On Friday night, the Avalanche and Hurricanes made a blockbuster trade involving Mikko Rantanen and Martin Necas as the main players getting moved. In a stunning trade that first was broken by Frank Seravalli, the Hurricanes and Avalanche made a three-team deal that also involved the Blackhawks.

Elliotte Friedman had the full details on the trade that made Rantanen a Hurricane for at least the rest of the season and saw Necas wind up in Colorado. The Hurricanes also were able to acquire Taylor Hall from the Blackhawks.

Somehow, the Hurricanes got the Blackhawks to pick up half of Rantanen’s salary. Instead of having to pick up the full tab of the $9.25 million, the cap hit is $4.625 million. Considering the high caliber player they received in the multi-talented Rantanen, they made out like bandits.

On an expiring contract that made him too rich for the Avalanche to keep, Rantanen can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer. For a decade, he formed a potent dynamic duo with Nathan MacKinnon. Even without injured captain Gabriel Landeskog, they became the deadliest scoring combination in the league. While MacKinnon leads the league in scoring with 75 points, Rantanen is sixth with 64 points, which would pace 29 other teams including his new one in Carolina.

A versatile player, who can shift to center and take faceoffs, the 28-year-old Rantanen is looking to cash in when he hit the open market. Rumored to command a salary that could reach as much as $14 million, it was too much for the Avalanche, who already pay MacKinnon $12.6 million. The rating Hart winner is worth his salary that keeps him in the Rocky Mountains through 2031.

Whether or not Rantanen will be worth his next contract remains to be seen. The question is whether or not he can duplicate the success he’s had without MacKinnon, who’s considered by many to be neck and neck with Connor McDavid as the game’s best player. Rantanen joins a strong nucleus in Carolina that includes Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, Jordan Staal, Jaccob Slavin, and goalie tandem Pyotr Kochetkov and Freddie Andersen. Coached by Rod Brind’Amour, it doesn’t seem to matter who they lose. They’ve successfully plugged Jack Roslovic and Eric Robinson into their disciplined forechecking system.

Rantanen should help give the Canes a jolt on the power play, where they rank 17th in the league at 21.2 percent. Of his 64 points, he has 19 power-play points and 45 even strength points. Compared to Necas, who’s in the first year of a multi-year contract with a $6.5 million cap hit, he’s a more explosive and proven commodity. At the time of the deal, Necas was leading the Canes in scoring with 55 points. He was on pace to set new career bests in goals, assists, and points. His previous career highs came in 2022-23 when he had 28 goals, 43 assists, and 71 points.

The Canes also added Hall in the trade. While the former MVP isn’t what he once was, Hall is still a good top nine forward who can chip in offensively. Playing in Chicago didn’t do much for him. In 46 games this season, he has nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points. Back on a playoff contender, he should be extra motivated. Hall doesn’t boast a lot of postseason experience but he’s put up 29 point in 39 career games. Eight came in a Bruins’ first round defeat to the Panthers in 2023. With his contract set to expire, Hall should have plenty of reasons to do well.

After a hot start to the season, when Necas totaled a dozen goals and 25 helpers for 37 points over the first two months, he’s cooled considerably. After only tallying eight points in December, he’s bounced back with 12 in January. However, Necas only has two goals over his last 23 games. He joined the Avalanche for their 3-1 loss to the Bruins this afternoon. He finished a minus-three in his Avalanche debut. Necas’ new team will be back in action tomorrow afternoon when they visit the Rangers.

While Necas is the focal point for Colorado, they also got Jack Drury as well. A fourth line center who’s good on faceoffs with a 58.8 success rate this season, he should fit in nicely there. They can use another checking forward who’s reliable defensively.

In addition, the Avalanche received a 2025 second round pick and a 2026 fourth round pick. Considering that they weren’t going to be able to re-sign Rantanen, they got a nice haul. I’m curious to see what else they decide to do. If you believe NHL insider, they might not be done. I’m not buying the Crosby to Colorado talk. We’ll have to wait and see what else general manager Joe Sakic has up his sleeve.

What did the Blackhawks get out of the deal? A third round pick. They did the Canes a favor with Rantanen’s contract. Hopefully, that’s remembered in the future. What must Connor Bedard be thinking? The Blackhawks remain one of the league’s worst teams. Bedard’s picked it up lately but he needs help.

So, who won the trade? On paper, it’s the Hurricanes. They got the best player. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll work out. Remember Jake Guentzel last year. Obviously, Rantanen’s a better player. The Canes are chasing the Stanley Cup. Now, they’re going all in again. Is a roster that includes a spotty goalie tandem and questionable defense good enough to come out of the East? I’m not even sure it makes them the best team in the Metropolitan Division. They improved but would you trust Andersen or Kochetkov in a big spot? They lost Brett Pesce to the Devils, who he’s certainly helped. I’m not sold on the Canes.

The Metro got a lot more interesting. With the Rangers starting to heat up, it’s going to be fun to watch.