Mikko Rantanen could potentially soon land with old Red Wings rival
Photo credit: https://www.yardbarker.com/nhl/articles/watch_hurricanes_mikko_rantanen_logs_his_first_point_with_team/s1_13132_41658052
Could newly acquired Carolina Hurricanes forward Mikko Rantanen soon land with a Red Wings rival from their days in the Western Conference?
It was one of the biggest transactions in recent NHL memory, as the Carolina Hurricanes acquired both Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall as part of a 3-way trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks.
Rantanen and Hall landed in Carolina from Colorado and Chicago, Colorado acquired Martin Necas and Jack Drury from Carolina, and Chicago acquired a draft pick while also picking up half of Rantanen's $9.5 million AAV (average annual value).
Rantanen is set to become a free agent in the summer, and he'll be one of the higher priced players available on the open market should he prove unable to secure a new deal with Carolina.
But which team will be able to afford him? Could the former Red Wings' rival Chicago Blackhawks come calling??
Technically speaking, Rantanen was a member of the Blackhawks for an ever-so-brief moment as his contract passed through Kyle Davidson's hands and into those of Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky - one of the men Davidson beat out for the Blackhawks' GM job in 2022. The next time Rantanen is in Davidson's crosshairs, it could be for keeps.
Is this the summer Chicago rejoins the party? Is this the summer Chicago finally stops spinning its wheels? Is this the summer Chicago turns its focus from futures to the present? Davidson threw his line in the waters last summer but didn't come away with any big fish.
Is this the summer Chicago rejoins the party? Is this the summer Chicago finally stops spinning its wheels? Is this the summer Chicago turns its focus from futures to the present? Davidson threw his line in the waters last summer but didn't come away with any big fish.
A potential signing of Rantanen over the summer would go a long way toward resurrecting the Blackhawks once again from the basement of the NHL, much in the same way that former franchise icons Jonathan Toews and current Red Wings forward Patrick Kane once did.
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 30 | 99 ANSWERS Mikko Rantanen could potentially soon land with old Red Wings rival Do you want the Red Wings to show interest in Mikko Rantanen this summer? | ||
| Yes | 43 | 43.4 % |
| No, too expensive | 56 | 56.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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