We have now seen most of the dust settle on the Carolina Hurricanes big trade to bring in Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall. In are those two and out are Martin Necas and Jack Drury. As soon as the trade happened, most assumed Rantanen would line up beside fellow Finn Sebastian Aho while Hall was a bit more of a question mark as to where he’d fit. While we have the benefit of now seeing some line combinations (although take it all with a grain of salt due to the team dealing with an illness), this trade can potentially alter the whole feel and dynamic of the forward lines.
Rantanen and Hall with a New Home
When you look at this trade on its face positionally, in are two wingers and out are a centre and a winger. While the Hurricanes have been long rumoured to be needing a 2C, this seems like it creates a weird positional logjam and hole. But it’s not that simple and there is more to the story.
The Forwards Get More Top Heavy
The first noticeable change in the forward group is that they should now be more top-heavy. The reason here is that you can look at this move by comparing what’s in and what’s out. Rantanen and Necas are essentially flips for the purposes they fill in this trade. What I mean is Rantanen and Necas are the two top, point-producing players here (not the same player etc.).
Top Line
While Necas spent little time on the top line, he was a mainstay on the second line and was the team’s points leader. Rantanen steps in and fits the same role except that he actually moves to the top line with Aho. So far that line has mostly been Rantanen, Aho and Jackson Blake. Most would agree that this line fits the bill as a top line in the NHL. And some numbers back this up as that line has a 66.67 CF%, 73.2 xG% and a 79.31% shots for percentage. They just need to find the net a bit.
A Solid Second Line
The bigger change making the forwards more top-heavy is the change from Drury to Hall. Drury is an effective 3C/4C defensive centre who can win draws and kill penalties. But Hall, being a former first-overall pick, is a better offensive, point-producing player. He is not afraid to get in on the forecheck and has pretty good playmaking ability. With Jesperi Kotkaniemi picking up his play of late, the second-line combination of Kotkaniemi, Hall and Andrei Svechnikov was a good one to see in limited time. They have done pretty well together and if the chemistry continues could make up a solid second line.
The Bottom Six
Nothing has changed really with the third line of Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook and Seth Jarvis but the fourth line takes a hit with Drury out. With injuries to Tyson Jost and William Carrier, the fourth line has seen Juha Jaaska and Ryan Suzuki on it during their first NHL appearances. Eric Robinson has been there too as he moves down from the second line. The line has been solid and have done what they have needed to, but losing Drury takes it down a notch. Again, not that they have been bad, but you can see how the forward lines have all of a sudden weighed a little more to the top.
Options Abound
Not only are the forwards more top-heavy, but the options for organizing the forward lines have really grown. This will especially be true if and when Carrier and Jost return. (Ignoring any other trade deadline acquisitions.) You start at the top line and most likely Rantanen and Aho aren’t going anywhere. Blake has been good with them, but he is a player who is best described as “shifty” and can win pucks and make plays to develop offence. And he’s a rookie so you have to temper expectations. But if they wanted a more experienced goal-scorer, maybe they flip him for Jarvis. Or even Jack Roslovic who spent time on the first line, is one of the team leaders in goals and has sort of been a Swiss army knife for the team.
The same goes for line two. Jarvis could go up to that line in place of either Hall or Svechnikov if needed. And so could Robinson who has been really good at providing an energetic, physical element to every line he has played on. The third line likely sees Martinook and Staal but you could see any of Blake, Jarvis, Svechnikov, or Robinson even with them. And maybe more. When Carrier returns they may look at re-uniting him on this line and putting Jarvis on the top line.
The fourth line is a bit of a catch all but when healthy, that line could look like a decent hybrid energy and depth scoring line. The centre position gets a little thin Jaaska, Suzuki and Jost all have spent time there on the fourth line. Carrier also could provide a stabilizing presence on that line. The biggest thing here is that the options seemed to have increased following this trade.
Trickle Down and Other Benefits
There are also trickle-down effects of bringing in two players like this. For example, now not only do the Hurricanes have a power forward in Svechnikov on line two, but another one with a lot of skill on line one in Rantanen. These types of players are great for maintaining possession and creating plays in the offensive zone. This also helps open up space on the ice for both lines to create offence. This could be very effective for the team’s playing style.
And sometimes by finding new linemates, you get new-found chemistry. Of course, there is risk with this too. But it’s definitely possible that the new guys provide a new element to ignite some production in their new linemates. Kotkaniemi has picked up his play of late, but to be fair that happened before the trade. Svechnikov showed some great play lately as well. Aho should almost certainly see better production by playing alongside Rantanen. And now with the top-heavy makeup, there could be some pressure relief to line three to create more offence.
Action and Response
Some of these new possibilities are a bit “wait and see” in nature. But they are certainly aspects of a major trade that can’t be ignored. In addition, it does send a message that the team is looking to take yet another step forward. You look at the last Stanley Cup winners and see that there have been major moves to help them get there. The Florida Panthers traded a great player in Jonathan Huberdeau to get Matthew Tkachuk while the Vegas Golden Knights traded some big pieces to get Jack Eichel. There are no guarantees, but management taking the risk (while not being reckless) can send ripples throughout the lineup.
Main Photo Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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