George Richards, FHN Publisher
The Florida Panthers have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference for the better part of the past four seasons but last week’s blockbuster NHL trade between Carolina and Colorado may have swung things in the Hurricanes’ direction.
Since 2022, the Panthers have won the President’s Trophy as the top regular-season team in the NHL, have won the Eastern Conference championship twice, and are now trying to defend their Stanley Cup title.
But the Hurricanes, a team which Florida swept in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals, just got a lot stronger.
A big trade, in the NHL as well as other professional sports leagues, can change a team’s direction in a hurry.
And the Hurricanes pulled off a monster.
Using the rebuilding Chicago Blackhawks as conduit, the Hurricanes and Avalanche pulled off one of the biggest in-season trade deals in NHL history on Friday night.
The Hurricanes got high-end forwards Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche and Taylor Hall from Chicago, sending Martin Necas and Jack Drury to Colorado as well as a pair of draft picks.
Chicago gets a third-round pick and retains 50 percent of Rantanen’s $9.25 million salary.
Pretty good dealing by first-year Carolina GM Eric Tulsky, eh?
Rantanen, who has 287 goals and 681 points in 620 games, is a pending free agent.
He was dealt by the Avalanche after it ascertained a new deal was not going to be made.
Rantanen, most definitely, could be an absolute game-changer for the Hurricanes — and in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
“He’s a fantastic player,” Tulsky said, “and we expect him to change our team and make us better, and that’s what we get judged by.”
Indeed.
The Hurricanes have been on the cusp of greatness for some time now, Florida thwarting a chance for the Hurricanes to make their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Final since they won it all back in 2006.
Carolina has been to the playoffs six straight years now and are, like the Panthers, likely to make it again in this one.
As far as the Panthers go, they are done playing the Hurricanes in the regular season and the two likely would not meet up again unless it was in the Eastern Conference final.
“We like everybody to go west,’’ Paul Maurice said on Saturday. “Our preference is for all the stars to go west if we could. You have a team that kind of changed the way it looks with its firepower overnight.
“They’re excited about it. I am glad they’re not in the Atlantic and are in the Metropolitan. We’re done with them, so we’ll watch it unfold on TV.’’
The Hurricanes sit seven points back of Metropolitan-leading Washington, with the Capitals holding a game in hand.
So, it seems more than likely that Carolina places second in the division and faces New Jersey in the opening round of the playoffs.
The Devils and Hurricanes both have healthy leads on fourth-place Columbus and the rebounding Rangers who have moved up into fifth.
The addition of the 28-year-old Rantanen probably will not change where the Hurricanes end up in the division, nor, who they play in the first round.
What he can help change is Carolina’s lead-up to the playoffs — and what happens in them.
The 10th overall puck of the Avalanche in 2015, Rantanen has played all but one game of his NHL career with Colorado.
Rantonen was a star and a popular teammate in Colorado.
He only makes the Hurricanes a bigger threat in the East.
One of the top wingers in the league, Rantonen led Colorado with 25 points in its run to the Stanley Cup in 2022.
The next year when the Avs were upset in the first round by Seattle, he had seven goals in that seven-game series.
“Tough day, really tough day. You lose a good friend, good teammate, great player,’’ Colorado coach Jared Bednar said after the deal went down.
“It’s hard but I understand the business side of things, and it’s a two-way street and they weren’t able to get a deal done. And then teams are calling … you got to get what you can, and I think we got some good players that can come in and help us, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”
Rantonen was held off the scoresheet in his debut with the Hurricanes in a 3-2 overtime loss to the host Islanders on Saturday, a day after being traded to Carolina.
His second game comes tonight at Madison Square Garden against the Rangers.
This season, he had 25 goals and 64 points in 50 games; he ranks sixth in the NHL in points, and tied for seventh in goals.
No doubt, this was a monster trade.
And, it could set the tone for what other NHL teams do at the NHL Trade Deadline which comes March 7.
“It’s great for the game,” Maurice said. “It’s great for fans. We don’t want to be swapping players all over the place, but those are exciting for everyone.
“My phone was blowing up as soon as it went down. Everyone will be watching Carolina and Colorado for the next little bit just to see it.’’