It’s been over a month since the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche in a blockbuster three-team deal involving the Chicago Blackhawks. Nevertheless, it’s rumored the 28-year-old right winger could be peddled before the March 7 NHL trade deadline.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos raised the possibility earlier this month, speculating the Hurricanes could trade Rantanen if he rejected their contract extension proposals. He’s completing a six-year contract with an average annual value of $9.25 million.
The Hurricanes gave up forwards Martin Necas, Jack Drury and two draft picks to Colorado for Rantanen. Kypreos believes they don’t want to risk losing him to free agency on July 1.
During the 4 Nations Face-Off the trade chatter about Rantanen died down. However, the conjecture resurfaced after the tournament and the resumption of the regular-season schedule.
Kypreos’ colleague Elliotte Friedman said Friday he believed some contract discussions occurred between Hurricanes management and Rantanen’s representatives during the 4 Nations tournament. Friedman thinks a long lineup of teams will be interested if he becomes a playoff rental.
The Hurricanes hold half of Rantanen’s cap hit for this season, $4.625 million, with the Blackhawks carrying the other half. Friedman felt they could draw more interest by retaining their half of his cap hit, $2.3125 million, suggesting contenders like Vegas, Dallas, Winnipeg, Florida, Tampa and Toronto could come calling.
Rantanen won’t address the specific roster needs of some of those clubs. Winnipeg could use a reliable second-line center, Toronto needs a third-line center, and Florida should shore up their blueline depth.
Not every club can afford what could be a high asking price from the Hurricanes. Winnipeg is the only one with a first-rounder in this year’s draft. Some lack a deep prospect pool to draw on for trade capital.
Friedman followed up on Saturday claiming the Hurricanes made an offer believed to be “into the nine digits”, meaning it’ll be over $100 million. It’s rumored Rantanen could seek something comparable to the $14 million average annual value that Leon Draisaitl will receive from the Edmonton Oilers starting on July 1.
In other recent speculation, Arthur Staple of The Athletic was asked if the New York Rangers might pursue a third-line center or a top-six winger at the trade deadline. He doesn’t see Rangers GM Chris Drury pursuing a rental player but could prefer adding a player with term remaining on his contract or a pending RFA, such as Buffalo’s Ryan McLeod if he became available.
Turning to the Utah Hockey Club, TSN’s Darren Dreger observed they’ve started contract talks with Karel Vejmelka. The 28-year-old goaltender is UFA-eligible on July 1. Dreger suggested Vejmelka could become an interesting trade target depending on the direction of his contract talks.
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