The first major domino on the NHL trade market has fallen. On Jan. 24, the Colorado Avalanche dealt elite winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury. Carolina also received winger Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Rantanen is playing out the final year of his current contract, which pays him $9.25 million per season, and the Avs had a big decision to make. Instead of shelling out what it would have taken to retain Rantanen for next season and beyond, Colorado flipped the former 50-goal scorer for Necas, a cheaper option on the wing.
The Hurricanes have needed high-end scoring ability for a while, and Rantanen can provide that in spades. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, only four players have scored more than Rantanen’s 122 goals.
Necas may not have the same type of resume as Rantanen. but he’s still an extremely skilled player. Perhaps more importantly, his cap hit is almost $3 million less than Rantanen, and he has one more year left on his contract at $6.5 million. Necas is on pace for a career year with 16 goals and 39 assists in 49 games. He should fit in nicely alongside Nathan MacKinnon.
Hall is in his first season back from an ACL tear, and while he has struggled to get back on track with the Blackhawks, he should improve in a far better environment in Raleigh.
Keep track of the most notable trades throughout the 2024-25 NHL season right here.
Hurricanes, Avalanche pull off blockbuster deal
The Avalanche were at a crossroads with Rantanen, a pending free agent, and they decided to ship him out and replace him with the cheaper Necas. Colorado does crate salary cap space with this deal, so Joe Sakic may have something else up his sleeve.
Carolina, already a Stanley Cup contender, only got that much better by acquiring one of the most prolific scorers in the game today. Combining Rantanen with the current Hurricanes roster and their dominant five-on-five game should be a winning combination.
In order to make the deal work, the Blackhawks will retain 50% of Rantanen’s salary, and they get a 2025 third-round pick from the Canes for that and Hall.
Avalanche add forward depth with Juuso Parssinen
The Avalanche, in need of some depth up front, have added Juuso Parssinen and a 2026 seventh-round pick from the Predators in exchange for prospect Ondrej Pavel and a 2027 third-round pick. Parssinen has 44 points in 116 career NHL games.
Predators, Canadiens exchange defensemen
The Montreal Canadiens have acquired defenseman Alex Carrier, a Quebec native, from the Nashville Predators. Defenseman Justin Barron was sent to Nashville in return. Carrier, 28, will give the young Canadiens roster some stability on the back end, and the 23-year-old Barron will allow the Predators to get younger and cheaper, if not a little more volatile, on defense.
Kraken acquire Kaapo Kakko from Rangers
The Rangers sent forward Kaapo Kakko to the Kraken in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen and third-round and sixth-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. Kakko, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, has struggled to reach that potential at the NHL level. He had 61 goals and 70 assists in 330 carer games with the Rangers.
Ducks send veteran defenseman Cam Fowler to Blues
The Blues needed some reinforcements on the blue line, which is dealing with injuries to Torey Krug and Nick Leddy, so they added Cam Fowler from the Ducks. Fowler, now in his 16th NHL season, will bring experience and offense to the St. Louis.
The Ducks also send a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Blues in exchange for defenseman Jeremie Biakabutuka and a 2027 second-round pick.
Avalanche land Blackwood from Sharks in goalie swap
The Colorado Avalanche decided that it was time to make a change at goaltender. The team acquired Mackenzie Blackwood, forward Givani Smith and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Sharks in exchange for goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, forward Nikolai Kovalenko, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Georgiev had been the Avalanche’s starting netminder since the 2022 offseason when the team acquired his services from the Rangers. In 18 games this season, the veteran put together an 8-7-0 record to go along with a 3.38 goals-against average and a .874 save percentage.
Meanwhile, Blackwood has racked up a 6-9-3 record, a 3.00 goals-against average, and a .910 save percentage in 19 games this season. However, Blackwood has been playing much better hockey as of late with a 2.66 goals-against average over his last three games.
Rangers deal Trouba to Ducks for prospect, pick
After months of trade rumors surrounding Trouba, the Rangers finally traded him to the Anaheim Ducks for Urho Vaakanainen and a 2025 fourth-round pick. Trouba had been struggling this season, posting poor five-on-five numbers in the midst of an ugly losing streak.
The Ducks will get a veteran leader on their blue line, and the Rangers shed Trouba’s $8 million cap hit while getting a young prospect in Vaakanainen and some extra draft capital.
Wild acquire David Jiricek from Blue Jackets
David Jiricek, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, failed to really carve out a role for himself in Columbus. When the Blue Jackets put him on the trade block, the Minnesota Wild ponied up with a big offer.
The Wild sent defenseman Daemon Hunt, a 2025 first-round pick, 2026 third-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick, and 2027 second-round pick to the Jackets as compensation. That’s a big price to pay for an unproven defenseman, but it could be a worthwhile gamble, given Jiricek’s pedigree and AHL performance.
Predators deal Phil Tomasino to Penguins
Tomasino was a first-round pick by Nashville in 2019, but he struggled to remain in the lineup on a nightly basis. The Penguins chose to take a shot on the young winger, hoping he could reach his potential and help the team remain in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
The Predators received a fourth-round pick in return for Tomasino, who had 23 goals and 71 points in 159 games with the franchise.
