Hurricanes HC Shines Light on Recent Deadline Drama

The head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes revealed some interesting details regarding the team's Trade Deadline drama.

Mar 4, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) steers the puck away from Detroit Red Wings defenseman Justin Holl (3) in the first period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The saga of the Carolina Hurricanes and forward Mikko Rantanen dominated the NHL Trade Deadline. Six weeks after acquiring the superstar winger, the team flipped him to the Dallas Stars for a return that included forward Logan Stankoven and a group of draft picks.

The Hurricanes' decision to acquire and move on from Rantanen so quickly left many scratching their heads. For the amount of assets they gave up to bring him to Carolina, it makes little sense to deal him again so quickly. But it seems the organization was unclear on where Rantanen sat regarding his contract extension, because according to their head coach, Rod Brind'Amour, his desire to leave was evident from the moment he arrived.

Brind'Amour joined Adam Gold on 999 The Fan sports radio to discuss the fallout from the deadline. Speaking about Rantanen, the coach discussed how clear it was that Carolina was not his preferred destination.

"When he showed up he said 'there's four teams I'll go play for, and you're not one of them.'," he said. "So there's 28 other teams he's not going to. The better question is, should we have known that before we signed him, or attempted to sign him?"

Rantanen looked out of sorts over his 13 games with the Hurricanes. He managed just two goals and six total points and looked like a poor fit. The ill fit is a rarity for Carolina and its offensive structure, which has made many a forward look better and improve their scoring output.

"Mikko was the only one that I've been associated with that's said this is not for me..." he said. "I appreciate that he let us know that. Probably should've known that before we made the deal. Maybe that changes how we go about things."

Unfortunately for the Hurricanes and their management, they went for the big swing and came up short. With this insight from Brind'Amour, however, it seems like the organization could have avoided this mess in the first place with a bit more investigation.

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