The Chicago Blackhawks ended up trading Taylor Hall away. However, there is a source that believes that they tried to keep him.

The first major domino has fallen more than a month before the March 7 trade deadline, with Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall going to the Hurricanes and Martin Necas heading to the Avalanche in a three-team blockbuster,

“Taylor Hall said he had a good sense he was going to be traded to Carolina a couple days before the deal went down. He was playing pregame soccer with Chicago when Pat Maroon — who was supposed to be a scratch — joined the game. That gave the players a cue a deal might be afoot.”

Speaking on the AltitudeTV broadcast during Sunday's game between the Colorado Avalanche and New York Rangers, Jack Drury talked about the massive trade involving $55.

The deal sees Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall go to Carolina and Martin Necas, Jack Drury and draft picks head to Colorado. Chicago gets its own 2025 third-round pick back and takes on half of Rantanen's $9.

The trade also features Martin Necas, a 2025 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick heading to Colorado, while Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall move to Carolina and Chicago retains 50 percent of Rantanen's salary and receives a 2025 third-round pick.

The Carolina Hurricanes had a big shakeup to their roster last night, adding superstar winger Mikko Rantanen and forward Taylor Hall in exchange for Martin Necas and Jack Drury. The two forward made their way to New York today and are in the lineup for the Canes' 7:30 game against the New York Islanders.

The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired veterans Taylor Hall and Mikko Rantanen in deals with the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche.

Hockey fans are going to have to learn how to spell 'Canes' without Necas. Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky pulled off a blockbuster trade that will send forwards Martin Necas and Jack Drury away to the Colorado Avalanche for dynamic forward Mikko Rantanen.

Getting a 3rd round pick from the Hurricanes gives the Blackhawks nine total selections in the upcoming draft.

Drury’s uncle is Chris Drury, who spent four seasons with the Avalanche (1998-02), was a member of the 2001 Stanley Cup championship team and is the current General Manager of the New York Rangers.

The Mikko Rantanen trade undoubtedly ranks among the biggest in the salary cap era, but maybe recency bias plays a role in that perception. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some other blockbuster contenders.