The Carolina Hurricanes made one of the biggest trades in recent memory, seemingly out of nowhere, acquiring Mikko Rantanen in a three-team deal. Carolina also wound up acquiring Taylor Hall while sending Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and draft pick compensation to the Colorado Avalanche.
The Hurricanes were taking a massive risk by making this deal, parting with two rock-solid and controllable forwards in exchange for Rantanen, a superstar who could depart after the year in free agency, but there was reason to believe they'd be Stanley Cup favorites after acquiring a talent like Rantanen. Most often, when you have a chance to acquire one of the 10 best players in the sport, you do it, even if that player is on an expiring contract.
Well, the Hurricanes have gone 5-6-1 since the deal, Rantanen has just six points in his 12 games in Carolina, and no extension has been reached. In fact, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Rantanen won't be ready to make a decision regarding an extension ahead of Friday's deadline. Rantanen's indecision could end up resulting in him being shipped out for a second time in just a couple of months.
Probably as expected, but league sources confirm that Carolina has received clarity from Mikko Rantanen's camp as far as not being ready to make a decision on the team's contract offer by Friday's trade deadline. Hence, Carolina talking to teams and seeing for real what the trade…
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 6, 2025
All of a sudden, the Hurricanes are in a brutal spot. Acquiring Rantanen might end up hurting their present and future.
Mikko Rantanen trade has a chance to backfire in major way for Hurricanes
The Hurricanes have a couple of options ahead of Friday's deadline - they can trade him, or keep him. Trading him makes some sense, as the Hurricanes would remove any possibility of them losing him for nothing in free agency, much like what happened with Jake Guentzel last offseason. While that sounds good, trading him almost certainly ensures that they won't get nearly as good of value back, impacting their chances of winning a Stanley Cup this season.
At 36-22-4, the Hurricanes have 76 points, good enough for second place in the Metropolitan Division. A team trading its most talented player amid what could be a Stanley Cup season would be a brutal blow.
Given that, keeping him could make the most sense, but there are a couple of problems with that strategy. First and foremost, the Hurricanes do risk Rantanen walking away in a matter of months, and him doing that without a Stanley Cup win would be a categorical disaster. Second, Rantanen has been far from a perfect fit in Carolina. Is he the kind of player they should even want to be giving high-end money to long-term given that fact?
What could end up steering Carolina in the direction of trading him is the fact that according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, Rantanen is open to signing an extension with "the right team." Well, if he's unwilling to extend in Carolina but would do so elsewhere, that makes it extremely unlikely that he's going to want to leave over the offseason. If the Hurricanes get that sense, they'll probably trade him.
Mikko Rantanen is open to signing an extension with “the right team” as part of a sign/trade. It’s one option believed to be available in a fluid situation and would help maximize a return for Carolina. Everything seems to be on the table, including Canes keeping him.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) March 6, 2025
To be completely honest, I have no idea what the Hurricanes should do. Trading Rantanen can help them recoup much of what they gave up to acquire him, but the odds of them landing a player as good and as affordable as Necas in particular are extremely slim. Keeping him gives them the best chance to win right now, but then they risk losing a superstar for nothing for the second straight offseason.
Either way, what looked like a no-brainer of a deal at the time, could end up backfiring in record time for the Hurricanes.