The Hurricanes made massive deals. Friday night, Carolina traded for Colorado Avalanche superstar winger Mikko Rantanen in a three-way deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, that also saw them acquire Taylor Hall.
Colorado gets its hands on Martin Necas and Jack Drury, both centers, and Carolina's 2025 second-round and 2026 fourth-round picks. Chicago gets a third-round selection and will have 50% of Rantanen's $9.25M in cap hit.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Friday that no current extension for Rantanen is in place. Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos recently revealed Colorado extended an eight-year, $90M offer early in the season to re-sign Rantanen, but it wasn't an actual one.
In shock over Friday's trade, naturally, Rantanen, according to a report, was completely blindsided.
Colorado hadn't even bothered to go through the motions of actually offering him a contract in months, and many counted it a desperate ploy in trading him to Carolina, confused about a player who'd played for them singlehandedly for 10 years, winning a championship in 2022.
Selected 10th overall in 2015, having played 10 years with Colorado, one All-Star game, and 2022 Stanley Cup winner with Colorado, Rantanen has 25 goals, 39 assists, and 64 points in 49 games, and he has been rock-solid for Colorado, a pillar player.
The end of a glorious stint with Colorado, this Carolina trade instantly makes the Hurricanes a championship favorite.
POLL | ||
Did the Avalanche make a panic trade with Mikko Rantanen? | ||
Yes | 120 | 73.6 % |
No | 43 | 26.4 % |
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