Trade Grades: Hurricanes Acquire Mikko Rantanen

Trade Grades: Hurricanes Acquire Mikko Rantanen

I didn’t have this on my bingo card tonight. We’re six weeks away from the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline and the Avalanche gave up trying to extend Mikko Rantanen far sooner than they theoretically could have. Obviously, fearful of losing Rantanen for nothing and unwilling to cave on his contract demands… the Avs dealt the Finnish winger to Carolina.

We have lots to talk about so I’m just going to get to the trade grades. A fantasy hockey recap on the trade will follow this post so stay tuned into the website for that.

To Hurricanes: Mikko Rantanen, Taylor Hall

Grade: A-

I would have given this an A+ but I didn’t only because I saw rumors that it was Jesperi Kotkaniemi who was going to be sent instead of Jack Drury in this trade. Then I remembered that Kotkaniemi is Finnish and they probably kept him for that reason.

I think it all starts there for Carolina. Yes, they need to get Rantanen extended but context clues would indicate that he likely has a lot of respect for fellow countryman, Sebastian Aho. Rantanen has higher point totals than Aho so Aho probably doesn’t care if he cashes in on a higher extension.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that this is a total game changer for Carolina. The numbers speak for themselves here.

Rantanen, 28, notched 104 points last season and 105 points the season prior. The dude just scores goals and is about as elite as it gets while being a pain in the ass to play against with a huge body that can control the interior of the ice.

I’m a big fan of Martin Necas but if you have a chance to land Rantanen by giving him up… you do it. The Canes have been trying to find a trade for Necas for a while. I’d say landing Rantanen is about the best case scenario for just that.

What did they really give up beyond Necas? Jack Drury is a fourth liner who can defend. They give up a second, third, and fourth round pick on a team that already has plenty of picks and prospects.

The Canes actually feel like a genuine cup contender. They have with Rantanen what they have been missing during previous playoff runs… a real superstar.

Job well done here, Carolina, and they get it done without giving up a single first round pick. It has to be an A here.

Oh, and they got Taylor Hall too somehow without giving up anything other than returning Chicago’s third round pick back to them while the Blackhawks also retain 50% on Rantanen. Just an incredible deal for the Canes all the way around. New GM Eric Tulsky was cooking!

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

Grade: C-

If you want to say getting Necas is better than losing Rantanen for nothing, I’m not going to argue with you. I’m a fan of Necas. He’s super fast and super skilled. Plus, still young enough to continue to improve. With MacKinnon, there’s a chance he becomes a superstar. He’s just not one right now and in the short term, there is no question this team got way worse. You can’t argue that part of this.

Necas, 26, has 55 points in 49 games. His prior career high is 71 two years ago. Maybe he can become a 100 point guy in Colorado but it’s far from a guarantee. Plus, the Avs once again fail to address their center problem. Drury is a fine 4th liner but that’s about it. To not cash in on a single first round pick for Rantanen feels criminal.

Not to mention the fact that Chicago retained on Rantanen. Carolina gets Rantanen at a discount and Colorado doesn’t even benefit from it.

To me, the ideology here is just so wrong. They won’t extend Rantanen because they won’t give him MacKinnon. Which, is a fair thought minus the fact that the cap is exploding. When the cap is over $100 million, are you going to argue that Cale Makar can’t get more than MacKinnon cause if that’s the case, Makar is gone too. Feels like a dangerous game to play and the worst part is the Avs still had six weeks to get this done.

Trading Rantanen is one thing. Doing it for this price is another. I hate it and I totally understand if Avs fans are heartbroken.

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

Blackhawks: Grade F

WTF are they doing? Does anybody think this Kyle Davidson is doing a good job? If you start Googling some of Davidson’s transaction history, you understand more and more how he started out as a low-level intern and conned his way to the top. This dude is legitimately slow.

Getting a third round pick for Taylor Hall is acceptable (even if it’s getting your own pick back in return). Eating $4.5 million of Rantanen out of the goodness of your heart and getting zero in return… pretty much sums up how stupid this guy is.

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