Three things NHL’s Mega Mikko Rantanen Trade told us
James Guillory-Imagnimage
The Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks made an unexpected huge trade late Friday night, with the Avs sending star right wing Mikko Rantanen to Carolina for centers Martin Necas and Jack Drury.
Carolina also acquired veteran left winger Taylor Hall from the Eagles in return for a third-round draft pick and retained 50 percent of Rantanen's $925,000 salary.
There are other components to the deal, including the Avalanche landing Carolina's second-round pick in this summer's draft, and Carolina's fourth-round pick in 2026.
RELATED: Officials: Hurricanes trade Mikko Rantanen, Blackhawks, Avalanche's Taylor Hall
So, after the blockbuster, here are three things the super trade told us:
1. Guentzel who? Carolina becomes winless contender
The Hurricanes have turned for the fences as of late, acquiring Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins last season, which ultimately didn't come to fruition. Guentzel did not re-sign with Carolina, and his rights were traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But Tulsky just made the biggest trade in Hurricanes franchise history, joining Rantanen in the trade in addition to another valuable veteran in Hall. The best players come to the fore together.
Carolina now only has about $1.23 million in cap space, but Tarski doesn't need to make any more moves than that. Time will tell if the Hurricanes can get Rantanen's signature via a contract extension, but they have the NHL taking notice – and this Canes team intends to win it all. They've had enough with their two Eastern Conference finals losses and two second-round eliminations over the past six seasons, and by recruiting a Cup winner in Rantanen, they've landed what fans want to see. of superstar power.
RELATED: New Hurricanes Cowboys Eric Tulsky acquires Rantanen
2. Colorado waives Rantanen, but generally doesn't
The Avalanche would definitely like to keep Rantanan all the way, but given that he will be UFA at the end of the season, this trade signal is that they don't believe they can get him signed long-term. Camp Lantana is believed to be looking for $14 million in cap hits, something Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl has agreed to, while Nathan Mackinnon Received $12.6 million. It's hard to do this job.
Still, the Avalanche now have 26-year-old Necas, a quality player in his own right with 55 points in 49 games this season, and young depth in Drury. That's a respectable return considering the time-sensitive deadline, as it's hard to get equal value for a player as good as Rantanan was in a trade.
For years, the Carolina rumor mill has held that Necas wanted to play center, and since Carolina had some wood at the position, there wasn't room to try. When he didn't get it, there were rumors he wanted to.
Canes fans should also remember trade drury…
— Bailey Curtis (@baileyycurtis) January 25, 2025
However, something tells us this trade will be the precursor to more moves to make them contend for the Avalanche. They now have $5.61 million in cap space, and with the NHL's March 7 trade deadline less than six weeks away, the Avs can go out and find more talent in hopes of a lengthy postseason run, such as another top-six pick. name.
They had to take lateral steps to be in their current position, but this Colorado team is built for the here and now. We don't see them giving anyone a back seat in the near future.
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3. NHL trade deadline season has begun — and it could be big
Few, if any, observers expected this kind of blockbuster to happen, at least in January. Yes, there were expectations for trade action ahead of the 4-nation confrontation, yes, but has Rantanen moved? No, but there will always be teams that don't want to wait until the deadline to get their needs met. Of course, the Hurricanes, Avalanche and Blackhawks have to be willing to win over their rivals at No. 1 on the trade market.
At this point, you have to imagine that other teams are going to give it their all now. The Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights made aggressive moves to win the Stanley Cup with all the parity of the NHL, a copycat league. If Colorado is ready to let go of a franchise cornerstone piece like Rantanan, who's to say there aren't too many other franchises that aren't also drastically reshaping their rosters? (Vancouver Canucks and JT Miller, anyone?)
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The possibilities are endless, and even at a time when the salary cap makes such a move difficult to pull off, there is a way, and there is a way. Plenty of games before heading into the deep playoffs.
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