Rantanen wasn’t done moving, either. He declined to sign a contract extension with the Hurricanes before the trade deadline, so one of the 10-15 best players in the world was traded again, and this time to the franchise that knocked the Avalanche out of the playoffs in 2020 and 2024.

Mikko Rantanen was at ease Friday when talking about the excitement of starting the playoffs, which the standout forward experienced with the Colorado Avalanche each of the past seven seasons that included a Stanley Cup title.

The Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche are set for a first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs matchup. Despite dueling 100-point campaigns, the Winnipeg Jets’ Presidents’ Trophy campaign took the Central Division.