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In January, the NHL is usually in a state of balance. The season is in full swing, and no one is even thinking about (or trying not to think about) potential trades until the spring trade deadline in March. However, surprises happen and a team may take a swing at the precarious balance, which is exactly what the Carolina Hurricanes did. Determined to achieve ultimate glory in the chase for the Stanley Cup, the Hurricanes initiated a blockbuster trade Jan. 25 with the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks.
In the deal, the Hurricanes acquired former Stanley Cup champion Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche and former NHL MVP Taylor Hall from the Blackhawks. Then, the Avalanche acquired Martin Necas and Jack Drury from the Hurricanes, along with a second-round pick in next year’s NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from Carolina. Lastly, the Blackhawks received a third-round pick in this year’s NHL draft, from Carolina as well, and retained half of Rantenen’s $9.25 million salary.
So, the question everyone is asking is what is behind this trade and who comes out on top?
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Starting with the Hurricanes, coming off last summer, they wanted a fresh slate. Their elimination from the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past year marked the fourth consecutive year they had cruised past the first round, only to have their momentum halted in the second or third round. Obviously, the front office didn’t think the coaching staff was a problem, as the Hurricanes quickly signed head coach Rod Brind’Amour to a multi-year contract back in 2018.
However, it has been evident that the Hurricanes have wanted to get rid of Necas for a while. During last season and into the postseason, Necas had been making a lot of noise. When he was drafted in 2017, Necas was originally a center, the position that he felt like he excelled at and had the most potential. However, for the past five seasons, Brind’Amour had Necas play left wing. As Necas approached free agency this past summer, he was very vocal in his disapproval of his position with the Hurricanes. But, he remained with the team, signing a two-year contract to avoid a salary arbitration hearing.
By kicking off this blockbuster trade, the Hurricanes have finally got their chance to trade Necas somewhere else and reap the benefits. By acquiring Rantanen, the Hurricanes are getting one of the top wingers in the league. So far this season, he has 66 points in 53 games. Additionally, he has an impressive Stanley Cup Playoff record of 101 points, including 34 goals and 67 assists during 81 Playoff games, as well as five goals and 25 points during the finals.
Even though it's uncertain how long Rantanen will be with the Hurricanes, he could be exactly what they need to make a breakthrough.
“He's a fantastic fit for the way we play," Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said. "We play a system that has us battling for pucks along the walls and trying to make plays at the net front and he's just one of the best in the League at some of those things. A lot of the identity of our team right now comes from the way Jordan [Staal] plays and sort of carries plays with his heaviness and his strength, and Mikko can do all of that, but with really high-level skill to go with it. So, I don't think there's any question that he's going to be a tremendous fit on the ice and I've heard nothing but good things about him off the ice.”
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Having Hall’s veteran status on the team will also add much depth to the Hurricane’s roster. Having been on teams all around the league, Hall is no stranger to the playoffs or what it is like to be the best. He has a playoff record of 29 points, including 14 goals and 15 assists in 39 games. Additionally, in 2018, he won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL MVP.
Though Hall is an older player, he will likely be instrumental in adding points in necessary areas.
“Taylor's a huge piece too and, ultimately, one of the things that we felt our team could stand to have was a little bit of an upgrade on sort of skill and offensive punch,” Tulsky said. “Taylor brings a lot of skill and some size and some speed and we think he's going to fit and help upgrade our scoring punch also.”
Though Necas caused a stir at the end of last season, he is definitely a skilled player who has demonstrated he can play both center and wing. So far this season, he has 60 points, including 17 goals and 43 assists, in 53 games. Additionally, he has a playoff record of 30 points, including 11 goals and 19 assists in 59 games. Though losing a hometown player like Rantanen hurts, it’s pretty sweet to get another team’s leading scorer in return.
“Marty Necas, he’s been around the top 10 in scoring this year, but I think it’s his age is a big part of that, he fits in with his speed,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said. “He’s certainly a top-six talent. Whether he has another bump in his game with the way we play, we’ll see.”
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Drury is a young player who is still trying to find his footing in the league. So far this season, he has 11 points, including five goals and six assists, in 43 games. Though he has only been in the NHL since the 2021-22 season, he has seen some Stanley Cup Playoff action, with a record of eight points, including one goal and seven assists, in 24 games.
“I think Jack is hopefully that [third-line center] that we’ve been kind of [looking] for. It’s no secret that this will improve our depth,” MacFarland added. “Jack’s a gritty, competitive guy that I think our coaches will use on the penalty kill. We think there’s another bump in his game offensively as well. And it’s no secret that we’ve not been the best face-off team the last number of years and I think that’s an area where he’ll help us for sure. So, just looking for him to be a gritty, competitive guy and play a two-way game.”
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As for the Blackhawks, it has been known that they have been in the process of a rebuild for years. Since their long-time captain and NHL great Jonathan Toews left the NHL, franchise player Patrick Kane was traded and they picked Connor Bedard as the first-overall draft pick in 2023, it has been evident that the philosophy of the Blackhawks has been “out with the old, and in with the new.” Though they didn’t receive any current NHL players in the deal, they received draft picks for this year’s draft to add depth to their prospect list, and they get to retain around $4 million of Rantanen’s salary while he is with the Hurricanes. That’s quite a bit of money the Blackhawks can keep to go towards forming their dream team.
Though this blockbuster three-way just happened, it's safe to say all teams got what they wanted out of it. It will be interesting to see how the repercussions of this trade impact the NHL in the future.
Edited by Jenna Mandarano
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