The Chicago Blackhawks ended up trading Taylor Hall away. However, there is a source that believes that they tried to keep him.

For one, Brind’Amour is pairing his two best players by putting them on a line together. Aho has led the Hurricanes in scoring in six of the last seven seasons, and Rantanen was a superstar in Colorado, logging more minutes than any forward in the league since the start of the 2021-22 season.

The Hawks will receive a third-round draft pick, but the Hurricanes' acquisition of Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche is the far bigger part of the trade Friday, per reports.

Getting a 3rd round pick from the Hurricanes gives the Blackhawks nine total selections in the upcoming draft.

Colorado Avalanche star Mikko Rantanen was reportedly acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team trade on Friday night. Chicago Blackhawks

Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman talk about Ichiro, C.C. Sabathia and Billy Wagner getting elected to the Hall of Fame, the Dodgers introducing Roki Sasaki and the Braves solidifying their lineup and outfield by signing Jurickson Profar.

The Hurricanes made a statement move well in advance of the NHL trade deadline. Carolina GM Eric Tulsky explained the team’s move.

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.

The Mikko Rantanen trade undoubtedly ranks among the biggest in the salary cap era, but maybe recency bias plays a role in that perception. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some other blockbuster contenders.

Frederik Andersen has a six-game win streak going. Jesperi Kotkaniemi (4g, 2a) has points in five-straight games. Sebastian Aho (3g, 2a) has points in three consecutive games.

The Montreal Canadiens should be buyers ahead of the trade deadline to show youth a vote of confidence for a strong season so far.