Mikko Lantanen's fleeting tenure with the hurricane has officially ended.
According to multiple reports, the star acquired the 28-year-old forward ahead of the Friday afternoon trade deadline.
The Hurricane, which landed the Lantanen two months before the avalanche, will win the third round of each year for each insider, with first round picks in 2026 and 2027.
The deal also comes with an eight-year extension of Rantanen, which is expected to average $12 million per year.
This extension was a sticking point with the hurricane, who was unable to seduce him to stay in Raleigh after coming from Colorado on January 24th.
The Finnish winger was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, and would have only been eligible to sign a seven-year contract if he had hit the open market.
“I think at the time I had to look at all the options. [Carolina] Trade has happened. I've really had to think about my life for a long time,” said Lantanen. He spoke to TSN's “Tradecentre” broadcast. “Not only on the ice, but on the ice. Obviously, Carolina's really good team… I think I deserve Dallas, I was thinking about it a lot in my camp and myself… fits anywhere, I think that's the position.”
Lantanen will head to his third team in 2025 after spending the first nine years of his avalanche career.
Lantanen has been an important piece alongside Nathan McKinnon for many years, helping Colorado win the Stanley Cup in 2022.
With his contract being defeated this offseason and the avalanche failed to reach an extension, Lantanen was surprisingly shipped to Carolina, where he played just 13 games and scored two goals.
Lantanen has recorded 27 goals and 43 assists so far this season.
His 70 points are 11th in the NHL this season into the slate on Friday, and only one point from the league's top scorer.
Before his trade with Carolina, Lantanen had been picking up his pace to score 40 goals in his third consecutive season, after scoring 42 goals a year ago and 55 goals 55 before.
The star is currently second in the central division at 41-19-2, six points behind the Jets, who lead the Western conference.
