It’s been a few days since the Friday night blockbuster—the trade that sent Mikko Rantanen (RW) and Taylor Hall to the Carolina Hurricanes. Martin Necas (C/RW) and Jack Drury went the other way to the Colorado Avalanche. Now that the dust has begun to settle, I’m here to share my thoughts on the trade and its fantasy hockey impact.
Often, in trades like this, the fantasy hockey impact is felt more by the teams than by the players directly involved in the deal.
Let’s break it down.
Fantasy Hockey Impact:Â Rantanen, Hall to Carolina & Necas, Drury to Colorado
Mikko Rantanen (RW) to Carolina Hurricanes
He is the elite piece in the trade, no question. Losing Nathan MacKinnon (C, Colorado Avalanche) as his linemate will likely impact his production. No disrespect to Sebastian Aho (C, Carolina Hurricanes), but he’s not on the same level. Aho set a career-high in points last year with 89, while MacKinnon tallied 140 and won his first Hart Trophy.
Rantanen is currently on pace for 104 points, which would mark his third consecutive 100-point season.
However, he will be hard-pressed to reach 100 points with Carolina’s ice-time distribution. Aho averages 20:05 per game and has only surpassed 23 minutes per game five times this season. In contrast, Rantanen was heavily relied upon in Colorado, averaging 22:30 per game and surpassing 23 minutes 25 times with the Avalanche. In his first two games with the Hurricanes, he’s averaged just 18:48.
There’s a chance that pairing Rantanen with Aho could push Rod Brind’Amour to lean more heavily on his top line. This will be something to watch.
The real winner here is Aho. As good as Necas has been this year, Rantanen is an upgrade. This should elevate Aho’s game. Currently on pace for 82 points, we should see his points-per-game average begin to climb.
Taylor Hall (LW) to Carolina Hurricanes
Hall bounced up and down the Blackhawks’ lines and never settled into a consistent role this year. His most frequent linemate at five-on-five was Connor Bedard (C), but that accounted for just 19.7% of his five-on-five ice time.
In 46 games with the Blackhawks, Hall produced 24 points (a 43-point pace) while averaging 14:59 per game. In his first game with the Hurricanes, Hall saw just 11:36 of ice time. However, in his second game, he played 18:18, including 1:53 on the power play.
The Hurricanes like to distribute ice time, but I expect Hall to see an increase of at least a minute per game. The caliber of his new teammates should elevate his production levels. Hall has the potential to increase his point projection to the low 50s.
Outside of the deepest fantasy leagues, Hall’s value has been waiver-wire-worthy. This trade slightly upgrades his fantasy value to the fringe of claim-worthiness. In a pinch, he provides decent short-term replacement value, especially when facing injuries. However, I wouldn’t rely on him to push my team over the hump and win a championship.
Martin Necas (RW) to Colorado Avalanche
How do you predict an upswing in production for a guy already on pace for 92 points? Oh, I don’t know… maybe trade him to the Avalanche and pair him with the league leader in points and reigning MVP, currently on pace for 123 points. Add in Cale Makar (D), the most dynamic offensive defenseman in the NHL and a perennial Norris Trophy candidate, and there you have it.
It’s hard to believe the Hurricanes were unable to move Necas this summer. It’s like fantasy hockey played out in real life. Coming off a disappointing season (53 points in 71 games), no team appeared willing to pay Carolina’s price to acquire him.
The Hurricanes’ decision to hold onto Necas looks brilliant in hindsight. Fast-forward to now: Necas is on pace to smash his previous career high of 71 points.
It’s nearly impossible to quantify the emotional fallout from the Rantanen trade. The team reaction was the most somber I’ve seen since the Edmonton Oilers traded Ryan Smyth to the New York Islanders in 2007.
The fantasy hockey impact on Necas should be positive. His 92-point pace appears safe.
Jack Drury (C) to Colorado Avalanche
I like Drury, but that doesn’t make him a valuable fantasy asset.
The fantasy hockey impact of this trade on Drury’s value is negligible. He’s a third/fourth-line center with the ability to chip in some offense. He’s currently owned in just 12% of leagues, and that percentage should remain steady.
Drury is a fantastic streaming option if your league uses faceoff percentage as a category. At 58%, he’s valuable for that stat alone.
Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
MacKinnon himself admitted that losing Rantanen—a close friend of 10 years—could have a short-term impact on his production. It will take a few games to build chemistry with Necas, but it’ll come. Once it does, MacKinnon should return to his usual dominant form.
Fantasy Hockey Impact Summary:
Rantanen: Small hit to his production (5–10 points), primarily due to reduced ice time.
Aho: Uptick in production; Rantanen is an upgrade over Necas.
Hall: Positive impact; projected pace increases from 43 points to 52–57.
Necas: Status quo or a slight five-point bump on his current pace.
Drury: Not fantasy-relevant in most leagues; minimal impact.
MacKinnon: Short-term dip in production before returning to elite status.
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading!
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