Well, that was unexpected. The hockey world had a shockwave sent through it. The Colorsdl Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes pulled off a massive blockbuster trade. Going to the Avalanche are centers Martin Necas and Jack Drury. To the Hurricanes is star winger Mikko Rantanen. The Chicago Blackhawks are brokering the deal.

Trade call underway now. Full deal:

To #RaiseUp: Mikko Rantanen, Taylor Hall

To #GoAvsGo: Martin Necas, Jack Drury, 2025 2nd Round Pick, 2026 4th Round Pick (all from Carolina)

To #Blackhawks: 2025 3rd Round Pick (their own returned from Carolina), 50% of Rantanen’s salary

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) January 25, 2025

In addition to sending Taylor Hall to the Hurricanes, they are receiving a third round pick that was originally their own. Colorado is also receiving draft compensation. This is a massive trade and the first of what could be a busy trade deadline. Now that the pieces have fallen into place, let’s examine how this has benefited the Hurricanes and the Avalanche.

Breaking Down the Big Trade

What it Means for the Avalanche

To trade your superstar forward is not an easy decision to make. However, this has been an ongoing process. The contract talks between the Avalanche and Rantanen have not progressed.

The why:

Rantanen wanted $14M+

The Avs simply couldn’t do that. MacKinnon already makes $12.5M and Makar will be making north of that in the near future

They tried getting his number down and Rantanen wouldn’t budge.

Rather than one last run with him the Avs & GM MacFarland…

— Drew Livingstone (@ProducerDrew_) January 25, 2025

Pierre Lebrun has reported that Rantanen believes that he can receive $14 million per season on the open market. Aside from Mitch Marner, Rantanen would be the best available forward. The Avalanche made the tough decision to part ways instead of losing him for nothing. Instead, they got a hefty return.

Martin Necas is a special player and also versatile. He can play wing, but is primarily a center. Necas is a fast skater and has tremendous skill and offensive upside. As it stands, he has 56 points, which is already three more than he had all last season and in far less games played. He leads the Hurricanes in points (56), and assists (40). Necas immediately fills the second line center role, something they’ve lacked since Nazem Kadri departed. He’s shooting over 14% and scoring above his expected rate. The Avalanche also add Jack Drury, who has shown flashes of promise offensively, but is more known for his stellar defensive ability.

The Avalanche badly needed depth down the middle of the ice and they got it. Also, they got financial flexibility and have the ability to make another move or hoping captain Gabriel Landeskog makes his return to the ice.

What it Means for the Hurricanes

Got to tip your cap to the Hurricanes, who for the second year in a row have gone big game hunting. Last season, they made the big splash trade to acquire Jake Guentzel from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Guentzel was a huge addition, as he would give the club a scoring boost and developed good chemistry with Sebastian Aho. He left in free agency, so here we go again.

Mikko Rantanen, acquired by CAR, is a top line winger whose size, finishing touch, and passing ability make him one of the toughest players to defend in the league. Can score from anywhere, great net-front presence, elite puck protector. #LetsGoCanes pic.twitter.com/M8ZM9qaoEi

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) January 25, 2025

Rantanen is a massive addition for the Hurricanes. He’s a much bigger winger than what Guentzel is and can play their brand of hockey. Rantanen is second in points on the Avalanche (64), but leads the club in goals. He’s a premiere goal scorer in this lead and also a legitimate play maker. He will immediately come in and improve the power play and look to capture magic with Sebastian Aho. To land a player of his caliber is massive. But that’s not all.

They got a legit top line winger, now they also got a legit depth winger. Taylor Hall still has good hockey left in the tank. He was injured last season, and only has 24 points this season. However, Hall can still bury the puck into the net and that’s what the Hurricanes need him to do. The Hurricanes are the strongest team during five on five play. They generate the most expected goals (120.32), but have a -14.32 goals scored above expected.

Finishing ability has been a problem for the Hurricanes in recent memory. They are a well balanced and well structured team, but scoring at a high rate isn’t their strongest suite. Adding these two players helps ensure that improves.

Both players are free agents at the end of the season, so it’s Cup or Bust. The biggest question now is that is Mikko Rantanen Jake Guentzel 2.0? Time will tell, as an extension is not in place.

Both teams made out extremely well on this deal. What a great Friday Night for the hockey world.