The news of the complicated trade broke shortly after 8:00 when daily faceoff Frank Seravalli announced that Rantanen is heading to the Eastern Conference and to the Carolina Hurricanes.
This is a significant change in the balance of power in the metro division as the New York Rangers now will face one of the best players in the NHL.
Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall are heading to the @Canesin exchange for Martin Necas and more!
There have been rumors circulating around the Avalanche that the team has been trying to sign Rantanen for the past several months, but it appeared that there was a stalemate and that the player felt that he was worth more money than what the team was willing to pay.
Many felt that a deal would be inevitable if a contract extension was not signed but it was reported that no contract was offered during this trade, and he will be entering the Hurricanes as a rental.
With the addition of Taylor Hall and the rights to 6th rounder Nils Juntrop, The Hurricanes have augmented their team significantly well costing them Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 2th pick and a 2026 fourth round pick.
There seems to be an appetite in the NHL this year that major trades will be occuring all over the league as many feel that the salary cap will begin to skyrocket and potentially be over $100 million in two years.
There are several elite talented unrestricted free agents on the market and many teams are tied to the cap ceiling while some are underperforming it's likely teams like the Rangers, Maple Leafs, Panthers and the Hurricanes to name a few will be
very busy.
It only takes one trade to shake up the entire NHL and this trade last evening certainly qualifies as the Western Conference gets a little weaker and the Eastern Conference now gets a little stronger with Rantanen playing the Rangers far more often.
Time will tell on what will shake out next but many expect another major trade within the next few weeks or in the coming days.