Rantanen can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. He was available because the Avalanche couldn’t sign him to a long-term contract. Tulsky said the Hurricanes wanted to acquire Rantanen as long as possible before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 7 and have had only preliminary discussions with his camp.

The Carolina Hurricanes pulled off a blockbuster trade acquiring Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche. But now comes the big challenge of re-signing the star forward.

The Colorado Avalanche have traded forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, according to multiple reports.