Carolina Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky is explaining his reasons for pushing for Mikko Rantanen, in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche. Carolina engaged in a trade with the Avalanche, as well as Chicago on Friday. The end result is that Rantanen is now a Hurricane.

In return, Carolina had to lose two players in Martin Necas and Jack Drury.

“They were two really big pieces of this team, and it was not easy to give them up,” Tulsky said, per The Athletic. “I think the way Marty plays off the rush is going to be an incredible fit there. And he may put up a ton of points there. And Jack is a fantastic player and a fantastic person and was a huge part of our locker room. That’s going to be a real loss. Those things aren’t easy. And we wouldn’t do it lightly. There are not many players in the league we would give up pieces like that for.

“But when you have a chance to acquire a player like Mikko, you have to be willing to stretch.”

The Hurricanes are hoping to push for a Stanley Cup final appearance. The club has a 30-16-4 record, and sits in second place in the Eastern Conference's Metropolitan Division.

Hurricanes are gambling on Mikko Rantanen to lead them to glory

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Rantanen did just about everything while he was a member of the Colorado Avalanche, including lead the team to a Stanley Cup. Carolina now wants him to do the same thing for them. The Hurricanes last won the championship in 2006, and haven't had the rich success of other franchises in the NHL.

Tulsky is in many ways now tied to Rantanen. The Hurricanes general manager got the job on a full-time basis before the 2024-25 season, and the success of this trade will have a lasting impact on the GM's tenure.

“Eric is ready for this opportunity,” Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon said when Tulsky was hired, per NHL.com. “He has a proven history of managing people and overseeing operations both outside of hockey and over the last decade with the Hurricanes. His dedication, work ethic and attention to detail make him the ideal candidate to become our next general manager. Everything we do here is collaborative, and Eric will work closely with (assistant) Darren Yorke, (coach) Rod Brind'Amour and our leadership team to continue building a championship-caliber hockey club.”

Time will prove if that prediction is correct. Rantanen and the Hurricanes next play the New York Rangers on Tuesday.