For the second consecutive year, the Hurricanes de la Caroline are making a significant swing to strengthen a team of perennial playoffs.
The Hurricanes acquired the attackers Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks Taylor Hall in a three -team business on Friday evening. In the agreement, they sent the transactions Martin Necas and Jack Drury, as well as a second round choice in the draft this year and a fourth round in 2026, to the avalanche.
The Blackhawks recovered a third round choice for this year’s draft and took half the salary of Rantanen.
Rantanen, 28, a double scorer of 100 points who had recorded 55 AVS goals in 2022-2023, is the headliner of the profession. He had spent his entire NHL career with Colorado after being drafted 10th in the general classification in 2015, but he was online to become a free agent without restriction after him and the organization could not get along On a new agreement between this year.
“Mikko is one of the first energy attackers in our sport,” said the first -year director of Caroline, Eric Tlsky, in a statement. “It is not a secret for anyone that we wanted to add elite skills to our range, and he is a player who should adapt well to our system and our changing rooms. And Taylor gives us another option to reinforce our attack. »»
The Hurricanes have made the playoffs for six consecutive years, two of these thrusts reaching the final of the Eastern Conference. But they are still looking for a breakthrough in the Stanley Cup final in this current race under coach Rod Brind’amour, the captain of the Caroline Cup winner in 2006.
They had tried to fight against a multi -year weakness with regard to high -end finishers last year by acquiring the striker to mark Jake Guentzel before the deadline for trade. But after an release in the playoffs in the second round, Carolina ended up treating her rights to Tampa Bay shortly before the planned departure of Gutentzel in the free agency.
Now they add Rantanen, who has a ceiling of $ 9.25 million for this year, to a second place in the conference with 63 points behind the leader of the Washington League (71).
Carolina also adds a former winner of the Hart trophy as the NHL MVP in the 33 -year -old room, who missed most of last season due to a right knee operation. Hall was the overall choice n ° 1 of the 2010 draft which collected 39 goals and 54 assists for New Jersey on the way to win the Hart for the 2017-18 season.
Hall, which wins $ 6 million this year with an imminent free agency, has nine goals and 15 assists in 46 games.
Blackhawks coach Anders Sorensen looked at the positive side of the move for Hall.
“For him, he has an opportunity elsewhere,” said Sorensen. “It’s part of the business, right?” He must therefore face it. It’s a good pro. I have been in the league for a long time. Has a good idea in terms of ideas, especially offensively. »»
Hall’s teammate and Chicago captain Nick Foligno said the team had a certain responsibility for the Blackhawks moving the Hart winner.
“We have no one else to blame than ourselves by putting ourselves in the situation where they must start thinking about the future and selling. It is not a fun feeling for anyone here, “he said.
The agreement marks the end of the Necas mandate with the team that drafted him in the first round in 2017. The 26 -year -old, an attacking player qualified with 16 goals and 39 assists for 55 team points this year , signed a $ 13 million contract over two years in July to avoid an arbitration hearing.
Drury, 24, a former draft choice in the second round, scored 15 goals in 153 regular season games with Carolina. They join an avalanche team that fights to position themselves in the western conference joker race, while the Blackhawks – sitting next to the league with 35 points – now have nine selections in this year’s draft.
Carolina has also acquired the rights to transmit Nils Juntorp to advance nils in the agreement, which intervenes while the NHL discusses its break from the 4 nations tournament. There is also a little more than a month before the League commercial deadline on March 7.
The teams are trying to jump to the commercial market with closely disputed races in the two conferences. Commercial conferences had also reinforced with speculation surrounding the Vancouver striker, JT Miller.