Rantanen: Brief Hurricanes tenure was 'a tough time for me'

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Mikko Rantanen never settled in with the Carolina Hurricanes while playing only 13 games for them between being traded twice in six weeks last season, and during a stretch when the standout wing played for Finland during the NHL's two-week break for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Rantanen will go against the Hurricanes for the first time since then when the Dallas Stars, who acquired him from Carolina, play there Tuesday night.

“It was just a tough time for me because I was as surprised by the trade and then we were on the road a lot,” Rantanen said Monday, recalling his short stint with the Hurricanes. “I didn’t spend a lot of time there and obviously the 4 Nations we were gone. ... Timing was one thing, I think, that it didn't really work out well for me and for anybody.”

After playing his first 9 1/2 NHL seasons with Colorado, Rantanen was traded Jan. 24 to the Hurricanes, who had hoped to sign him to an extension. But he appeared in only six home games for them before being dealt again at the NHL’s trade deadline March 7, going to Dallas when also agreeing to a $96 million, eight-year contract extension with the Stars.

Rantanen's fourth game with the Stars, before even playing a home game in Dallas, was at Colorado. Those teams later met in a first-round playoff series with Rantanen recording a hat trick in a four-point third period in the decisive Game 7.

“Obviously that was a lot longer time that I was in Colorado, but always playing against ex-team or teammates you used to play with, it’s going to be weird,” Rantanen said. “So I would say yeah, the first one is always weird.”

Rantanen has 57 points (16 goals and 41 assists) in 41 games this season for Dallas, which despite a five-game losing streak was still second in the Western Conference with 58 points. The Stars trailed only the NHL-best Avalanche's 69.

"I feel like normal, back to my normal self, settled in in a place where I know I’m going to be,” Rantanen said. "I really love it here, I love it on the ice and I love the organization, the teammates, the fans and everything. Usually when you’re settled in like life and you don’t have to think about other stuff as much, it’s usually when you play better. That’s where I am, I’m settled in for sure.”

Stars coach Glen Gulutzan was an assistant with Western Conference champ Edmonton last season, and remembers how “shocking” it was to see Rantanen traded twice. The Oilers were excited about the first deal since it briefly sent Rantanen to the Eastern Conference. Now the coach and forward are together in Dallas.

“He's kind of got a little bit out of that shadow (in Colorado), and he's got a bigger role, so I'm sure he's embraced it,” Gulutzan said. “He's our swag. He's relied on heavily here, not in anyone's shadow for sure.”