Carolina Hurricanes
The Why: Hurricanes, Blackhawks, & Avalanche Make Big Trades
When looking at the blockbuster trade that included Mikko Rantanen, why did each team (Hurricanes, Blackhawks, Avalanche) make the deal?
The Colorado Avalanche were never going to pay Mikko Rantanen $14 million per season. They’ve set an internal cap at $12.5 million (Nathan MacKinnon‘s contract), and when Rantanen informed the Avs he wasn’t going to sign below that number, the writing was on the wall.
The Avalanche traded Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a three-way deal involving Taylor Hall, draft picks, and players. The trade was complex and loaded with details and multiple pieces, but it reflected how badly the Hurricanes wanted to acquire a game-breaker and difference-maker while proving the Avalanche were prepared to let one of the best playoff performers in a generation go.
Meanwhile, the Blackhawks were looking to do right by Taylor Hall and let him go for an underwhelming but not insignificant return.
The Avalanche Stuck To Their Guns
Avalanche fans are likely hurting Saturday morning. Martin Necas isn’t a bad player, but he’s not Rantanen. On the surface, it appears as though the Avs have thrown in the towel on the season. That’s probably not accurate.
The team wasn’t willing to give Rantanen what he wanted or disrupt the balance they felt they had with MacKinnon and company, but they’ll likely still add. Pierre LeBrun reported on Saturday morning:
“Rantanen was willing to continue negotiating throughout the season with Colorado. In fact, both sides had more contract talks this past week. Just couldn’t find enough common ground. The Avs, in the end, made the calculation they were never going to get there on a number…”
Who the Avalanche add now and what they do remains to be seen. The organization has six weeks to pull something out of its hat. It’s not going to be Sidney Crosby. Could it be J.T. Miller? Elias Pettersson? Brock Nelson?
The Hurricanes Get Their Superstar
Rantanen’s departure stems from contract demands exceeding what the Avalanche could accommodate and the Hurricanes will now have to take on the burden if they don’t want Rantanen to be a rental. In the meantime, they’ve got a motivated, dynamic superstar on their roster. They’ve wanted a player like this for some time and they finally have it.
The Hurricanes also added Hall, who is a former Hart Trophy winner. Carolina strengthens its offensive firepower ahead of the playoffs, potentially becoming the favorite in the Eastern Conference.
Trading Necas might not have been an easy decision, but the Hurricanes had talked about trading him before. They were clearly willing to give him up in the right package.
The Blackhawks Get Their Pick Back
The one team that insiders are questioning is the Chicago Blackhawks. They got a third-round pick in return, but they moved Hall and retained 50% of Rantanen’s salary in the deal. It feels like they could have gotten more.
Next: 3 Trade Deadline Candidates for the Detroit Red Wings this Season
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