Most recently, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired forwards Mikko Rantanen in a blockbuster three-team trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, Jan. 24th.
As such, Rantanen is among the National Hockey League's biggest headline right now because it's extremely uncommon that a top-10 forward gets traded in the middle of the season. Flashing back to how this relates to the New York Rangers, the Blueshirts are set to take on the Hurricanes on Tuesday, Jan. 28th in their final game of the current homstand.
The Rangers currently hold a record of 24-21-4, compared to Carolina's 30-16-4. However the Canes — like the Blueshirts — are coming off a loss. Significant to Carolina's loss though, it was their first game with Rantanen on their roster.
Let's break down more details on Rantanen's trade and what he could bring to the ice ahead of the Jan. 28th matchup.
Mikko Rantanen
As previously mentioned, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired forwards Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall in a blockbuster three-team trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
In exchange, Colorado received forwards Jack Drury and Martin Necas, along with a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. There was additionally a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from Carolina, which acquired Chicago forward prospect Nils Juntorp. Chicago acquired a third-round pick in the 2025 Draft from Carolina. The Blackhawks will also retain 50 percent of Rantanen's $9.25 million salary.
When asked why there was a need for Rantanen, Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky had the following to say:
"He's a fantastic fit for the way we play. We play a system that has us battling for pucks along the walls and trying to make plays at the net front and he's just one of the best in the League at some of those things. A lot of the identity of our team right now come from the way Jordan [Staal] plays and sort of 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. So, I don't think there's any question that he's going to be a tremendous fit on the ice and I've heard nothing but good things about him off the ice."Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky
Rantanen previously played all 619 games of his NHL career with the Avalanche and has 681 points (287 goals, 394 assists). He was selected No. 10 by Colorado in the 2015 NHL Draft and then went on to help the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup in 2022.
Speaking of the Stanley Cup — the Finland native has 101 points (34 goals, 67 assists) in 81 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including 25 points (five goals, 20 assists) during the Cup run. He will represent Finland during February's 4 Nations Face-Off.
The 28-year-old has 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 49 games this season, which was second on Colorado behind centerNathan MacKinnon (75 points). Rantanen is currently No. 6 in the NHL for points as of presstime.
How to Tune In
Puck drop for the Rangers hosting the Carolina hurricanes is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST, tonight — Tuesday, Jan. 28. The game will be streamed via Fubo and ESPN+. Be sure to tune into ourTwitter for live updates.