Livescore
The Carolina Hurricanes acquired Mikko Rantanen over two weeks ago from the Colorado Avalanche in this season’s biggest blockbuster trade. Nevertheless, some pundits wonder if the Hurricanes could peddle the 28-year-old right winger if he remains unsigned by the March 7 NHL trade deadline.
Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos recently raised that scenario. He believes the Hurricanes will make contract offers to Rantanen but claimed some observers think they’ll fall short. They gave up a lot to get him (Martin Necas, Jack Drury, and two draft picks) and don’t want to risk losing him to free agency like Jake Guentzel last year.
It seems unlikely that Finland’s Rantanen will be moved to another team by the NHL trade deadline, but it may not be that far-fetched. After all, no one expected the Avalanche to ship him to the Hurricanes. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, RG.Org’s Marco D’Amico reported last week that sources told him the New York Islanders could be willing to trade Noah Dobson for an elite scoring forward. The 25-year-old defenseman is in the final season of a three-year contract with an average annual value of $4 million. He’s an RFA on July 1 with arbitration rights.
Hockey News’ Stefen Rosner said the Islanders shouldn’t trade Dobson unless it would massively help the team, and selling him for picks or prospects doesn’t make sense. He would have to be involved in a blockbuster type of deal to upgrade on offense.
NYI Hockey Now’s Russ Macias said there’s a risk of getting a poor return, as they did when they shipped Devon Toews to the Avalanche five years ago. Arthur Staple of The Athletic is also skeptical. He believes moving Dobson would doom the Islanders to more mediocrity.
Turning to the Detroit Red Wings, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday that Vladimir Tarasenko recently surfaced in the rumor mill.
Tarasenko, 33, is in the first season of a two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.75 million and a full no-trade clause for 2024-25. He’s no stranger to getting moved near the trade deadline. The St. Louis Blues sent him to the New York Rangers in 2023. Last year, the Ottawa Senators shipped him to the Florida Panthers.
The Red Wings have played well lately, riding a seven-game win streak into a wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference. However, Friedman suggested Tarasenko is struggling to fit in Hockeytown. He reached or exceeded 50 points in each of the last two campaigns but has 22 points in 53 games with the Wings.
Detroit’s recent improvement makes them unlikely to be sellers at the trade deadline. Tarasenko could be flipped to another playoff club for another player who can help them bring their long playoff drought to an end.
Related: NHL Power Rankings: Jets Fly High As Trades Start To Flow
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