Two-Time All-Star Winger Traded from Colorado to Carolina: How the Move Impacts Both Teams
The Carolina Hurricanes made a blockbuster trade on Friday evening. In the three-way deal, the Hurricanes acquired both Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche and Taylor Hall from the Blackhawks, while Colorado received Martin Necas and Jack Drury as well as a second-round pick in 2025 and a fourth-round pick in 2026. Chicago received a third-round pick and will retain 50 percent of Rantanen’s salary. Here’s how this trade impacts the Hurricanes and Avalanche.
Avs Moved Rantanen During Contract Season
Rantanen is one of the top wingers in the entire NHL. The six-foot-four Finn has finished top-five in goals scored twice since the 2020-21 season and finished top-10 in points three times in that same span. The 28-year-old currently ranks sixth in points with 64 and is tied for seventh in goals scored with 25. Rantanen has been a major reason that the Avalanche had a top-10 offense for the past seven seasons and are on track for an eighth. Since the NHL is a business, this decision to let Rantanen go was likely due to his contract situation. He already has the second-highest cap hit on the team at $9.25 million, but he’s in the last year of his contract, and his price has gone up. That $9.25 million per year is sixth among right-wingers and 21st among all forwards. Though it was reported by Elliotte Friedman that a contract extension was not a part of the deal, Rantanen is sure to bring his price up even more if he wins a Stanley Cup with the Hurricanes.
Necas Provides Depth for MacKinnon and Co.
Acquiring Necas was surely a requirement when Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland was talking with Eric Tulsky, general manager of the Hurricanes. In lieu of Casey Mittelstadt failing to prove himself as the number two center in Colorado, the team had to make a move. Mittelstadt is fourth on the team with 29 points, but with only nine goals and almost 50 games played he’s paled in comparison to Nathan MacKinnon. On the surface, it seems like a major loss to give up Rantanen but to get some much-needed forward depth is nothing to scoff at. The Stanley Cup-contending window for the Avalanche is far from closed and the team had to sacrifice a great player for what they believe will be a greater success in the long term.
Hall Sweetens the Deal for Elite Offense
While Hall isn’t the same player that he was in the 2010s, he’s still a solid forward for Carolina to acquire in a deal where they also got Rantanen. Hall adds forward depth to a very deep lineup that touts Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov, Seth Jarvis, and Jack Roslovic on four different lines. Hall also adds some veteran leadership to the fifth-youngest team in the league, according to Elite Prospects. Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal were the only forwards over 30 years old, whereas Hall’s experience should lend a helping hand to a team that hasn’t won a game in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2006. This trade might just shatter the glass ceiling that the Hurricanes have been trying to break.
