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Canes Trade for Rantanen, Hall

Buccigross weighs in. In it, he clearly shows why he’s so bad at his job. He clearly didn’t pay attention to Tulsky’s multiple interviews where he says he’ll have $35-40 million of cap space, and he suggests that even if the Canes need to trade Svech to make it work, they would. What is his problem with Svech? We know he can’t pronounce it properly, he can’t spell it right either..


View: https://x.com/buccigross/status/1883327278202958122?s=61&t=ZT8KDHkGMyk7V3JAuh5_ag
 
It's not just Bucci. 90% of the guys who cover the NHL nationally don't understand how the freaking Cap works or that all but 3-4 teams will spend to the Cap ... or beyond. They often talk about money without any real handle on current contract commitments, which is just so freaking stupid. It's why I pay VERY little attention to whatever the vast majority of these chumps have to say about basically anything.
 
jeffbear said:
It's not just Bucci. 90% of the guys who cover the NHL nationally don't understand how the freaking Cap works or that all but 3-4 teams will spend to the Cap ... or beyond. They often talk about money without any real handle on current contract commitments, which is just so freaking stupid. It's why I pay VERY little attention to whatever the vast majority of these chumps have to say about basically anything.
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They don’t need to understand how the cap works, they need to pay attention to what’s going on in the sport they cover. Tulsky spent all day yesterday telling everyone that put a microphone in his face that he had $35-40 million available next year. Wyshynski had it in his story on espn.com. Bucci is one of the main hockey voices on an NHL rights holder but wasn't paying attention to the voices around him, even those on his own network.
 
The overall TV landscape for hockey talking heads is just bad— Messier and Subban? Stevie Levy and Bucci? Kevin Weeks keeps them all honest and Capt Cally is respectable and that’s because those guys are plugged in and aren’t resting on their laurels.
 
Habsy said:
Mike Johnson is another good one
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Where is he?

Brendan Burke is a decent play by play guy but he’s on TNT’s B team behind Albert and Olczyk. He’s the Islanders primary guy.
SlapShots said:
The overall TV landscape for hockey talking heads is just bad— Messier and Subban? Stevie Levy and Bucci? Kevin Weeks keeps them all honest and Capt Cally is respectable and that’s because those guys are plugged in and aren’t resting on their laurels.
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ESPN created a clown show in the studio with Subban and Messier. On TNT, McHugh is a decent ringmaster, their show is really elevated with Lundqvist is in the studio.
 
andyt said:
They don’t need to understand how the cap works, they need to pay attention to what’s going on in the sport they cover. Tulsky spent all day yesterday telling everyone that put a microphone in his face that he had $35-40 million available next year. Wyshynski had it in his story on espn.com. Bucci is one of the main hockey voices on an NHL rights holder but wasn't paying attention to the voices around him, even those on his own network.
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I just point out the Cap thing because it's SO BASIC.

And Wyshynski is a good example of what's wrong with national coverage. He knows a lot about roster management and how various teams go about their business and has written a metric ton of fairly smart stuff over the years and then WHAM ... he gets a job at ESPN and suddenly he talks like every other narrative obsessed dingbat who is more concerned with storylines than simply commenting on what's happening in front of him. And yeah, every so often he drops the act and betrays that he has a brain, but it's fleetingly rare these days.
 
andyt said:
Where is he?

Brendan Burke is a decent play by play guy but he’s on TNT’s B team behind Albert and Olczyk. He’s the Islanders primary guy.

ESPN created a clown show in the studio with Subban and Messier. On TNT, McHugh is a decent ringmaster, their show is really elevated with Lundqvist is in the studio.
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TSN
 
I had some fun with DeepSeek and received the new Chinese AI tool’s assessment of the deal:
### Evaluation of the Trade:

#### **For the Carolina Hurricanes:**
- **Pros:**
- **Elite Talent Acquisition:** Mikko Rantanen is a superstar winger, and with 50% salary retention by Chicago, his cap hit becomes a more manageable $4.625 million. This is an incredible value for a player of his caliber.
- **Taylor Hall Addition:** Hall is a proven top-six forward who can contribute offensively and bring veteran leadership. His $6 million AAV is reasonable for a player of his skill level.
- **Rights to Nils Juntorp:** While Juntorp is a lesser-known prospect, he adds depth to the Hurricanes’ pipeline and could develop into a useful player in the future.
- **Win-Now Move:** This trade makes the Hurricanes an immediate Stanley Cup contender, as Rantanen and Hall significantly bolster their offensive firepower.

- **Cons:**
- **Cost of Acquisition:** The Hurricanes give up Martin Necas, a young and dynamic forward with significant upside, as well as Jack Drury, a promising center. Losing these players could hurt their depth in the short and long term.
- **Draft Capital:** Surrendering a second-round pick in 2025 and a fourth-round pick in 2026 weakens their ability to replenish their prospect pool in the coming years.

#### **For the Colorado Avalanche:**
- **Pros:**
- **Martin Necas:** Necas is a talented, young forward with top-six potential. He can contribute immediately and has room to grow into a more prominent role.
- **Jack Drury:** Drury is a solid two-way center who adds depth to the Avalanche’s forward group. He’s a reliable player who can play in various situations.
- **Draft Picks:** The 2025 second-round pick and 2026 fourth-round pick provide additional assets for the Avalanche to use in future drafts or trades.
- **Cap Flexibility:** Moving Rantanen’s $9.25 million AAV frees up significant cap space, allowing the Avalanche to address other roster needs.

- **Cons:**
- **Losing a Franchise Player:** Rantanen is one of the best players in the NHL, and his departure leaves a massive hole in the Avalanche’s top six. It’s difficult to replace his production and impact.
- **No Top Prospect in Return:** While Necas and Drury are valuable, the Avalanche don’t receive a blue-chip prospect in this deal, which could limit their long-term upside.

#### **For the Chicago Blackhawks:**
- **Pros:**
- **Salary Retention:** Retaining 50% of Rantanen’s salary ($4.625 million) helps facilitate the trade and allows the Blackhawks to acquire assets without taking on additional salary.
- **Third-Round Pick:** Reacquiring their own 2025 third-round pick gives the Blackhawks an additional asset to use in their rebuild.
- **No Long-Term Commitments:** The Blackhawks don’t take on any bad contracts or lose significant assets in this deal.

- **Cons:**
- **Limited Return:** The Blackhawks only receive a third-round pick in this trade, which is a modest return for retaining 50% of Rantanen’s salary and trading Taylor Hall. They might have been able to extract more value in a different deal.
- **Losing Nils Juntorp:** While Juntorp is not a top-tier prospect, he still has some potential, and the Blackhawks give up his rights without receiving significant compensation.

---

### Overall Assessment:
- **Carolina Hurricanes:** This trade is a clear win-now move that significantly boosts their Stanley Cup chances. Rantanen and Hall make their offense one of the most dangerous in the league, and the salary retention on Rantanen is a huge win. However, losing Necas and Drury could hurt their depth in the long term.
- **Colorado Avalanche:** This trade is a mixed bag for the Avalanche. While they acquire a talented young player in Necas and a reliable center in Drury, losing Rantanen is a massive blow to their roster. The draft picks help, but the lack of a top prospect in return is a notable downside.
- **Chicago Blackhawks:** The Blackhawks don’t get much in return for their involvement in this trade. While they facilitate the deal and reacquire a third-round pick, they might have been able to get more for retaining salary and trading Hall.

---

### Final Thoughts:
This trade heavily favors the **Carolina Hurricanes**, who acquire two elite players without giving up a top prospect or a first-round pick. The **Colorado Avalanche** take a step back in the short term but gain some valuable assets for the future. The **Chicago Blackhawks** come out as the clear losers in this scenario, as they don’t receive enough value for their contributions to the deal.

If you’d like to tweak the framework further or explore another scenario, let me know!
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Juntorp is buried IIRC in like the 3rd Swedish league or something, and losing a 2nd and 4th won't hurt us; but it's better than 50% of the takes on Facebook! :ROFLMAO:
 
polarbare said:
Juntorp is buried IIRC in like the 3rd Swedish league or something, and losing a 2nd and 4th won't hurt us; but it's better than 50% of the takes on Facebook! :ROFLMAO:
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Yeah, good luck to Cmal finding info on him. But it can’t be any worse than getting game data on the 30 Russians.

Juntorp has played 3 games for Vasteras in the top league. And maybe Cam Abbott worked his Swedish sources to get more info on him.
 
On the pod I put it like this.
I've been asking to trade Necas for years knowing his potential upside that I didn't think we'd ever reach in Carolina. We saw glimpses of it early this year then he absolutely hit a wall for a while. Additionally, I don't think we had any chance to re-sign Necas after next year, so mentally, I think he had a bag packed and a foot out the door so transitioning to a balls to the wall offense was super easy for him as he has so much less to worry about.
Rantanen however was obviously shocked at the trade and is having to learn a system that requires a lot more from him that he had previously. Hi mindset is likely a complete 180 to Necas and it'll take him a while to get over it and get in the groove here. That being said, he's been so close on 5-6 goals at least that it's just a matter of puck luck and time. Conversely, at some point Necas is gonna hit a pointless skid and we'll see how everyone reacts to that.
 
I'm a strong believer in reversion to mean. In other words, with players who have an adequate body of work, we can see where things are eventually headed based on how they've gone before. Taking the knee-jerk players out of the mix, you can take Aho's season as a good example. Aho has been a remarkably consistent shooter over the course of him NHL career, posting shooting percentages in a tight pattern that averages out just a little above 16%. Thus far in the 24-25 season, Aho is shooting at a 13.5% clip, and was hovering around 10% until his recent hot-ish streak. So what does that tell you about early concerns about Aho "not being able to score without Turbo" or whatever other nonsense was floating around? Just that. It was reactionary nonsense. Aho's going to revert to mean eventually, as his full body of work in the NHL would predict. I'm not a betting man, but I'd be VERY close to willing to wager that Aho will end this season within a point of his career average shooting percentage. Do guys get on season long heaters? All the time. Does that usually extend beyond one season? VERY rarely. Same with slumps.

So what do their substantial careers indicate for Necas and Rantanen? Necas is a human bathroom faucet. He runs hot, he runs cold, and does both in pretty much equal measure. Is it possible for that trend to be modified if he plays in a freer system and gets more ice time? Sure, but within the confines of his usual performance. So maybe his hots will be hotter in Colorado, but you know the drift is inevitable. How about the Moose? His career shooting percentage indicates that 15-16% is his normal range. His current shooting percentage in games with Carolina is 4.8%. Does anyone really, actually, with a straight face think that he's going to carry on converting at half the rate of William Effing Carrier because somebody dared to ask him to backcheck? No? Good. Now can we all knock off acting like it?
 
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