The Carolina Hurricanes made a savvy move when they acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night. The Avalanche felt they had to make the deal to recoup some assets for Rantanen, as he would be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason and they wouldn't be able to pay him the asking price. Well, if Rantanen was planning on getting that contract at his new home in Carolina, he may be out of luck with an owner who is notorious for not wanting to spend.
The Hurricanes may be renting Rantanen for a couple of months and a possible Stanley Cup run. The Hurricanes know there is some chemistry there, as Rantanen and Sebastian Aho were teammates at the 2015 and 2016 World Juniors. They will also team up at next month's Four Nations Faceoff, where there will be another familiar face from those World Junior days.
Patrik Laine was a massive piece of the 2016 World Juniors, as he recorded seven goals and six assists in his draft year. Aho and Jesse Puljujarvi were the leading scorers that season, and the pair, along with Laine tore apart the tournament on a line, but Rantanen was their captain and he does give them some familiarity.
If Tom Dundon doesn't re-sign Rantanen, he will have to hit the open market. Kent Hughes must start thinking about the future and where the salary cap is going, but it's conceivable to think he could fit Rantanen into his plans. Rantanen would be the older, more-experienced version of the Juraj Slafkovsky the Canadiens think they currently have.
At best, Rantanen becomes a mentor for Slafkovsky, makes Laine more comfortable leading to a contract extension for the fellow Finn, and helps the Canadiens' core enter Stanley Cup contention. At worst, he replaces Slafkovsky if he continues to struggle, and does the rest of the things previously listed.
Montreal should be an intriguing destination for Rantanen. Winning the Four Nations Faceoff will be in the front of everyone's mind next month, but Laine might want to do some silent recruiting during the off-days. It seemed unlikely Rantanen would ever leave Colorado, but after Friday night's trade, anything is possible.