Elliotte Friedman reveals the teams who could try to trade for Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline

This season has already been a wild one in the NHL, with Mikko Rantanen the biggest name moved thus far, but according to recent speculation, he could be on the move once more after a very slow start for the superstar winger in Carolina.

That speculation only heated up after the Four Nations Finale, with Elliotte Friedman dropping the bombshell that many contending teams are interested in Rantanen, listing off an intriguing group of teams that are in pursuit of No. 96.

Every single one of those teams could be perfect landing spots for Rantanen, as he would immediately transform them from contenders to favourites in their respective conferences, with teams like Vegas and Dallas especially motivated to give him the chance to get back at the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference.

On top of that interest, Friedman noted that there's the possibility for Carolina or potentially a third-party to retain part of Rantanen's salary in a deal, and after the Blackhawks already did that to facilitate one blockbuster, that will make Rantanen much, much cheaper for an acquiring team.

The biggest issue in Carolina and potentially moving him is that he won't sign long-term, but if they do move him ahead of the deadline it will be with the knowledge that he is purely a rental, so expect plenty of interest in Rantanen over the coming weeks as the March 7th trade deadline quickly approaches.