It hasn’t been the easiest time to be a Dallas sports fan. Just months after the Texas Rangers won the World Series and the Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals, fans of the North Texas sports teams have suffered their fair share of hardship.

Bringing communities together, creating connection, and inspiring us to keep going are just a few of the ways hockey makes life better

The five-year contract extension, which begins in the 2025-26 season and runs through the 2029-30 season, is worth $42 million and has an average annual value of $8.4 million

According to ESPN hockey reporter Emily Kaplan, the Stars traded for the Carolina Hurricanes' Finnish right wing Mikko Rantanen and signed him to an 8-year extension. In return, Dallas is sending Carolina two first-round picks, two third-round picks and center Logan Stankoven, according to Kaplan.

Mikko Rantanen has had a stressful season, first moving from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes in January and ultimately being traded again to the Dallas Stars before Friday's deadline.

If you're a Minnesota Wild fan sick of the team being handcuffed by their salary cap situation, don't worry, you're not alone. After a trade deadline where the Wild were active but without much impact,

and the Dallas Stars erased a two-goal deficit in a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Thursday night. Roope Hintz assisted on both of Robertson's goals to give him 11 in the past four games.

Mikko Rantanen has found a familiar home in Dallas, thanks to the Stars’ strong Finnish presence. The veteran forward, acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, is joining a team that already boasts several of his countrymen—a connection Stars forward Matt Duchene has dubbed the ‘Finnish Mafia.’

Analyzing Thursday’s Calgary Flames at Dallas Stars odds and lines, with NHL expert picks, predictions and best bets.