The Maple Leafs jumped to an early lead and weathered a third-period storm for a 6-3 victory over Carolina on Saturday.

A Sportsnet report Saturday night indicated that Carolina Hurricanes right winger, Mikko Rantanen, was considering a massive contract extension offer from the team – specifically, a financial amount that was “into the nine digits”.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Montreal Canadiens NHL game to be played on February 25, 2025 on ESPN.

Alex Steeves scored his first NHL goal as the Toronto Maple Leafs jumped out to an early lead and beat the Carolina Hurricanes 6-3.

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

Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes) with a Goal vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 02/22/2025

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The Carolina Hurricanes made the trade of the season by landing Mikko Rantanen in January. They gave up Martin Necas and Jack Drury to land him, two young forwards with star potential. Rantanen’s contract expires after this season and his negotiations with the Avalanche fell apart.

The Hurricanes blueliner is a big reason his team is in the final against Canada (8 p.m. ET on ESPN), despite flying under some radars.

Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen were back at practice after the 4 Nations Face-Off, while Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin arrived later, Jarvis with a medal.

The Toronto Maple Leafs came out flying in their return from the two-week 4 Nations Face-Off break, using a dominant four-goal first period to set the tone in a 6-3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.