NC Gov. Rips Mikko Rantanen After His 13 Games With Hurricanes

One of the biggest stories ahead of the NHL trade deadline was the possibility of the Carolina Hurricanes moving on from their blockbuster acquisition of Finnish star Mikko Rantanen who appeared in a grand total of…

*Checks notes*

…13 whole games for the team.

But it wasn't working with Rantanen registering just 6 points in those 13 games, and it became clear that Rantanen had no plans to sign in Carolina, although, with those numbers after what they gave up for him, would they want to even re-sign him? 

On Friday, the Canes flipped him to the Dallas Stars where he signed a new deal.

And you want to know who was happy about this deal? North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.

The Democratic governor of the Tar Heel State wasn't loving what he saw out of the former Colorado Avalanche star either and tweeted about how Mikko messed up in a big way.

I don't mean to brag, but I've been to North Carolina and it is pretty nice. They've got forests and mountains and beaches and it's where two brothers from Ohio solved the mystery of powered flight because they understood how bicycles worked.

But do you know what else North Carolina has? State income tax.

Texas — where Rantanen just signed a $12 million a year deal with the Dallas Stars — doesn't have that.

Maybe it's a reason why Rantanen reportedly rejected more per year from the Hurricanes.

So, guvnuh — as they say in the UK — maybe think about getting rid of that state income tax and maybe free agents will be more likely to sign in your state.

You're welcome, people of North Carolina… 

I'm kidding (kind of), but this has been a trend we've seen in recent years where teams in states like Florida, Tennessee, Texas, and Nevada, sometimes have an edge over teams in states (or Canada) where the tax situation isn't as favorable.