Blackhawks Trade Taylor Hall To Carolina Hurricanes In Blockbuster Deal

Before the Chicago Blackhawks game started against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night, there were some fireworks off the ice.

They made Seth Jones and Taylor Hall a scratch and announced it while the team was taking the ice for warmups. Jones was out due to illness but there was no explanation for Hall. Now we know why.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the third team in a blockbuster trade involving them, the Carolina Hurricanes, and Colorado Avalanche.

The Blackhawks sent Taylor Hall to the Carolina Hurricanes in the deal. In return, they are getting a third-round pick.

The Avalanche are sending Mikko Rantanen to the Hurricanes. In return, the Avalanche are getting Martin Necas, Jack Drury, a 2025 second-round pick, and a 2026 fourth-round pick.

The Blackhawks are retaining 50% of Rantanen's contract so that the Hurricanes can afford him. His contract expires once the season is over.

They only have to pay half of Rantanen's salary for the rest of this already-lost season so it is really like the Hawks are just getting a 3rd for Taylor Hall. At this stage of his career, that is about right in terms of his value.

This is a complex trade that is going to be remembered for a long time. Very few 50-goal scorers are ever traded at all, let alone mid-season. That is now the reality of the situation for Rantanen. A blockbuster like this doesn't happen in the NHL often.

The Hurricanes are going for it all again and this trade proves it. The Blackhawks played a small role in getting it done.

Hall was good for the Blackhawks when he was healthy but he was always going to be traded this year.

He was injured for most of his first season with the team so he didn't make the overall impact that he wanted to but he helped some of the young guys along the way. Now he has a chance to make a run at the Stanley Cup with Carolina.

If this is a prelude to how things are going to go before the NHL trade deadline, fans must buckle up. You can bet that Chicago will play a role in other trades around the league before March 7th.

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