After a whirlwind of a year, the Finnish forward will get a true chance to show off his world-class talent in his first full season in Dallas
Name: Mikko Rantanen
Age: 28
Birthplace: Nousiainen, Finland
Height/Weight: 6-4, 215
2024-25 Regular-season Stats: 32 goals, 56 assists, 88 points, 21:15 avg. TOI in 82 games played with Colorado, Carolina and Dallas
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Stats: 9 goals, 13 assists, 22 points, 20:46 avg. TOI in 18 games
Contract: Entering first year of eight-year extension averaging $12 million per season
Performance Evaluation: Few NHL players have endured the chaos that Rantanen did in the 2024-25 season. It’s baffling to think that a contending team would trade one of its franchise cornerstones (one with 97 combined goals in the previous two seasons, mind you) in the middle of a regular season. And yet, that’s what happened when Colorado sent Rantanen to Carolina in late January. And if that wasn’t enough to dominate the headlines, the Hurricanes flipped the back-to-back 100-point player to Dallas six weeks later. But even with all of the scenery changes and unexpected twists, Rantanen still found a way to be consistent. The Finnish forward scored 32 goals for his fifth straight campaign with 30-plus and also bested a point-per-game average for the fifth consecutive year with 88 points in 82 games. He also finished sixth among NHL forwards in average time on ice at 21:15 and led the NHL in overall power play time on ice at 315:56. That helped him put together another strong push on the man advantage with eight goals and 19 points. In his brief regular season stint in Victory Green, Rantanen was solid and seemed to get more comfortable with each passing game. He finished with five goals and 18 points in 20 games. The playoffs, however, were an entirely different story. After posting just one assist in the first four games of the First Round against Colorado, Rantanen hit the gas pedal with five goals and 11 points in the final three games. That included a Herculean Game 7 effort when he scored a hat trick in the final 12 minutes to send his former team packing for the summer. The scoring parade continued in Game 1 of the Second Round when he had a second consecutive hat trick in Winnipeg and etched his name throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs history books. His 22 points in the postseason were tied for seventh in the NHL and his performance only further hammered home his value as a cornerstone in Dallas for the next eight years.
Expectations for 2025-26: There might not be a more fascinating story to follow in “Starsland” this year than Rantanen. The 2024-25 season was a tornado for the 28-year-old, and that’s putting it lightly. After uprooting his life twice in a span of six weeks, dealing with the accompanying media circus, eventually delivering the dagger to knock his old team out of the postseason and making a valiant run to the Western Conference Final with his new team, Rantanen didn’t really get a chance to breathe until June 1. But after a 38-game sprint in Victory Green and a full summer to get settled into a new chapter, the 2025-26 season feels as though it holds a world of potential for no. 96. Rantanen’s elite talent is undeniable. In the past five seasons, he has 195 goals (5th in the NHL) and 455 points (4th) in 371 games. When it comes to the playoffs, his career 1.24 points per game stands 7th all-time (min. 90 games). It’s rare to find a player that so elegantly combines towering size (6’4”, 215 pounds) with blazing speed and a lethal shot. And at just 28 years old, it’s fair to believe that he hasn’t hit his ceiling yet. He posted 55 goals and 105 points (both career-highs) in 2022-23 and followed it up with 42 goals and 104 points the next year. There doesn’t seem to be a limit to what he’s capable of in his first full year in Dallas. No unexpected trades, no moving across the country, no acquainting period with new teammates. In 2025-26, it’ll be just hockey. Rantanen is one of the top workhorses in the NHL, playing heavy minutes, serving as a centerpiece on the power play and drawing some of the toughest assignments. He’ll likely resume his post on the top line next to Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson, giving the Stars one of the most dangerous trios in the NHL. And with a new head coach in Glen Gulutzan who had a knack for getting the most out of superstars in his time in Edmonton, the table is set for Rantanen to have a big year. Time will certainly tell, but his track record and skills mixed with the long-term stability of his contract seems to open the door to all kinds of fascinating possibilities.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Josh Clark is a writer for DallasStars.com. Follow him on X @Josh_Clark02.
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