After a blockbuster trade late Friday, Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall made their Carolina Hurricanes debuts in the team’s overtime road loss at the New York Islanders.

Rantanen admitted he spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling Friday night. The goal celebrations with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are no more. The bonds he made are likely unbreakable, but now it’s time to make new ones in his new home.

The Carolina Hurricanes acquired forward Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche and forward Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks in a blockbuster three-team trade Friday. The Hurricanes sent forwards Jack Drury and Martin Necas to Colorado, along with a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.

The rest of the trade includes Rantanen joining Hall in Carolina while the Avalanche received Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick. Hall obviously won't be the focus of this trade,

Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard didn’t hold back his disappointment after learning Taylor Hall had been traded on Friday. The Hawks sent Hall to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a blockbuster three-team deal in which they only landed a third-round pick in return for Hall. Chicago also retained 50% of Rantanen's salary in the deal.

The Hawks will receive a third-round draft pick, but the Hurricanes' acquisition of Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche is the far bigger part of the trade Friday, per reports.

The trade is a stunning midseason swap of point-per-game players in their primes, an anomaly in the NHL trade market in the salary-cap era.

The Carolina Hurricanes acquired forwards Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche and Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks in a three-team trade Friday night.

Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen was reportedly acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team trade on Friday night. Chicago Blackhawks