There was a rare January blockbuster trade on Friday night. The transaction involved the Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes.
Who were the principal players and draft picks involved?
The Carolina Hurricanes acquired right winger Mikko Rantanen of Nousiainen, Finland from the Avalanche and left winger Taylor Hall of Calgary, Alberta from the Blackhawks. The Avalanche acquired center Jack Drury of New York, New York and centre Martin Necas of Nove Mesto na Morave, Czech Republic from the Hurricanes. The Blackhawks acquired a third round draft pick from the Hurricanes in 2025, and the Avalanche acquired a second round pick in 2025 and a fourth round pick in 2026.
Mikko Rantanen
Rantanen is literally one of the elite players in the entire NHL. In 49 games, he had 25 goals and 39 assists for 64 points with the Avalanche. Rantanen was a +12 with 28 penalty minutes, 19 power-play points, 135 shots on goal, 121 faceoff wins, 32 blocked shots, 28 hits, 22 takeaways and 48 giveaways. A two-time All Star in 2019 and 2023, Rantanen led the NHL with a +30 in 2020-21 and won a Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022.
Taylor Hall
Hall is joining his seventh NHL team after playing for the Edmonton Oilers, Boston Bruins, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Chicago Blackhawks, New Jersey Devils. In 2024-25, Hall has nine goals and 15 assists for 24 points in 46 games with the Blackhawks. He was also a -15 with 16 penalty minutes, three power play points, one game-winning goal, 82 shots on goal, 32 faceoff wins, 29 blocked shots, 23 hits, 25 takeaways, and 40 giveaways. Hall was a NHL All-Star with the Oilers in 2016 and the Devils in 2017, and won the Hart Trophy in 2017-18.
Martin Necas
Necas has 16 goals and 39 assists for 55 points in 49 games with the Hurricanes. He is a +4 with 10 penalty minutes, 22 powerplay points, five game-winning goals, 113 shots on goal, 48 faceoff wins, 16 blocked shots, 40 hits, 15 takeaways, and 52 giveaways. Necas has spent the last eight seasons in Carolina.
