With the 4 Nations Face-Off finished, the focus around the NHL is back on the trade deadline, which is just two weeks away on March 7.
The Carolina Hurricanes made what looked like the year’s biggest splash back in January when they acquired Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche in a three-team trade. But amid a slow start for the Finnish star in Carolina and no new contract in place, the Canes could be inclined to flip Rantanen before they risk losing him for nothing in the summer.
“The Canes pulled off the blockbuster deal almost exactly one month ago, snatching Rantanen from Colorado on Jan. 24. One month later, they haven’t come to an agreement on an extension. Rantanen’s production has slipped in Carolina, too, with just two points in six games – even if his underlying numbers suggest he’s played just as well (or better!). Carolina won’t be afraid to flip him if they can’t extend him, and the closer we get to March 7 without a deal, the more likely it is. Chicago already retained half, so Carolina could knock Rantanen down to just a $2.313 million cap hit for the remainder of this season if they wanted. Juicy!”
Carolina sent forwards Marin Necas and Jack Drury along with a second-round pick and a fourth-round pick to Colorado for Rantanen. If they do decide to move him again before the trade deadline, the Hurricanes would likely be looking for players who can help them win in the short-term and who are under control moving forward.
Canucks sign Kevin Lankinen to five-year contract extension
The Vancouver Canucks announced on Friday that they’ve come to terms with goaltender Kevin Lankinen on a five-year contract extension worth $4.5 million annually.
This is quite the raise for Lankinen, who agreed to a one-year, $875k deal with the Canucks in September after attending the team’s training camp as a professional tryout. The 29-year-old netminder has posted a .905 save percentage over 34 games for Vancouver this season.
“You don’t need to be thrilled with the fact that the Canucks handed out this kind of money to a relatively unproven starting goaltender who will turn 30 in April. But you do need to recognize that somebody had to stop pucks for the Canucks, and what was once a position of strength has quickly turned into one of the Canucks’ most significant uncertainties.Clearly, you can’t rely on Thatcher Demko’s body to hold up anymore. You definitely can’t confidently say Arturs Silovs is ready to be an NHL starter. And while prospects like Nikita Tolopilo, Ty Young, and Aku Koskenvuo certainly have some upside, none of those three — outside of maybe Tolopilo — are ready to start NHL games just yet.So where does all that leave the Canucks? With the realization that they were going to need to sign or trade for a starting goaltender this offseason. And as we’ve seen recently, the cost of doing that isn’t cheap.Lankinen’s five-year deal at $4.5 million annually is right on par with what other mid-tier starters around the NHL have been getting paid over the last little while. Mackenzie Blackwood (five years at $5.25 million) and Joey Daccord (five years at $5 million) immediately come to mind.”
After being passed over in the NHL draft, Lankinen performed well for HIFK Helsinki in Finland’s top league and eventually inked a two-year, entry-level contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in May of 2018. He put his name on the map as a prospect the following spring when he led Finland to a gold medal at the World Hockey Championships with a .942 save percentage in eight games.
Lankinen made 69 appearances with the rebuilding Blackhawks between 2021 and 2021-22 and posted a .901 save percentage. He joined the Nashville Predators on a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent and impressed with a .916 save percentage in 19 games in 2022-23. He got another one-year deal in Nashville for 2023-24 and he put up a .908 save percentage in 24 games. All told, Lankinen has a .905 save percentage across 146 NHL games.
