For the second straight year, the Carolina Hurricanes are taking a significant swing to bolster a perennial playoff team.
The Hurricanes acquired forwards Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche and Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-team trade Friday night. In the deal, they sent forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury, as well as a second-round pick in this yearB次元官网网址檚 draft and a fourth-rounder in 2026, to the Avalanche.
The Blackhawks reclaimed a third-round pick for this yearB次元官网网址檚 draft and took on half of RantanenB次元官网网址檚 salary.
The 28-year-old Rantanen, a two-time 100-point scorer who had an , is the headliner in the trade. He had spent his entire NHL career with Colorado after being drafted 10th overall in 2015, but he was in line to become an unrestricted free agent next season after he and the organization couldnB次元官网网址檛 agree on a new deal entering this year.
B次元官网网址淢ikko is one of the premier power forwards in our sport,B次元官网网址� said in a statement. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 no secret that weB次元官网网址檝e wanted to add elite skill to our lineup, and this is a player who should fit our system and locker room well. And Taylor gives us another high-skill option to bolster our attack.B次元官网网址�
The Hurricanes have made the playoffs for six straight years, with two of those pushes reaching the Eastern Conference Final. But theyB次元官网网址檙e still looking for a breakthrough to the Stanley Cup Final in this current run under coach Rod BrindB次元官网网址橝mour, the captain on CarolinaB次元官网网址檚 2006 Cup winner.
They had tried to address a multi-year weakness when it came to high-end finishers last year by acquiring before the trade deadline. But after a second-round playoff exit, Carolina ended up dealing shortly before GuentzelB次元官网网址檚 expected departure in free agency.
Now, theyB次元官网网址檙e adding Rantanen, who has a $9.25 million cap hit for this year, to a team sitting in second in the conference with 63 points, behind league leader Washington (71).
Carolina also adds a former Hart Trophy winner as NHL MVP in the 33-year-old Hall, who due to right knee surgery. Hall was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2010 draft who had 39 goals and 54 assists for New Jersey en route to winning the Hart for the 2017-18 season.
Hall, who is making $6 million this year with free agency looming, has nine goals and 15 assists in 46 games.
Blackhawks coach Anders Sorensen looked on the positive side of the move for Hall.
B次元官网网址淔or him, he gets an opportunity somewhere else,B次元官网网址� Sorensen said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 part of the business, right? So heB次元官网网址檚 got to deal with it. HeB次元官网网址檚 a good pro. Been around the league for a long time. Has some good insight in terms of ideas, especially offensively.B次元官网网址�
HallB次元官网网址檚 teammate and ChicagoB次元官网网址檚 captain, Nick Foligno, said the team carries some responsibility for the Blackhawks moving the Hart winner.
B次元官网网址淲e have no one else to blame but ourselves really in putting ourselves in the situation where they have to start thinking about the future and selling off. ItB次元官网网址檚 not a fun feeling for anybody in here,B次元官网网址� he said.
The deal marks the end of NecasB次元官网网址� tenure with the team that drafted him in the first round in 2017. The 26-year-old, a skilled offensive player with 16 goals and 39 assists for a team-best 55 points this year, to avoid an arbitration hearing.
The 24-year-old Drury, a former second-round draft pick, had 15 goals in 153 regular-season games with Carolina. They join an Avalanche team battling for position in the wild-card race of the Western Conference, while the Blackhawks B次元官网网址� sitting next to last in the league with 35 points B次元官网网址� now have nine selections in this yearB次元官网网址檚 draft.
Carolina also acquired the rights to forward propsect Nils Juntorp in the deal, which comes as the NHL approaches its 4 Nations tournament break. ThereB次元官网网址檚 also just more than a month before the leagueB次元官网网址檚 trade deadline on March 7.
Teams are attempting to get a jump on the trade market with tightly contested races in both conferences. Trade talk had heightened, too, with speculation surrounding Vancouver shopping forward J.T. Miller.
