Hurricanes Forced “Best and Final” Offers on 3 Stars Before Trade

According to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, the Carolina Hurricanes did some savvy homework in the days and hours leading up to a blockbuster trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks. Wyshynski reports that the Canes went to the teams they’d been having conversations with and forced them into last-minute, final offer decisions.

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Wyshynski tweeted, “Sounds very much like the @Canes went to the Canucks and Avalanche in the last week or so, asked for “best and final” on [Mikko] Rantanen, [Elias] Pettersson and [J.T.] Miller and then made their call yesterday.”

He also noted that Hurricane’s GM, Eric Tulsky, had been working on conceptual versions of this trade with Colorado for some time. Tulsky had been constructing a possible Mikko Rantanen trade since last summer and exchanged serious offers with Colorado over the past “six to eight weeks.” He pushed heavily over the last two weeks, and the potential pivot toward Miller or Pettersson might have been what got this deal to the finish line.

Was Rantanen Given a Heads Up About the Hurricanes?

Interestingly, despite all of the conversations between the Hurricanes and Avalanche, it’s being reported that Rantanen was caught off guard by the trade. It seems odd to think the Avs wouldn’t have come to Rantanen about their talks, giving him one final chance to sign an extension. However, there have been reports that Colorado was aware the number for Rantanen on a new deal was $14 million and they weren’t going there. Perhaps they felt there was no need to keep negotiating.

As for Carolina’s interest in Miller or Pettersson, it’s believed that the interest was genuine. However, their top priority was Rantanen and when that deal became likely, the Hurricanes focused solely on getting it done. Miller and Pettersson might have been backup plans, or leverage points the Canes could use to put this trade in the bag.

Next: Oilers’ Star Big Reason Rantanen Traded by Avalanche