Hurricanes Could Flip Rantanen: Cap and Fit Works for Oilers

Mikko Rantanen will be an interesting player to watch as the 4 Nations Tournament unfolds. He was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and has struggled since his arrival. Still considered a dynamic star in the league, Elliotte Friedman believes the Hurricanes will make a big offer, but if he isn’t close to signing, the NHL insider also thinks Rantanen could be flipped in a deadline trade. Would the Oilers be an option?

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Given what it would take to acquire Rantanen and what the Hurricanes gave up to get him in the first place, the trade return would be big. Losing a deal might be a given, and Carolina could live with that, knowing that they can’t have another Jake Guentzel situation on their hands. That said, the idea would be to minimize the losses. Carolina might be willing to retain salary in the trade, but any team acquiring him will have to give to get.

One of the problems is that Ranatanen needs to start scoring. The 4 Nations will be a good place to do that, and if he returns to Carolina and finds his regular rate of production, teams will make solid offers. Are the Oilers a team that might consider it?

Rantanen Already Loosely Linked to Oilers

At the end of January, Andy Strickland of the Cam & Strick Podcast, mentioned the Oilers as a potential landing spot for Mikko Rantanen this summer. When the winger hits free agency (if he hits free agency), he will likely put himself out there to attract the best combination of salary and a chance to win. If he struggles in Carolina, chemistry might also top his priority list. That could make a team like Edmonton, and playing with Leon Draisaitl an attractive option.

The Oilers are looking for a winger to play with Draisaitl. That they haven’t been able to find a player who can stick on his line is baffling. It might be time they take a home run swing to find that partner.

Trading for Rantanen before trying to sign him offers one major advantage. The Oilers could sign him for eight years versus seven. That means spreading out his cap hit over a longer period and lowering his AAV.

What Would the Oilers Have to Give Up?

If the Avalanche want a top player back in the deal, this might not be something the Oilers can do. It would mean trading someone like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, which doesn’t necessarily make sense from cap management perspective. So too, most of the key forwards on the roster have no-move clauses, giving them the leverage to stop a deal to Carolina if they so choose.

Would the Hurricanes accept a 2026 first-rounder, prospects, and depth roster players? It seems unlikely, especially when you consider that other teams would have better offers on the table.

As for the salary cap hit, it shouldn’t be an issue. Chicago is retaining half of Rantanen’s salary. He’s now a $4.625 million player. If the Hurricanes retain half, the Oilers could get him for the stretch run at a cost of just over $2.3 million. That’s a perfect fit.

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