The Mikko Rantanen Saga (2025): Colorado to Carolina to Dallas

Three-team blockbuster: Rantanen to Carolina; Necas, Drury and two picks to Colorado; Chicago retains 50% and gets a 2025 3rdJan 24, 2025

Carolina Hurricanes receive

• PMikko RantanenMikko Rantanen (RW), pending UFA with one season left; team scoring leader at time of tradeRe-traded by Carolina to the Dallas Stars 42 days later (2025-03-07); see linked trade mar2025-dalRouted Colorado-to-Chicago-to-Carolina so Chicago could retain 50% of his $9,250,000 cap hit ($4,625,000); Carolina's acquired cap hit was $4,625,000. Rantanen went 2-4-6 in 13 games for Carolina and never signed an extension there.Traded again later in this tree
• PTaylor HallTaylor Hall (LW)$6,000,000 cap hit, no salary retained. Acquired from Chicago as a pending UFA, but re-signed with Carolina (3-year, roughly $9.5M) rather than reaching free agency.
• PRNils JuntorpNils Juntorp (forward prospect; Chicago 2022 6th-round draft pick, 188th overall)Per the Avalanche release, routed Chicago-to-Colorado-to-Carolina to complete the deal. Was playing in Sweden.

Colorado Avalanche receive

• PMartin NecasMartin Necas (RW/C), the headline player going back to ColoradoNot re-traded within this tree. Signed a contract extension with Colorado in October 2025 and posted a career-high 100 points (38G, 62A) in 78 games in 2025-26.
• PJack DruryJack Drury (C, faceoff specialist)Re-traded by Colorado to the Nashville Predators on 2026-06-24; see linked trade jun2026-drury-nshStayed with Colorado through the 2025-26 season (reached the 2026 Western Conference Final), then was dealt to Nashville.Traded again later in this tree
• D2025 second-round pick (originally Carolina's)Did not remain with Colorado. Per PuckPedia's pick tracking it became the No. 61 overall selection (round 2) of the 2025 NHL Draft, used by the Boston Bruins to draft defenseman Liam Pettersson. The intermediate trade(s) after it left Colorado are not fully documented in this tree.Colorado moved this pick before the 2025 draft; final use by Boston.
• D2026 fourth-round pick (originally Carolina's)Used by the Colorado Avalanche to draft forward Axel Elofsson, No. 128 overall (round 4) of the 2026 NHL Draft (per PuckPedia).Kept and used by Colorado.

Chicago Blackhawks receive

• D2025 third-round pick (Chicago's own pick, which Carolina had been holding)Chicago used it to draft winger Nathan Behm, No. 66 overall (round 3, second pick of the third round) of the 2025 NHL Draft (independently confirmed via Daily Faceoff).This pick, plus retaining 50% of Rantanen's salary, was Chicago's compensation for acting as the third team/salary broker.

↳Mikko Rantanen was moved in the next deal

Carolina flips Rantanen to Dallas in a trade-deadline sign-and-trade (8-year, $96M extension) for Logan Stankoven and four picksMar 7, 2025

Dallas Stars receive

• PMikko RantanenMikko Rantanen (RW)Sign-and-trade: immediately signed an 8-year, $96,000,000 extension ($12,000,000 AAV) running 2025-26 through 2032-33. For the remainder of 2024-25 the Chicago 50% retention from the January trade still applied, so Dallas's in-season acquired cap hit was $4,625,000. Remained with Dallas.

Carolina Hurricanes receive

• PLogan StankovenLogan Stankoven (C/RW), on his entry-level contractHeadline player in Carolina's return (~$814,167 cap hit). Remained with Carolina; not re-traded within this tree.
• DConditional 2026 first-round pick (Dallas's), top-10 protectedCondition satisfied: Dallas's pick fell outside the top 10, so it conveyed in 2026. Per PuckPedia's pick tracking it became the No. 26 overall selection (round 1) of the 2026 NHL Draft, used by the Montreal Canadiens to draft RW Gleb Pugachyov. Caveat: the pick passed through additional hands after leaving Carolina before Montreal used it at No. 26 overall; the full intermediate chain is not documented in this tree.Condition: had Dallas's 2026 first landed in the top 10, the pick would have shifted to an unprotected 2027 first-round pick. It conveyed in 2026.
• DConditional 2028 first-round pick (Dallas's), top-10 protectedUnused as of the 2026-07-04 update (future pick).Condition: if Dallas's 2028 first-round pick falls in the top 10, it shifts to an unprotected 2029 first-round pick.
• D2026 third-round pick (Dallas's)Did not remain with Carolina. Per PuckPedia's pick tracking it became the No. 91 overall selection (round 3) of the 2026 NHL Draft, used by the Ottawa Senators to draft Louis-Felix Bourque. The intermediate trade(s) after it left Carolina are not fully documented in this tree.
• D2027 third-round pick (Dallas's)Unused as of the 2026-07-04 update (future pick).

↳Jack Drury was moved in the next deal

Colorado trades Jack Drury (acquired in the Rantanen deal) to Nashville for Svechkov and L'HeureuxJun 24, 2026

Nashville Predators receive

• PJack DruryJack Drury (C)Traced from the January 2025 root trade. Nashville signed him to a 5-year, $22.5M contract days after acquiring him.
• PChase BradleyChase Bradley (forward)Secondary piece unrelated to the Rantanen assets; included for completeness of the Drury trade.
• D2029 third-round pickUnused as of the 2026-07-04 update (future pick).Not one of the original Rantanen-tree picks; part of the Drury package.

Colorado Avalanche receive

• PFedor SvechkovFedor Svechkov (C/F)Colorado's return for Drury (with L'Heureux).
• PZachary L'HeureuxZachary L'Heureux (LW)Colorado's return for Drury (with Svechkov).

DATE: NHL.com's official Avalanche/league press releases are dated January 25, 2025, while PuckPedia, Wikipedia and most media (ESPN, CBC, TSN) date the trade January 24, 2025 (the night it was agreed/executed). This tree uses 2025-01-24; the Jan 25 date reflects league processing/release. RETENTION: Chicago Blackhawks retained 50% of Rantanen's $9,250,000 cap hit ($4,625,000); Rantanen was routed Colorado-to-Chicago-to-Carolina so Carolina/(then Dallas) carried $4,625,000 for the rest of 2024-25. Taylor Hall ($6,000,000) had no retention. JUNTORP: per the Avalanche release, prospect Nils Juntorp (a 2022 Chicago draft pick) was routed Chicago-to-Colorado-to-Carolina to complete the deal. PICK RE-TRADES / SCOPING: Only two re-traded principal assets are given their own linked follow-up nodes (Rantanen to Dallas; Jack Drury to Nashville) because those trades are cleanly and fully sourced. Three draft picks left their acquiring team and were used by other clubs (2025 2nd -> Boston/Liam Pettersson 61st; 2026 1st -> Montreal/Gleb Pugachyov 26th; 2026 3rd -> Ottawa/Louis-Felix Bourque 91st). These outcomes are recorded in pickDetail per PuckPedia's pick tracking, but the intermediate trades are NOT expanded into separate nodes because their counterparties/other assets are not fully documented here (the No. 26 pick in particular passed through additional hands before Montreal used it). TRACE SUMMARY: Necas stayed in Colorado (extension Oct 2025; career-high 100 points in 2025-26). Drury stayed in Colorado through 2025-26, then was dealt to Nashville on 2026-06-24. Rantanen signed the 8-year/$96M extension and remained in Dallas. FUTURE PICKS still unused as of the 2026-07-04 update: the conditional 2028 1st and the 2027 3rd (both owed by Dallas to Carolina) and the 2029 3rd (Colorado to Nashville).