It hasn't taken long for Carolina Hurricanes fans to warm up to one of their team's newest acquisitions, superstar winger Mikko Rantanen. Having landed the 28-year-old in a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche,

Rantanen said he thought talks with the Avs had been productive before the shocking trade to the Canes: "I didn’t know we were in a rush."

According to NHL insider Andy Strickland, the Edmonton Oilers are among the favourites to sign star forward Mikko Rantanen if he leaves the Carolina Hurricanes in free agency.

Carolina can re-sign Rantanen and maintain a formidable supporting cast around him, which might have been tough for Colorado.

Here are three blockbuster Avalanche trade targets in the wake of the stunning Mikko Rantanen trade with the Hurricanes.

Chris MacFarland pointed to Rantanen’s pending free agency and the club’s desire to get deeper after three years of being short in that department as reasons for the trade. The NHL’s salary cap ceiling, which is set at $88 million this year but is expected to rise — possibly significantly — in the next couple of seasons is also a factor.

Mikko Rantanen has only been a Carolina Hurricane for a few days. Yet, that hasn't stopped analysts in the hockey world from speculating about his future.

The trade sending Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes is still the talk of the hockey world. Nobody actually thought the 10-year career-long member of the Colorado Avalanche would leave his only NHL home.

Choice One: What was Colorado’s limit for Mikko Rantanen? Leon Draisaitl’s $14-million AAV extension and the soon-to-be-rising cap altered the negotiations. (Rantanen is also represented by ...

The Carolina Hurricanes’ acquisition of Mikko Rantanen in Friday’s blockbuster ... high-profile players such as Edmonton Oilers' Leon Draisaitl. "I would also caution that the Oilers ...

On Friday night, the Carolina Hurricanes made a blockbuster deal with the Colorado Avalanche, acquiring Mikko Rantanen in exchange for Martin Necas and Jack Drury.