ELMONT, NEW YORK - JANUARY 25: Mikko Rantanen #96 of the Carolina Hurricanes waits for a faceoff ... [+]
As the NHL takes a two week hiatus for the “Four Nations Face-Off” tournament, it gives us time to analyze the biggest trade from the first half of the regular season.
On January 25th, Colorado Avalanche star right winger Mikko Rantanen and Chicago Blackhawk Taylor Hall were sent to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Jack Drury and Martin Necas being sent to Colorado.
Since then, we have seen the Hurricane play six games with their new forwards, and the Avs play eight. But the results are not what most would expect considering the caliber of players on either side.
Despite losing a back-to-back 100-point scorer in the deal, the Avalanche went 5-3 in their first eight games without Rantanen.
EDMONTON, CANADA - FEBRUARY 7: Martin Necas #88 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates a third-period ... [+]
In that span, they have replaced their point-per-game winger with Necas in the short sample size. Necas has produced 4 goals and 5 assists in those eight games, while Drury has two goals.
Rantanen on the other hand has not led to the same level of success.
As a team, the Hurricanes have gone 2-3-1 heading into the break, where Rantanen has only produced two points in the six games. Hall only has one assist to his name as well.
But, should Canes fans be concerned?
The timing of the trade was intentional on Carolina’s part, as they not only looked to upgrade their offensive attack in the push for the Metropolitan Division but also looked to capitalize on the potential chemistry their one-two punch could make during the break.
With Rantenen already set to join Hurricanes’ offensive leader Sebastian Aho for the Finnish National team, it gave an additional stretch of time for the players to practice and play together, hoping to bring a level of chemistry similar to Rantanen and MacKinnon in Colorado.
In the 10 years that the two played together with the Avalanche, MacKinnon has assisted Rantanen 151 times. This level of connection between the two on and off the ice was part of the reason the trade came as such a shock to those involved, especially to the Avalanche leader following the transaction.
So, when Carolina entered the mix strategically before the Four Nations Face-Off, they had already seen what they were hoping for, as Aho assisted Rantanen’s first goal of the tournament against Sweden.
MONTREAL, QUEBEC - FEBRUARY 15: Mikko Rantanen #96 of Team Finland celebrates with Patrik Laine #92, ... [+]
Only time will tell if their additional time in Finnis blue will translate to Carolina red, but given the small sample size, fans may have a leg to stand on when claiming Rantanen’s team debut has been worrisome.
Rantanen, who averages 90 points per 82 games, only went back-to-back games once the entire season without recording a point before the trade. In six games following the deal, he already has a three-game stretch left off the box score.
This paired with Necas’ instant success with his new club will naturally make fans wish for what they once had back, but the bigger concern could be the realization that Rantanen has never had to prove himself on a team without MacKinnon.
As Rantanen matured in his NHL career, establishing himself as a point-per-game player in just his second full year in the league, he took his leap to a 100-point scorer at age 26.
In that season, Cale Makar established himself as one of the best two-way defensemen in the league as well, making a big three that rivaled any other team in the NHL.
Now that Rantanen is on his own, and on a team where he is now the primary focus of opposing defensive schemes, he now has to learn a new system, while beating the best defensemen on every team, while trying to not cost himself money in his upcoming free agency.
What could go wrong?
So, even though Necas will likely not continue on his current Avalanche pace, the key is that he and Drury are not required to.
They do not even need to combine for Rantanen’s season total in points, as the desire of Colorado in this trade was to add their depth.
Rantanen on the other hand is essentially the difference maker for how far Carolina can go in the postseason, as the league has seen them reach their bar year in and year out up to this point.
Plus, with the Hurricanes making a habit of trading away future assets for midseason rentals, they slowly mortgage their future to try and get over the hump in the Eastern Conference.
So, while regular-season statistics are a major aspect of Rantanen’s future free agency, the next 25 games could pale in comparison depending on how strong he performs in the playoffs.
In 81 career playoff games, Rantanen has been even better than he has in the regular year, totaling 101 points with 5 game-winning goals.
Even if Rantanen fails to recreate his level of production alongside MacKinnon, he will still have time to save his stock when the games matter most. However, in as difficult of a conference as the East has become, 25 games to prepare for the playoffs may not be enough for a team competing for their division.
