It was a tale of two different stories for the American Airlines Center teams. I don't think anyone expected Nico Harrison to trade Luka before the NBA Trade Deadline. I remember when he tried to trade him in the middle of the night, and everyone thought Twitter got hacked. The Mavericks traded away the face of the franchise just like that. Protests began over the next few weeks, and "Fire Nico" chants echoed at various DFW Metroplex events.
For awhile, it felt like the DFW Metroplex had gray clouds overhead even though it was sunny out. However, Dallas Stars Jim Nill decided to try to bring some sunshine back to the metroplex when he traded for Mikko Rantanen last Friday. With the Stars right in the thick of things competing for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this trade felt like Nill pushed all of his poker chips into the center of the table to tell the DFW Metroplex he's "All In." The streaming numbers even increased on Victory+ because of the trade.
Victory+ posted that the streaming numbers for Rantanen's debut went through the roof this weekend. More than 165K viewers watched the game against the Edmonton Oilers, setting a new record for people watching the Dallas Stars on Victory+. It's unsurprising because Rantanen gives the Stars a postseason scoring machine that could have been the difference in making the Stanley Cup Finals last season. It's like Jim Nill told the DFW Metroplex they are serious about winning another championship for the metroplex.
Mikko Rantanen is a high-caliber scoring machine who was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes after it was reported that he wanted 14 million a year in his new contract. After arriving at the Hurricanes, he was reported unhappy and wanted out of Carolina at the deadline. That's where the Stars come into play. Jim Nill signed Rantanen to an 8-year deal worth 96 million. Nill used his magic and got a 2 million dollar discount per season. That's how a general manager gets top talent.
While the trade did cost fan favorite Logan Stankoven and four draft picks, top-ten talent doesn't come around that often in trade talks. Nill knew that a player who scored 40 goals in the last two seasons was the type of player he was willing to trade for one of the Stars' prized prospects. Stankoven is going to fit in with the Carolina Hurricanes. His style of play fits the style of how Carolina wants to run their team. In return, the Stars got a player that could win them the Stanley Cup Finals.
In conclusion, it's obvious which DFW Sports Team won their respective trade deadlines. The fact that the American Airlines Center isn't packed anymore for Dallas Mavericks games says a lot. Jim Nill posterized Nico Harrison with his A+ trade for Mikko Rantanen. The Stars' title window gets extended for more seasons while the Mavericks begin a rebuilding phase. The future of the Dallas Stars is super bright after the Rantanen trade. They will be one of the teams to watch in the playoffs, especially when Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen return.