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,

It seems Carolina’s only focus right now is keeping Rantanen, whether as an extended player or worst case as a rental.

Mikko Rantanen to Toronto? It's a possibility according to NHL Analysts Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Gord Stellick, but what exactly is it going to cost to do so?

The Mikko Rantanen experiment hasn't worked with the Carolina Hurricanes, and he could be on the move again before the trade deadline.

After participating in the 4 Nations, Rantanen is facing questions about his future and adjusting to his new surroundings.

Rantanen’s world has been upended. He joined the Hurricanes during a road trip. Carolina has played seven games since the trade, but Rantanen missed one with a minor injury. He does have an apartment now in Raleigh but hasn’t spent much time there.

The Florida Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions, so they will have a hard time finding people to feel sorry for them now that forward Matthew Tkachuk has been injured and isn’t expected to be available for an indefinite amount of time.

Marner is in the final seasons of a six-year, $65.41 million contract and carries a cap hit of $10.9 million this campaign. He is expected to command between $12.5 million and $16 million annually thanks to the reported salary cap increase starting next season.

Now the $100 million, it makes sense, because if you look at seven times 14, which you would think he’d be, the most he could get as an unrestricted free agent is 98 (million). So it makes a lot of sense for the Hurricanes to make sure they’re above that.

The Hurricanes are not reportedly shopping Mikko Rantanen on the trade market with less than two weeks left until the deadline.

With the March 7 trade deadline less than two weeks away, Carolina has to decide whether to keep Rantanen for a Stanley Cup run risking losing him next summer if he doesn't extend his contract, or flip him for assets now to avoid that potential worst-case scenario as it happened to the franchise last summer.