With the trade deadline approaching, Noah Pedrazzoli and Dylan Burhans look into superstar Mikko Rantanen as a fit for the Islanders.
Overview
With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, the New York Islanders have a variety of paths they can take to improve the trajectory of the franchise. Trades within the division are very uncommon, but never impossible. A quick refresher: the Hurricanes traded for Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel last year in a blockbuster deal before the trade deadline. While the Islanders trading for a franchise-caliber player in Mikko Rantanen seems to be more of a dream rather than reality, indulge yourself in how a trade is more likely than it seems.
The Islanders and the Hurricanes both have respective needs that can be fulfilled in a trade with one another. The Islanders have been searching for that star winger to slide next to Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal. Mikko Rantanen could be that winger to help Barzal and Horvat achieve their full potential.
Mikko Rantanen scores his first as a Hurricane
Trade Compatibility
Carolina’s needs are glaring. While General Manager Eric Tulsky was praised for acquiring a superstar that the Hurricanes have also been similarly yearning for, they have two glaring positions that need to be filled. The Hurricanes gather their strength from a bottom-six and defense filled with veteran experience. However, their top-six is young and unstable through their issues at center. Their second line is easily the most unstable with Jesperi Kotkaniemi filling that center position.
Kotkaniemi was signed at the end of the 2021 season after going on a Stanley Cup run with the Montreal Canadiens, ultimately falling to the Tampa Bay Lightning, so that he may take the next step and assume the responsibility of a second-line center. However, that simply has not been the case as his stats have been lackluster, resulting in Jordan Staal taking over the second line. If the Hurricanes are truly tempted to go on a Stanley Cup run, they will need an experienced center that could provide veteran stability and goal-scoring on that line. A perfect fit would be Brock Nelson.
The Carolina Hurricanes are currently alternating Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jordan Staal for their second-line center position.
“If the Hurricanes are truly tempted to go on a Stanley Cup run, they will need an experienced center that could provide some veteran stability & goalscoring on the second line. A perfect fit would be Brock Nelson.”
The Hurricanes will be entering another interesting off-season this year. They have a significant expiring contract in Brent Burns, the team’s first-pairing right-handed defenseman. A player that could bring youthful talent with first-pairing experience would be Noah Dobson. Dobson has experience in carrying the Islanders’ offense from the blueline, earning Norris votes last season; now imagine what he could do next to Jacob Slavin. Dobson would be a prime candidate to replace Brent Burns and plug in next to Jacob Slavin, which can form a deadly duo on the Hurricanes’ blueline.
What should be considered is that both Dosbon and Rantanen are struggling on their respective teams. Rantanen is still shaken up from the trade, and Dobson is struggling to perform on an unstable roster plagued by injuries. Both could use a change of scenery where they could fulfill their new teams’ needs and their own as well.
Carolina Hurricanes’ salary cap composition on defense
What Would It Take
The Islanders should not trade their first-round pick under any circumstances, especially with the threat of missing the playoffs. But this trade could set the Islanders’ up for next season and possibly for the next decade without trading that first-round pick. The Islanders have assets, and considering the trade deadline market this year, they can wield them to get themselves a superstar.
The Islanders could deal Noah Dobson, Brock Nelson, and a 3rd round pick in exchange for Rantanen. A third-round pick is reasonable because of the leverage the Islanders will have in negotiations. The Hurricanes have had a number of difficulties extending Rantanen, after reportedly offering him an 8-year extension at a 14 million dollar AAV. The value of the contract is what Rantanen was looking for in Colorado, and if he is having issues in accepting Tulsky’s exact match, general manager Lou Lamoriello could look to take advantage of a futile situation in Carolina.
Rantanen scored 55 goals in the 2022-2023 NHL season!
It was reported that during the trade negotiations between Carolina and Colorado, Rantanen was kept in the dark that he was being traded. Lamoriello does not trade for rentals, especially when it comes to star players, and a perfect example of that would be the Bo Horvat trade in 2023.
Lamoriello would likely only deal for Mikko Rantanen if he was confident the player is willing to re-sign with the Islanders so the cycle of uncertainty does not repeat on Long Island. The Hurricanes are facing a similar situation they were facing last year with Jake Guentzel. While this one is of more epic proportions, the Islanders could see this as an opportunity to upgrade the franchise for years to come. Check out Part I by Dylan Burhans here!
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(Stats and information courtesy of MoneyPuck, , PuckPedia, dailyfaceoff.com, and NHL EDGE)
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