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The Carolina Hurricanes executed a bombshell three-team trade on Friday evening, adding Colorado Avalanche right wing Mikko Rantanen and Chicago Blackhawks left wing Taylor Hall.
Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli broke the news.
Frank Seravalli @frank_seravalli
Trade call underway now. Full deal:<br><br>To <a href=” Mikko Rantanen, Taylor Hall<br><br>To <a href=” Martin Necas, Jack Drury, 2025 2nd Round Pick, 2026 4th Round Pick (all from Carolina)<br><br>To <a href=” 2025 3rd Round Pick (their own returned from Carolina), 50% of Rantanen’s salary
Here’s how all three teams’ lines could look following the move, using Daily Faceoff’s pre-trade line combinations as a guide.
First Line: LW Andrei Svechnikov, C Sebastian Aho, RW Mikko Rantanen
Second Line: LW Taylor Hall, C Jesperi Kotkaniemi, RW Jackson Blake
Third Line: LW Jordan Martinook, C Jordan Staal, RW Seth Jarvis
Fourth Line: LW Eric Robinson, C Tyson Jost, RW Jack Roslovic
First Defensive Pairing: Jaccob Slavin, Brent Burns
Second Defensive Pairing: Dmitry Orlov, Jalen Chatfield
Third Defensive Pairing: Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Walker
Goalies: Pyotr Kochetkov, Frederik Andersen
Carolina had no cap space prior to the deal, per Spotrac. Necas had a $6.5 million cap hit and Drury had a $1.7 million cap hit.
First Line: LW Jonathan Drouin, C Nathan MacKinnon, RW Martin Necas
Second Line: LW Ross Kolton, C Casey Mittlestadt, RW Artturi Lehkonen
Third Line: LW Joel Kiviranta, C Parker Kelly, RW Logan O’Connor
Fourth Line: LW Jere Innala, C Juuso Parssinen or C Jack Drury, RW Ivan Ivan
First Defensive Pairing: Devon Toews, Cale Makar
Second Defensive Pairing: Samuel Girard, Josh Manson
Third Defensive Pairing: Keaton Middleton, Sam Malinski
Goalies: Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood
Colorado had no cap space prior to the move, per Spotrac. Rantanen had a $9.25 million cap hit.
First Line: LW Frank Nazar, C Connor Bedard, RW Tyler Bertuzzi
Second Line: LW Teuvo Teravainen, C Jason Dickinson, RW Ilya Mikheyev
Third Line: LW Colton Dach, C Lukas Reichel, RW Nick Foligno
Fourth Line: LW Pat Maroon, C Ryan Donato, RW Philipp Kurashev
First Defensive Pairing: Nolan Allen, Alec Martinez
Second Defensive Pairing: Alex Vlasic, Louis Crevier
Third Defensive Pairing: Ethan Del Mastro, T.J. Brodie
Goalies: Arvid Soderblom, Petr Mrazek
Chicago had just $622,882 in cap space prior to the move, per Spotrac. Hall had a $6 million cap hit.
The Hurricanes enter Friday with the second-most points in the Eastern Conference (63). They’ve made the playoffs each of the last six years and gotten to the Eastern Conference Finals twice but haven’t broken through to the Stanley Cup. It’s clear Carolina is serious about finally breaking that trend by adding Rantanen and Hall.
The 28-year-old Rantanen has been stellar this season with 25 goals and 39 assists in 49 games. He’s sixth in the league in points and well on his way to a third straight 100-point season. Rantanen should slot in on the top line with left wing Andrei Svechnikov and center Sebastian Aho, forming a phenomenal trio in the process.
The 33-year-old Hall has nine goals and 15 assists in 46 games. He missed nearly all of last season with a torn ACL but recovered in time for this season and thankfully hasn’t suffered any setbacks. Hall looks like an option as the second line’s left wing alongside center Jesperi Kotkaniemi and right wing Jackson Blake.
It’s impossible to replace Rantanen’s production, but the bottom line is he’s an impending free agent that could have very well left this offseason for nothing. Colorado gets a great talent in Necas, who is enjoying a career-best season with 16 goals and 39 assists in 49 games. Seven of those goals have occurred on the power play. He’ll fit right into the top line alongside left wing Jonathan Drouin and center Nathan MacKinnon.
Overall, this was a stunning and potentially Cup-defining trade. The Hurricanes (and the rest of the East) are chasing the Washington Capitals right now, but Carolina looks like it could close that gap before the regular season and finally make a playoff push that gets the team to the Stanley Cup Finals.