Friday’s blockbuster between Colorado and Carolina served one serendipitous purpose for the NHL. And that was shifting the main focus off every week of officiating scandalous even by league standards.
Let’s wait to judge the deal during which Mikko Rantanen — an impending free agent whose camp has made it known for months that the winger expects a deal that lines up with Leon Draisaitl’s eight-year, $112 million extension ($14M AAV) with Edmonton — leaves Nathan MacKinnon’s line to hook up with Sebastian Aho while Martin Necas ditches Jesperi Kotkaniemi to presumably join No. 29.
There have been other parts to the deal that included Chicago GM Kyle Davidson either cleverly committing to an ongoing tank or committing a fireable offense by utilizing his final retention spot — with $10.642M cap space available on the deadline, per PuckPedia — to act as a banker for the trade while tossing in Taylor Hall for the pittance of a third-round return.
Rantanen is a big-time player and producer, but he has been with MacKinnon for 73 percent of his five-on-five ice since joining the league in 2015-16, per NaturalStatTrick. Aho, a fellow Finn, is elite, but he just isn’t near MacKinnon, because no one is aside from Connor McDavid.
Friday’s blockbuster between Colorado and Carolina served one serendipitous purpose for the NHL. And that was shifting the main focus off every week of officiating scandalous even by league standards.
Let’s wait to judge the deal during which Mikko Rantanen — an impending free agent whose camp has made it known for months that the winger expects a deal that lines up with Leon Draisaitl’s eight-year, $112 million extension ($14M AAV) with Edmonton — leaves Nathan MacKinnon’s line to hook up with Sebastian Aho while Martin Necas ditches Jesperi Kotkaniemi to presumably join No. 29.
There have been other parts to the deal that included Chicago GM Kyle Davidson either cleverly committing to an ongoing tank or committing a fireable offense by utilizing his final retention spot — with $10.642M cap space available on the deadline, per PuckPedia — to act as a banker for the trade while tossing in Taylor Hall for the pittance of a third-round return.
Rantanen is a big-time player and producer, but he has been with MacKinnon for 73 percent of his five-on-five ice since joining the league in 2015-16, per NaturalStatTrick. Aho, a fellow Finn, is elite, but he just isn’t near MacKinnon, because no one is aside from Connor McDavid.
