In a blockbuster NHL trade, the Colorado Avalanche have sent Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Martin Necas. Taylor Hall will also be going from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Hurricanes as part of the three-way deal.
Rantanen and Hall will be heading to Carolina while Necas, forward Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick and 2026 fourth-round pick are all going back to Colorado. The Blackhawks will retain 50% of Rantanen’s salary, and they receive a 2025 third-round pick from the Hurricanes for Hall and the salary retention.
Rantanen, currently making $9.25 million, is in the final season of his current contract and will be due for a big raise this offseason. Over the last three seasons, only five players have tallied more than Rantanen’s 273 points, so he’ll command well over $10 million per season on his next contract.
With Rantanen due for a major pay bump, the Avalanche sent him to Carolina in exchange for the more cost-controlled Necas. This past summer, trade rumors swirled around Necas, but he wound up signing a two-year, $13 million contract to remain with the Hurricanes, at least for the time being.
With a new contract in his hand, the 26-year-old Necas is currently on pace for a career year with 16 goals and 39 assists in 49 games. Playing alongside the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar should help him boost those numbers further.
Rantanen, 28, gives the Hurricanes something they’ve lacked in recent years, elite finishing talent. He’s a career 16.3% shooter, and he scored 55 goals in the 2022-23 season. Rantanen has eclipsed the 30-goal mark five times and looks like a lock to make it six with 25 tallies already this season.
Another thing Rantanen brings to the Canes is an impressive playoff pedigree. He has 101 points in 81 career postseason games, and he notched 25 points in 20 games when the Avs hoisted the Cup in 2022. That will be useful for a Carolina team still trying to get over the playoff hump.
The 33-year-old Hall is back after tearing his ACL in 2023-24, and he’s struggled to get his footing on a bad Blackhawks team. Hall has nine goals and 15 assists, but he won’t be asked to shoulder too much of the burden in Raleigh, playing the role of a bottom-six scorer.
Drury, while 12 years younger than Hall, will do something similar for the Avalanche. He won’t be asked to do too much except play a solid two-way game at the bottom of the lineup.
With this trade, the Avalanche have created just over $1 million in salary cap space, so we’ll see whether general manager Joe Sakic has anything else up his sleeve as his team marches toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In a shocking blockbuster trade, the Colorado Avalanche have traded star forward Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for young center Martin Necas. This trade has sent shockwaves through the hockey world, as Rantanen has been a key player for the Avalanche for the past several seasons.
Rantanen, a 24-year-old Finnish winger, has been a consistent offensive threat for the Avalanche since being drafted 10th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He has tallied over 80 points in each of the past three seasons and was a key contributor to the team’s deep playoff runs in recent years. His combination of size, skill, and scoring ability made him a fan favorite in Colorado and a player that opposing teams feared.
On the other side of the trade, the Hurricanes are acquiring a proven top-line forward in Rantanen who will add even more firepower to their already potent offense. Pairing Rantanen with Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov could create one of the most dynamic lines in the NHL and make the Hurricanes a serious Stanley Cup contender.
In return, the Avalanche are getting a promising young player in Necas, who was selected 12th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. The 22-year-old Czech center has shown flashes of brilliance in his young career and has the potential to develop into a top-line player for Colorado. His speed, playmaking ability, and hockey IQ make him an exciting addition to the Avalanche roster.
While it’s always difficult to part ways with a player of Rantanen’s caliber, this trade could benefit both teams in the long run. The Hurricanes add a proven scorer to their lineup, while the Avalanche acquire a young player with high upside who could be a key part of their future success.
Only time will tell how this blockbuster trade will ultimately play out for both teams, but one thing is for certain: it has certainly shaken up the NHL landscape and will be a trade that fans will be talking about for years to come.
