Hurricanes made a stunning choice between Jason Robertson and Logan Stankoven in Rantanen trade
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Carolina could have landed Jason Robertson instead of Logan Stankoven in the Mikko Rantanen trade with Dallas, a new report claims.
The Mikko Rantanen saga has already gone down as one of the wildest stories of the past two years, but there's a fresh wrinkle nobody saw coming.
According to insider Chris Johnston, the Hurricanes had the option to bring back Jason Robertson from the Stars as part of the return for Rantanen, and they passed on him in favor of Stankoven instead.
Johnston laid it out plainly on his podcast, explaining that once it became obvious Rantanen wasn't going to sign long term in Carolina, the front office pivoted and started working the phones with Dallas.
Robertson was reportedly on the table.
The Hurricanes looked at both players and decided Stankoven fit their system better, so they walked away from a winger who was in the middle of a 96 point season.
"Rantanen Trade: Jason Robertson had been offered to the Hurricanes by the Stars."
Say what you want about turning down a proven scorer, but Carolina's front office ended up looking like geniuses.
Stankoven caught fire in the postseason and became a key piece of the Hurricanes' run to a Stanley Cup, and the team rewarded him with an eight year, $48 million extension shortly after.
Meanwhile Robertson stayed in Dallas, put up a monster year, and still couldn't get the Stars past the first round before Minnesota knocked them out.
It's the kind of story that only gets more interesting with hindsight.
Robertson remains arguably the better all around player today, yet Carolina has a championship banner to show for its choice.
Dallas fans will wonder what could have been had the deal gone the other way, while Hurricanes fans have every reason to trust the front office's read on team fit over pure production.
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The gamble paid off in a big way
Say what you want about turning down a proven scorer, but Carolina's front office ended up looking like geniuses.
Stankoven caught fire in the postseason and became a key piece of the Hurricanes' run to a Stanley Cup, and the team rewarded him with an eight year, $48 million extension shortly after.
Meanwhile Robertson stayed in Dallas, put up a monster year, and still couldn't get the Stars past the first round before Minnesota knocked them out.
A decision that will follow both franchises
It's the kind of story that only gets more interesting with hindsight.
Robertson remains arguably the better all around player today, yet Carolina has a championship banner to show for its choice.
Dallas fans will wonder what could have been had the deal gone the other way, while Hurricanes fans have every reason to trust the front office's read on team fit over pure production.
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