Dallas - Mikko Rantanen wasn't himself before becoming the best player in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

"I think this year was such a whirlwind for him that he took some time to make us feel comfortable," said Dallas defensive Brendan Smith.

In his first four NHL seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, Rantanen ranked fifth in all goals (163) and seventh in score per game (1.27). He hit his mark again this season and averaged 1.31 points with 25 goals and an avalanche.

But then, his season had 49 games and his world collapsed.

Lantanan was traded to the Carolina Hurricane on January 24 as part of the three-team trade. After 13 hard-to-add games – what he said was to not sign an extension with Carolina before unrestricted free agents – Rantanen arrived at the Dallas Stars for a second trade before the NHL trade deadline on March 7, signing an eight-year extension with the team to ultimately stop the carousel boat from spinning.

He scored a career average (five goals, 0.90 points per game) in 20 regular season games in Dallas. His playoffs began, with one assist starting an assist in four games against Colorado’s old teammates in the first round.

Questions around fans and media spin around him: Is this show worth $96 million to 2032-33 years without all unmoved terms? Can Rantanen raise the elite numbers without Nathan Mackinnon and Cale Makar, who are cheering in Colorado? Will he live up to his reputation as a post-season hero? Since 2020, playoff scores (62 out of 48 games) ranked fourth?

WHO Once was Mikko Rantanen?

“He went through a lot when you think about his journey this year,” said Dallas coach Pete Deboer. “There are a lot of articles about him. There are a lot of words about him. There are a lot of skeptics out there depending on where he is in and how he sees different perspectives.”

His teammates watched Rantanen struggle to find his groove.

"It's an interesting career and you'll get great, but then you get stuck in a different situation and suddenly you're trying to figure out what you're for comrades who are all these little things," Smith said. "I'm not sure if it's really a good fit for Carolina."

Now?

“Now, he looks ComfortableSmith said with a smile.

Rantanin has scored 18 points in seven games since Game 5 against the Avalanche, five of which were Dallas wins as they pushed the Winnipeg Jets to the brink of the knockout round, leading 3-1 in the second round series, seeking a third straight Western League final.

"I'm trying to stay in this moment. I'm happy to help the team and keep doing what I can," Lantanan said. "But even after a win and a great game, the keel is the case."

Rantanen led all scorers in the playoffs, scoring 19 points in 11 games Tuesday night. He is the first player in NHL history in the first 10 playoff games in a single playoff game. He set an NHL record by scoring or assisting his team with 13 consecutive goals. Once, Rantanen included 15 of Dallas's 16 goals.

"He's just started. He's just warming up here," Debour said after his third game win against Winnipeg. “I think he’s on the mission.”

2015 NHL Draft The class is loaded absurdly.

The Avalanche watched players like Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Noah Hanifin, Zach Werenski and Timo Meier before landing the 18-year-old winger’s men’s game at SM-Liiga in Finland.

Over the next 10 seasons, Rantanen will be the second highest goal scorer in the draft class (294), behind McDavid (361), a three-time MVP and a five-time scoring champion. His chemistry with McKinnon helped both achieve offensive dominance. During the back-to-back 100-point seasons of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 Avalanche, 75% of the total ice time in Rantanen were spent in Mackinnon.

"He helped the organization become a Stanley Cup champion and a contender every season. He is a big reason," McKinnon said.

In the Colorado 2022 Stanley Cup championship game, Lantanan scored 25 points in 20 games.

Rantanen signed a six-year extension in 2019 with an average annual interest rate of $9.25 million. Mackinnon, however, expanded to $12.6 million in his 2022 AAV. As Rantanen gets closer to unrestricted free agents in the summer of 2025, there are two questions around the avalanche: how much he is asking for, what does that mean for their salary structure, both of which are on what Mackinnon does, and what will happen when Makar reaches a contract in 2027?

Rantanen is optimistic and will work hard this season to align him with the Avalanche.

"Overall, it was a strange situation. Negotiating with Colorado. Six weeks before the deadline, we were negotiating," he recalled. "At that time I felt like I needed to go to the front desk to talk. I told them I would be flexible. I wanted to play here for a long time."

"And then a few days later, they traded me. So that was really exciting."

The Hurricanes sent their lead scorer Martin Necas to Rantanen, Colorado. When Hurricane reached out to explore the signing deal with Rantanen before the deal, he told them that his focus was staying in Colorado.

"They still made the deal. That was their decision," he said.

He described his first few days with Carolina as “shocking.” Rantanen claims he joined the hurricane with an open attitude. But after a few weeks with the team, Rantanin didn’t feel like she was at home. As he adapted to coach Rod Brind'Amour and his team structure, it included "I'm the right position for the game."

Rantanen refuted his speculation that he arrived in Roli with the trade list. He also said that the report said it was a "family decision" and that it was not accurate to not sign long-term signings to stay in Raleigh. “It was a hockey decision at the end of the day, that’s all,” he said.

Rantanen provides Carolina GM Eric Tulsky with a short list of trade destinations, and he gets nothing in the summer if they don't want him rent as a free agent.

Dallas general manager Jim Nill said the Hurricane began exploring calls two weeks before the trade deadline.

"We were one of the teams they called to see if they were interested and then about a week to 10 days before the transaction deadline, and we said, 'You know what? Let's take a look, but still didn't think that's where we were going."

Ultimately, that's where they are heading, sending promising young forward Logan Stankoven and four draft picks to the Hurricane landing.

Although things changed drastically in Rantanen, they also suddenly moved to the stars.

"When you have someone like this, a star player, it certainly changes things. It changes the identity of the team," Debor said.

"I think we've built around the four lines and the pressure and the wave of work. It might be more like a Carolina-type identity. I think when you add a player like this, you have to take on some different identities," the coach said. "You have to guide your team differently. You have to take him to more places. So, I think it's the challenge to put him in and build him up without losing the success you're here."

Rantanen's playoff domination was directly linked to the relaxed connection he ended up feeling in Dallas.

Finally helped with his people.

Before Game 4 For the Winnipeg Jets, the celebrity’s social media feed posted a photo of the player with the title: “This is the first time our New Finnish Mafia has been fully capable.”

Our New Finnish Mafia is full of power for the first time. 🇫🇮 pic.twitter.com/dv1t5nfjfm

— X-Dallas Stars (@dallasstars) May 14, 2025

Rantanen (born Nousiainen) smiles between forward Roope Hintz (Tampere) and defensive Miro Heiskanen (Espoo). On the other side of the three are center Mikael Granlund (Oulu) and defenseman Esa Lindell (Vantaa).

A 3-1 victory marked the first game, with all five Dallas Finns playing in the same game. Heiskanen lost to a knee injury before receiving Granlund from San Jose Sharks in February, Rantanen reached the deadline. The Finnish, along with goalkeeper Jake Oettinger, is different: Granlund has a hat-trick in the victory, and the assists will assist Rantanen and return Heiskanen, who hopes the Finnish 5 can play as a unit at some point.

"We're going to see if they're putting us there," Heiskanen said. "That's going to be good. Maybe the next game."

Rantanen played most of the time in Hintz after coming from Carolina, but in the regular season, Granlund only played 6:55 against Granlund. There has been a change in the playoffs, with 65% of Rantanen's occasional ice time spending his center with Granlund.

"Of course, it's really nice on the same side," Grandlund said. "We can all see what he's doing there right now. He's such a great player and he's very high."

Hintz, Rantanen and Granlund's line was 3 in goal difference and 15.4% shot percentage on the ice.

Smith said star players are waiting for Debor to unite the Finns.

"We've been talking about it for weeks: putting Finns together and letting them deal with it," Smith said. "Let them get angry with each other, make them happy with each other, make them cope with the situation. Finally Pete did it. And, like I said, Mico looks comfortable right now."

This line is a factor in Rentannan's record-breaking scoring pace in the playoffs. Star's power play is another, he has two goals and four assists, and the unit hits with a conversion rate of 32.4%.

Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said defending Rantanen's hit rate is even more difficult.

"He may not have enough credibility because his ability to perform is certainly dangerous," he said. "He is a big guy and he has a lot of hockey. Again, the biggest thing is time and space. I know you hear a lot in hockey, but in the end, the more he endured (hockey), the more comfortable he was, the more he was, and it was hard to deny what he was going to do next."

The next thing Rantanen tried to do was to complete the task.

Continue to push Conn Smythe Trophy as a playoff MVP, his favorite award at the moment. The final-highest final in the last two playoffs has been huge. Raise the Stanley Cup again, this time without McKinnon reaching out. Prove that Xingxing’s investment in him is a voice. What makes Colorado regret is trading him, if Rantanen hasn't conveyed this deal yet, is it the moose mode? - When eliminating AVs in the first round.

"Somehow, the deal was supposed to be done in Colorado. That's not. So he thought, 'I'm trying to prove that I'm an elite world class.'

"If you want to say he is a mission, I can understand it. Watch the whole room. Everyone wants to prove their stuff to everyone and prove themselves.