Rantanen, Hall eager to fit in, fuel Stanley Cup run with Hurricanes

ELMONT, N.Y. -- Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall were essentially strangers to one another when they arrived at UBS Arena on Saturday, two veteran forwards who played on different teams the past decade.

Now they’re teammates, each acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a three-team trade Friday with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks, aiming to potentially be the last pieces to get Carolina over the hump in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Their backgrounds are vastly different -- Rantanen, 28, had played the entirety of his NHL career with the Avalanche, 619 regular-season games and another 81 in the playoffs since playing his first full season in 2016-17 and helping them win the Stanley Cup in 2021-22; Hall, 33, was the No. 1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2010 NHL Draft and had already played for six teams prior to Saturday.

“I just met him this morning as we were kind of all meeting the guys at the same time,” Hall said after each made his Hurricanes debut in a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. “This is a really established group; they’ve played together for a long time.

“When new guys come in, it’s kind of our job to fit in and it’s our job to make the group better any way we can. Mikko’s an unbelievable player and he’s going to figure it out. It’s more just emotional for him. When you’re with a team for so long, it doesn’t just happen overnight, as much as you want it to. As much as there’s some good Finnish dudes here, it’s going to take some time for him. But the best part is actually just playing the games. You don’t have to think about it.”

Rantanen admitted he spent a lot of time staring at the ceiling Friday night. The goal celebrations with the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are no more. The bonds he made are likely unbreakable, but now it’s time to make new ones in his new home.

“Finding out last night, not a lot of sleep,” Rantanen said. “Obviously, a lot of emotions going through [my head]. It was 10 years in Colorado, you know? It was a long time. Maybe that was the hardest [part]. But I felt pretty good. Obviously, it’s going to get better for sure. But I think there’s a lot of good players around here and the system is good, so we should be good.

“It was obviously a weird 24 hours for sure. Everything happened quick. It was surprising a little bit, but I’m obviously excited to be here. It’s a very good team; a lot of good players and the setup here is really good, so I’m excited to be a part of it for sure.”

Rantanen, who eclipsed 100 points in each of the previous two seasons and had 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 49 games prior to the trade, was placed in the starting lineup in his Hurricanes debut on the right wing alongside countryman Sebastian Aho. Rantanen did not have a shot on goal in the first period but started to jell with Aho as the game progressed and finished with five shots in 18:54 of ice time.

The two will also represent Finland together at the 4 Nations Face-Off, which will be held from Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

“I think it’s only going to get better,” Rantanen said. “We haven’t played together in 10 years, probably the last time in juniors somewhere. But he’s a good player, a very smart player and easy to play with, so hopefully we can get the chemistry building and get some offense going.”

Hall arrives after providing a veteran presence for 19-year-old Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks (15-28-5), who are 15th in the Western Conference. He enjoyed his time in Chicago but is excited to be in a playoff race.

“I love ‘Bedsy,’” Hall said of Bedard, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. “He’s such a good kid. I’m going to miss just chatting with him. I really enjoyed the mentor aspect of that relationship, but as we became friends I didn’t really look at myself as a mentor. He was just a buddy of mine and I enjoyed our time together.

“I think the sky’s the limit for him not only as a player, but just as a leader and as the guy going forward for that team.”

That being said, Carolina provides Hall another chance at what has thus far been an elusive championship. Saturday was his 879th regular-season game, but he’s played 39 NHL playoff games over 15 seasons, including 2017-18 when he won the Hart Trophy as League MVP after carrying the New Jersey Devils on his back to the postseason.

Besides the Oilers, Devils and Blackhawks, Hall has also played for the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and now the Hurricanes.

“I’ve been in the playoffs before and had a little bit of success, but you still have that strong desire as your career goes on,” Hall said. “You never know how many years you have left, so to have a chance at a deep playoff run and hopefully something special with this group, it’s something that I’ve really been excited for. I look forward to kind of building my own game into what the group needs and however I can contribute.

“You never start your career thinking you’re going to play for seven teams, especially if you go as high in the draft as I did. But it’s just kind of the way it’s gone. I do think about it and it’s not the way I expected, but I think that a lot of guys, this is how their careers go. There’s a very select few players that get to play with one, two teams. As good a player as Mikko is, [he was traded]. … I’d love for this to be the last [stop]. I’m tired of moving around.”

And the Hurricanes (30-16-4) are tired of not playing deep into the spring. They have made the playoffs in six straight seasons but have not reached the last round, losing in the Eastern Conference Final in 2019 and 2023.

Rantanen has seen the pinnacle and is optimistic he can help.

“I think the mentality in the group is very good,” he said. “You can tell they’ve been in the playoffs every year and there’s good standards. In the playoffs, it’s small, little things that can decide a series, so it just hasn’t gone this team’s way yet. But I think with the experience they have, hopefully I can help when we get there.”