NHL Trade Deadline Takes Shape After Rantanen-Hall Deal to Hurricanes
A big NHL trade rocked the league when Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall joined the Carolina Hurricanes on January 26, 2025. This aggressive move sets up what could be a busy wave of deals before the March 7 deadline. In their first game in Hurricanes uniforms, both players left their stamp. The pair grabbed assists in a dominant 4-0 win over New York. Meanwhile, Jack Drury and Martin Necas, who went to Colorado in the trade, quickly showed up with points in their Avalanche debuts.
Boston made two big moves in the market. First, they locked up center Elias Lindholm with a huge seven-year deal at $7.75 million per season. They followed that by signing defenseman Nikita Zadorov, giving him six years at $5 million annually. The Bruins are in a tough spot. While chasing playoffs, they’re missing key draft picks – no second or fourth-round picks in 2025. Now they need to decide what to do with Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie, and Justin Brazeau before they hit free agency.
Trade buzz is growing as Seattle’s negotiations with Yanni Gourde have stalled. Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens is catching eyes from teams willing to gamble on his comeback after a slow start. While hanging onto their first-round picks, Boston might use them to make trades. They still need to plug the holes left when Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired.
The three-team trade between Carolina, Colorado, and Chicago kicked off a new round in the trade market. With this deal breaking the ice, more teams look ready to make moves before the clock runs out.