been associated with that said, 'This is not for me.' I think there's other circumstances on that," the Hurricanes coach added. "It's not because of the hockey, it's because, I think, his family — it wasn't for him. Good, I appreciate that, he let us know that. We probably should've known that before we made the deal, maybe that changes how we go about things."

Rantanen was ultimately shipped to the Dallas Stars with Carolina receiving Logan Stankhoven and several conditional draft picks in return. But who were the four teams that Rantanen was referring to?

Here's a closer look at four potential teams Mikko Rantanen may have been referring to.

Speculating which 4 NHL teams Mikko Rantanen was willing to move to from Carolina

#1: Dallas Stars

The Stars had to be on Rantanen's short list of teams that he'd be willing to go to considering that not only was he traded to the Stars, but he agreed to sign an eight-year contract extension with them.

#2: Florida Panthers

According to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, one of the teams that Rantanen would have accepted a trade to was the defending champion Florida Panthers.

Currently the top overall team in the Atlantic Division, the Panthers instead added former Bruins captain Brad Marchand in a stunning trade.

#3: Vegas Golden Knights

Additionally, Pagnotta reported that another team that Rantanen would have entertained a trade to is the Vegas Golden Knights.

Always on the front lines of trading for top talent in the NHL, the Golden Knights would have made perfect sense for Rantanten to land with.

#4: Chicago Blackhawks

While it may seem like a bit of a stretch that he would accept a trade to a poor Blackhawks team, they were rumored to be potential suitors for Rantanen had he hit free agency.

Additionally, the Chicago Blackhawks want an established NHL star to play next to former No. 1 overall draft pick Connor Bedard – and they had the cap space to make a considerable splash.