Mikko Rantanen ‘dazzled’ with the Hurricane trade

The hockey world is still processing blockbuster Mikko Rantanen trade on Friday night. The Carolina Hurricanes traded for Rantanen and Taylor Hall in a three-team trade with the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks. This is one of the biggest mid-season trades in recent NHL history, and the biggest trade since the Florida Panthers acquired Matthew Tkachuk in 2022

This will be one of the more talked about deals for years to come. And we’re still learning the details as the dust settles in the night. According to Chris Johnston of the Athletics, Rantanen has not had advanced talks on a contract extension. He he didn’t expect either which will be shipped from Colorado at this time.

“There were no advanced discussions with Rantanen’s camp about the parameters of a potential extension before the trade was completed, according to league sources. “The 28-year-old winger was said to be completely blindsided by moving away from the only NHL team he’s ever played for,” Johnston wrote to The Athletic on Friday.

The Hurricanes-Avalanche have been discussing a Mikk Rantanen trade for some time

Some reports indicated this trade for a long time. At the very least, it’s something the Avalanche have been thinking about for about a year. In fact, Colorado and Carolina discussed trading Mikko Rantanen around the NHL draft back in June, according to Johnston.

At the time, it was the Avalanche that raised the possibility of a trade for Rantanen. However, nothing came close. The Hurricanes signed Martin Nekas — who was traded to Colorado on Friday in this deal — to resolve their contract conflict before the 2024-25 campaign.

Johnston notes that the two teams returned to the negotiating table two months ago. From there, the talks became more serious. At one point, Carolina had to choose between a deal for Rantanen or a deal for one of JT Miller or Elias Pettersson. This is consistent with earlier reports that The Hurricanes and Canucks almost had a trade in place on Friday night.

The Hurricanes are getting elite talent in this trade. Rantanen is one of the best goalscorers in the game. In fact, only four players have scored more goals than Carolina’s new wing since 2020, according to Evolving Hockey.

The Avalanche, meanwhile, are in an interesting position. Colorado is in the playoffs by itself. They hold a five-point lead over the Calgary Flames for the first Wild Card spot in the West. Trading Rantanen opened up some cap space, which could lead to another significant move.

It’s hard to understate how big the Rantanen trade is. How this affects the progression of hurricanes and avalanches will be fascinating to watch. Fans should pay close attention to see what else comes of this situation as the dust continues to settle.