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.

NHL trade deadline is on the horizon, and speculation continues to abound regarding the future of star forward Mikko Rantanen with the Carolina Hurricanes. Having already been traded to Carolina from the Colorado Avalanche last month,

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

It has not been great for Rantanen, who was part of the blockbuster trade from the Colorado Avalanche via the Chicago Blackhawks to Carolina. However, he put his best game together on Thursday versus Buffalo.

Mikko Rantanen and Tage Thompson are two of the best players to watch when the Carolina Hurricanes meet the Buffalo Sabres at PNC Arena on Thursday, February 27 at 7:00 PM ET. Purchase tickets for this game at StubHub!

After weeks of uncertainly about his future NHL home, Rantanen was traded to Dallas by the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, and then signed an eight-year, $96 million contract.

Blockbuster trades like the one that occurred between the Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes just over a month ago are rare in the NHL.

That's how long Mikko Rantanen's time with the Carolina Hurricanes lasted. On Jan. 24, the Hurricanes acquired the star forward from the Colorado Ava

The Carolina Hurricanes came out on the wrong end of the NHL trade deadline in the eyes of many. After swinging a huge trade to acquire star winger Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche late in January, the Hurricanes traded the Fin to the Dallas Stars on deadline day.

Martin Necas and Jack Drury have settled in nicely, both on and off the ice, with the club. The short-term return on the NHL’s biggest in-season trade in two decades has been nothing but positive. The raw emotions of losing a core player and beloved teammate, Mikko Rantanen, have subsided, because life in the NHL goes on.

RALEIGH, N.C. -- When the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche in a blockbuster three-team trade on Jan. 24, they quickly indicated their interest in signing the 28-year-old forward to an eight-year contract.