Mikko Rantanen is on a legendary run in his first Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Dallas Stars. In just eight games, he’s tallied eight goals, seven assists, and 15 points. Even more impressive, he’s recorded back-to-back hat tricks in his last two outings.

He was traded back in January from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes after contract negotiations with Colorado broke down. Wanting to avoid frequent matchups with him, the Avalanche dealt him to an Eastern Conference team.

The move came as a complete surprise to Rantanen, who had hoped to find a resolution with Colorado’s front office. He went on to play 13 games with Carolina before informing the Hurricanes he wasn’t willing to sign a long-term deal. Still a pending free agent, he was traded again—this time to Dallas, a team he chose.

Rantanen appeared in 20 regular-season games with the Stars before facing the Avalanche—the team he spent his entire NHL career with up until this season—in the first round of the playoffs.

Down 2–0 in the third period of Game 7, Rantanen scored twice to tie the game, setting the stage for Dallas to eliminate Colorado with a 4–2 comeback win.

According to Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos, Rantanen chose Dallas to “jam it down Colorado’s throat.”

“You know what Rantanen says? I’m going to Dallas. You know why I want to go to Dallas? Because I want to jam it down Colorado’s throat,” Kypreos said on Monday’s edition of “Real Kyper and Bourne.” “I want them not only, do I want to play them in the playoffs, I want to go in for the next eight years into that organization three times a season. And they got to look at me because I’m coming after them. Those were his words in a roundabout way.”

Fans were quick to react to Rantanen’s reason for choosing the Stars.

“I’d say he’s doing a pretty good job of that,” one fan said.

“Well. Mission accomplished I’d say,” another wrote.

“Well so far so good eh?” added another.

“If that’s true, he’s my new favorite non-oiler,” one wrote.

“That’s aura,” said a fan.

“What a dawg,” another said.

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