lead_1-25

RALEIGH, N.C. - The Carolina Hurricanes are known league-wide for their structure in all three zones and a fervent dedication to limiting their opposition's scoring chances.

Since Rod Brind'Amour took over behind the bench ahead of the 2018-19 season, the Canes have allowed the fewest shots per game on average (27.3), and just 2.60 goals per game, second-fewest among all clubs.

They've done well for themselves in the ballpark of creating offense, generating an average of 33.6 shots per night during that same timeframe (2nd), but there have been times where shot volume hasn't always equaled a red light. Just twice in those six seasons (2021-22, 2023-24) have they finished inside the top 10 in the league's average goals per game.

That shots-to-goals inequity has been further highlighted lately, with Carolina producing just 2.85 goals/night since American Thanksgiving - a stat that has played a big role in a 14-11-2 record that has brought the Canes back down to earth after a sparkling 16-5-1 start.

But late on Friday night, that offense received not one, but two jolts of life as news of a massive player swap electrified the hockey world.

Enter Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall.

Rantanen, described as a "fantastic fit" by Canes General Manager Eric Tulsky on Saturday afternoon as he met with the media for the first time since the three-team trade was finalized, brings a proven track record of scoring.

Entering Saturday's play sixth in the league in scoring, the two-time NHL All-Star has averaged over a point-per-game through nine seasons as a full-time NHLer while developing a reputation for making it happen by excelling in just about every aspect of a team's offense.

"We play a system that has us battling for pucks along the walls, trying to make plays at the net front and he’s just one of the best in the league at some of those things," Tulsky explained. "A lot of the identity of our team right now comes from the way that Jordan (Staal) plays. He carries plays with his heaviness and his strength - and Mikko can do all of that, but with really high-level skill to go with it."

Producing back-to-back 100-point seasons and on pace for 107 this year, Rantanen is the caliber of player that can change games for a team, and alter the outcome of a series in the spring.

The 28-year-old captured the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2022 and boasts an eye-popping 101 points in 81 playoff games, placing him alongside some elite company. Since his first trip to the postseason in 2018, Rantanen trails only Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, and Nathan MacKinnon in playoff scoring.

"Having someone with his size and his strength as the game gets more physical and more intense, is obviously beneficial. He’s had playoff success," Tulsky continued. "Of course, that’s something that you always want to get the opportunity to bring in when you can. He’s one of the best players in the league, right? He’s good at a lot of things and playoffs are one of them.”

Canes GM speaks to the media after acquiring Rantanen, Hall

It's unprecedented that a recent NHL MVP would play second-fiddle in any acquisition, but make no mistake, Tulsky and staff had their eye on Taylor Hall for some time too.

The 2018 Hart Trophy winner, on an expiring contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, was a player who the Canes had checked in over the course of the season, coveting his knack for the scoresheet as well.

“That’s another player from earlier in the year we had our eyes on as somebody who might be available at some point and be an option to help upgrade our skill level," Tulsky said of Hall. "We had conversations with them and they were not ready to move him early of course. They got to a point where they started to think about it and it was around the same time that this deal (for Rantanen) started to really get into details."

With 721 points in 871 career games, the trade now puts Hall back in a position to contribute to a team with aspirations of a deep playoff run. The 2023-24 season was the first time in five years that the now 33-year-old was not in the postseason, and Tulsky believes he can play an important role in that setting.

"Ultimately, one of the things that we felt our team could stand to have was a little bit of an upgrade in sort of skill and offensive punch," Tulsky added. "Taylor brings a lot of skill and some size, and some speed. We think he is going to fit and help us create our scoring punch also.”

As the saying goes, though, "You have to give up good players to get good players," and that proved true in this case. Two drafted and developed talents were shipped in return for Carolina's newest starts, as Jack Drury and Martin Necas became members of the Colorado Avalanche.

Sending out a pair of homegrown talents who had woven themselves into the fabric of both the organization and the community wasn't a move that Carolina's hockey operations staff executed without understanding its magnitude, but they knew there would be a price to pay to bring in two dynamic players like Rantanen and Hall.

"Marty Necas is a great player who might go there and have 80, 90, or 100 points. Jack Drury is a great player who is going to go there and be a big part of their team and a fantastic part of their locker room. Those are really hard pieces to give up and we didn’t do it lightly, but when you have an opportunity to acquire a player like this, sometimes you have to just stretch," said Tulsky.

“Ultimately, I have to do what’s right for the team...You don’t do it lightly. But again, when you have the chance to get a player who can come in and change your team, sometimes you have to do things that aren’t comfortable.”