The New Jersey Devils are eyeing Carolina Hurricanes star Mikko Rantanen in what could be one of the biggest moves before the trade deadline.
But there’s a catch – it all depends on Jack Hughes’ injury status.
The potential deal faces some pretty big hurdles. For starters, these teams could meet in the first round of the playoffs if the season ended today. Not many teams want to strengthen their possible playoff opponents.
Rantanen would be a massive upgrade for the Devils’ offense. He’s got more points this season than Ondřej Palát and Dawson Mercer combined, which shows just how much firepower he’d bring to New Jersey’s top six.
The Finnish forward isn’t just about scoring. He’s got a physical edge to his game that could help boost the Devils’ 14th-ranked offense.
These teams don’t exactly have a rich trading history. They’ve only made two deals since 2019 – sending Sami Vatanen to Carolina in 2020 and a minor-league swap last year involving Zack Hayes and Jonathan Dugan.
The money could work if the Devils put Hughes on long-term injured reserve. But that’s just one piece of a very complicated puzzle.
Here’s the real sticking point: Why would Carolina trade one of their best players to a team they might face in the playoffs? Unless the Hurricanes have given up on their Stanley Cup hopes this year – which seems unlikely – this deal probably stays in the “what if” category.
The Devils might have to look elsewhere to boost their lineup for a playoff push. But in the NHL, you never know what might happen as the trade deadline gets closer.
