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.

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.

While Mikko Rantanen stole the headlines, the Carolina Hurricanes acquired Taylor Hall on Friday too, who waived his no-trade clause to chase a Stanley Cup.

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 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,

Carolina didn't get the win and Hall didn't get on the scoresheet, but he wasn't invisible either. He lined up on the fourth line with Jack Roslovic and Juha Jaaska and recorded three shots and one hit in 11:36 of ice time.

Mikko Rantanen, who played parts of ten seasons and won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, is joining the Carolina Hurricanes, the team

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.

Rangers vs. Hurricanes will air in market on MSG and can be streamed live via fuboTV (free trial), or nationwide with ESPN+. Time: 7 p.m. ET

This deal is a huge win for the Hurricanes. They are poised to become an Eastern Conference powerhouse for the rest of the season. Mikko Rantanen has been one of the most productive offensive players in the league over the last several years. Taylor Hall is a great middle-six player who should perform well in a secondary-scoring role.

Playing their second game since the blockbuster deal that saw them acquire Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall, Carolina will look to bounce back from a 3-2 overtime loss to the New Yo