Mikko Rantanen is not off to a good start with the Hurricanes after being shockingly dealt by the Avalanche in January. His fit through nine games has been awkward enough to inspire another round of Rantanen trade rumors ahead of the NHL trade deadline.

Mikko Rantanen, after only nine games with the Carolina Hurricanes, is already a topic in trade talks. Though some fans doubt his impact, pundit Pierr

TSN: It’s still not known if Mikko Rantanen will want to partake in contract extension talks with the Carolina Hurricanes. Chris Johnston said that Rantanen’s camp are expected in the next few days to let the Hurricanes know how they’d like to proceed with things.

It seems Carolina’s only focus right now is keeping Rantanen, whether as an extended player or worst case as a rental.

According to Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli, it looks like Carolina is leaning toward keeping Rantanen in tow through the end of the season whether or not he commits to signing a contract extension before the March 7 trade deadline.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2 on Thursday night. Jordan Staal, Sebastian Aho, Taylor Hall and Seth Jarvis also scored for Carolina, which had lost its first two games after the league break for the 4 Nations Face-Off. Pyotr Kochetkov made 14 saves.

After participating in the 4 Nations, Rantanen is facing questions about his future and adjusting to his new surroundings.

TSN: It’s still not known if Mikko Rantanen will want to partake in contract extension talks with the Carolina Hurricanes. Chris Johnston said that Rantanen’s camp are expected in the next few days to let the Hurricanes know how they’d like to proceed with things.

On Whalers night at Lenovo Center, Mikko Rantanen slipped into a different sweater and turned in his first multi-point game with the Canes.

Do the Hurricanes plan on trading Mikko Rantanen just over a month after acquiring him? One ESPN analyst weighed in on the multi-million dollar question.