The NHL trade deadline is officially over, with more than 30 trades and more than $130 million in money moving around the league.
Here are five takeaways from the conclusion of the deadline.
1. The Mikko Rantanen situation reveals some interesting nuggets about the league and the Carolina Hurricanes
It’s rare in the NHL to see a team trade a guy it acquired earlier in the season via trade. The Canes dealing Rantanen should make you wonder about what’s going on in Carolina that made it so difficult to convince the player to accept a reported record deal.
This could also lead to future copycats willing to take big swings on trades earlier in the season if they know they can repackage the player at the deadline when it’s a feeding frenzy.
2. Is the era of prospect-hugging ending?
More than a few big-name prospects were dealt at this trade deadline. Perhaps no name was bigger than Colorado’s Calum Ritchie, a fast-rising prospect and former first-round pick who isn’t far off from breaking into the NHL.
Peter Baugh of The Athletic, a former Colorado beat reporter, suggested on a recent special episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show” podcast that Colorado was willing to part with Ritchie because it possibly didn’t see a path for him to play in the team’s top six.
