Surprise Team Emerges as Contender in Mikko Rantanen Sweepstakes, per Darren Dreger

The NHL Trade Deadline is only four days away and as teams try to find some last-minute solutions to some roster issues, the speculation and rumors have run rampant, and we've already seen some pretty big deals involving Seth Jones and Mikko Rantanen.

It's the latter who has been subject of romps after already being traded once, as his fit with Carolina is still up in the air.

With the possibility of being traded again, teams like Toronto, Dallas, Florida, Winnipeg, and Tampa Bay could potentially go all-in to acquire the superstar.

But with all those clubs in play, NHL Insider Darren Dreger has thrown a California-sized wrench into a potential Rantanen deal, naming the Los Angeles Kings as the likely destination for him to end up.

While it's certainly a long-shot given the return is going to be astronomical regardless of which team decides to acquire him, having Los Angeles come out of nowhere to be a potential suitor is intriguing.

The team has a lot of very solid prospects and young players like Brandt Clarke and Liam Greentree who could entice Carolina to move on from Rantanen and build the team around Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho.

The Kings are in third place in the Pacific Division and adding Rantanen to a team including Quinton Byfield, Adrian Kempe, Kevin Fiala, Anze Kopitar, and young star Alex Laferriere up front gives the Kings a very solid Top 6 that can compete with some of the best in the league.

Plus there's the fact that Rantanen would move from smaller market Colorado and Carolina to the massive sprawling LA market.

The chance to move and live there as opposed to the mid-south or the chillier confines of the Rockies and California has always been a prime destination for free agents; so Rantanen could very well re-sign with the team.

Rantanen has been up to his usual offensive prowess this season. In 59 games, the Finnish phenom has 27 goals and 43 assists while adding a plus-10 rating and winning 52.3% of his face-offs. He won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche is 2021-22.

While it's not set in stone that Rantanen is even dealt, but the fact that LA has become a potential suitor is interesting, as they could be the team who convinces Carolina to trade him; and that's bad news for the rest of the NHL.