3 Hurricanes who won’t be back if Carolina extends Mikko Rantanen

Last season, the Carolina Hurricanes made a blockbuster trade acquiring Jake Guentzel in a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sure, Guentzel was a rental, but he was going to give them a better shot of winning the Stanley Cup, and he was a player they'd strongly pursue inking on a long-term deal. Well, the Hurricanes lost in the second round of the NHL playoffs, and then, watched Guentzel walk as a free agent.

Rather than shy away from making major risks after the Guentzel risk, Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky made an even bigger splash on Friday, landing Mikko Rantanen in a stunning trade with the Colorado Avalanche. The Hurricanes sent Martin Necas and Jack Drury, two key pieces on their team, along with two draft picks to land Rantanen and Taylor Hall in what turned out to be a three-team deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.

There's no disputing that this greatly improves Carolina's odds of winning it all this season. Necas is a star, and Drury is a solid two-way forward, but Rantanen is one of the best 10 or 15 players in the sport, and Hall should see his production improve with more talent around him.

The only concern with this trade is, of course, the fact that Rantanen is in the exact same position Guentzel was in last season. He's on an expiring contract, and as of now, no extension agreement has been reached. Given how the Guentzel situation unfolded, the Hurricanes would presumably love to get Rantanen locked in long-term as soon as possible. If their attempt to extend the 28-year-old is successful, that will likely lead to the departures of at least these three players.

3) Mikko Rantanen's extension could force the Hurricanes to let Dmitry Orlov walk

Despite losing both Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei in free agency, Carolina's defense has not missed a beat this season. The Hurricanes rank seventh in the NHL, allowing just 2.76 goals per game, and have allowed the second-fewest shots on goal (1,227) in the league. A big reason for that has to do with Carolina's second defensive pairing featuring Dmitry Orlov and Jalen Chatfield. That pairing has been one of the best in the league when it comes to expected goals according to Moneypuck.

Chatfield is locked in, but Orlov is set to hit free agency after the year. Given how well he has played on the defensive side of the ice and the fact that he's been Carolina's second-best offensive defenseman (22 points in 49 games), he might be too expensive to retain if Carolina is able to extend Rantanen.

Orlov might be open to taking a bit of a pay cut to stay in Carolina with him being in his mid-30s, but there's no way of knowing that right now. He has earned more than what Carolina probably will be able to pay him, and given Carolina's ability to defend well seemingly regardless of who is on the ice, he isn't the most irreplaceable player in the world.

2) Jack Roslovic is pricing himself out of Carolina

Jack Roslovic signed a one-year, $2.8 million deal with Carolina, coming off an incredibly disappointing season split between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers. It's safe to say that the contract has already paid off for Carolina.

Roslovic has 17 goals and 25 points through 49 games. His career-high in goals in 22, and that was set three seasons ago. He's on pace to shatter that this season despite averaging just a shade over 14 minutes of ice time.

Chances are, Roslovic won't shoot 18.3 percent all season, but his scoring touch has provided this team a major lift. With the 27-year-old playing as well as he ever has, this coming offseason will be his chance to cash in. Carolina might be able to keep him around if Rantanen doesn't extend, but if Rantanen does sign an extension, they'll likely be priced out.

1) Taylor Hall feels like a rental whether Rantanen signs an extension or not

Rantanen is the big name in this deal, obviously, but don't overlook the Taylor Hall addition. Hall might not be the Hart Trophy-caliber player he once was, but he can add some more offensive firepower to Carolina's middle-six.

Hall had nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 46 games played with the Chicago Blackhawks. Chances are, surrounded by more talent, he'll see that production perk up ever so slightly, and provide Carolina some solid value down the stretch and in the playoffs.

If Hall does see his production perk up, the Hurricanes might be more eager to keep him around past this season. If he plays better, though, his asking price will increase, making it less likely Carolina will keep him around. If Hall struggles, then the Hurricanes will have even less of a reason to pay him as a free agent.

This is a golden opportunity for Hall to win his first Stanley Cup. He better make the most of it, as this feels like his only shot to achieve that goal in Carolina.