The Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, and Chicago Blackhawks stunned the NHL on Friday night with a blockbuster three-team trade that featured right winger Mikko Rantanen as the centerpiece.
As part of the trade, Carolina acquired Rantanen from Colorado and left winger Taylor Hall from Chicago. In exchange for Rantanen, the Avalanche received forwards Jack Drury and Martin Necas, as well as two future draft picks — a second-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft and a fourth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft.
For their part, the Blackhawks received a third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from Carolina, which had previously belonged to them but was dealt in a separate trade.
To help facilitate the deal, Chicago also retained 50 percent of Rantanen’s $9.25 million salary cap hit.
The final wrinkle of the trade was Chicago sending the rights to forward Nils Juntorp to the Hurricanes.
“Mikko is one of the premier power forwards in our sport,” Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky said, via ESPN. “It’s no secret that we’ve wanted to add elite skill to our lineup, and this is a player who should fit our system and locker room well. And Taylor gives us another high-skill option to bolster our attack.”
Rantanen, who is sixth in the NHL in scoring, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the season and he’s seeking a deal the Avalanche weren’t willing to accommodate.
Following the trade, the Hurricanes became betting favorites to win the Eastern Conference.
