Inside Taylor Hall’s and Mikko Rantanen’s (very) different experiences being traded to Carolina

Taylor Hall and Mikko Rantanen (Imagn Images)

Credit: Imagn Images

Whether an NHL player has been traded five times or is experiencing it for the first time, everyone handles these situations differently.

One of the biggest blockbusters in recent memory went down on Friday night between the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, and Chicago Blackhawks, with Taylor Hall and Mikko Rantanen becoming Hurricanes and Martin Necas and Jack Drury heading to Colorado. For Hall, it wasn’t the first time he was involved in a big trade like this, but for Rantanen, who’s going through this for the first time, the feeling is unfamiliar.

Hall was preparing for a home game against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday night when the news broke. He was playing soccer alongside his teammates when, out of nowhere, Pat Maroon (who was supposed to be scratched) joined the game of sewerball.

“Someone from the organization told Pat to get ready to play, and that was kind of my mental cue that I might not be playing that night,” Hall told Daily Faceoff. “Everyone was like, ‘Well someone’s getting dealt,’ and I was like ‘It’s probably me.’ Then sure enough, they took me out of the game and told me I got traded. It’s funny how it works. You’re getting ready to play a game and then all of the sudden you’re not anymore. The next morning, you’re on a flight — things happen quickly, but I’m excited to be here.”

Rantanen was surprised by the trade, but he didn’t seem too worried about figuring everything out. His main priority is finding a place to stay in Raleigh once the team gets back in town and then getting his long-term girlfriend to pack some stuff up and get her down there as well.

There are other little things to navigate like leaving a group chat and joining a new one when you go from one team to the next. It’s probably not something fans think about much, but it’s always funny to hear from the players how they handle these situations. For Rantanen, it was no different.

“I sent a text to the group chat thanking everybody — telling them how much I love everybody there, all the guys,” he said. “I think that happens, I’ve seen it before, you send a text and then you’re out. Then you’re in a new group text with the new team, that’s how it goes. I haven’t sent anything yet, but at some point, I will.”

Everyone knows how much hockey players love their nicknames, but when a player introduces himself to a new group, the nickname stuff can get a bit awkward. After spending 10 years with one organization, it would be unusual for Rantanen to be called something else.

“They asked me about it, and I rarely say what the fans called me in Colorado,” Rantanen said. “I don’t want to bring it up myself, but I think some guys have already heard about it. Some guys are calling me ‘Moose’ or whatever, but it’s whatever guys prefer. I didn’t tell them to call me Moose because — you know [he said chuckling], if they want to do it they’ll do it, but otherwise, they can call me by first name.”

The concerns of a 33-year-old vs. a 28-year-old in the days after a major trade might not be apples to apples.
Not only does Hall now have to worry about playing hockey, but there are some other real-life decisions and priorities that need to be taken care of as he transitions to a new team.

“With the CBA, there’s a ton of stuff that we’re entitled to and the team that trades for you is on the hook for it,” Hall told Daily Faceoff. “Moving expenses, shipping two cars — teams will either have a service that they have dealt with before, or they just say ‘Go get it done and give us the bill after.’ Usually that’s what teams do.

“To be honest with you, I bet 15-20 years ago it was a lot harder, but now — I texted a guy — a contact that someone gave me in the room for homes that are for sale that haven’t sold, so I’ve rented a house that’s going on the market. I never even called the guy; it was just over text message, so it’s pretty easy. My wife’s really good about it, too; we’ve already called and set up utilities and cable and all of that shit, so — she’s still in Chicago, but we’re getting all of our stuff moved during the bye week. It’s actually pretty good timing that we have this break coming up. Obviously, I’m not going to play like those guys are (at the 4 Nations Face-Off), so I have a bit of time to get all that stuff sorted and move in. To be honest, it’s not that bad, and maybe it helps that I’ve been through it before, but it’s pretty seamless.”

Hall is an upcoming UFA, so the trade wasn’t out of the blue for him, but change isn’t always easy, and it can take time to feel comfortable in a new spot. Not only does he have to focus on himself, but he also has to figure out accommodation for his wife and one-year-old baby.

“I have a one-year-old, so there’s no schooling, it’s just more about getting everyone comfortable,” he said. “I have a dog that’s too big to bring on a normal plane, so we’re gonna have to get him driven to Raleigh at some point — you know, just little stuff like that. We have family that helps out a lot, and you really need people in your corner with stuff like this that can help you out.”

As fans, we often forget what these players are going through when they get traded to a new team. They still deal with the human emotion of trying to get comfortable during a time of change. “

You probably think you’re comfortable, then a couple of weeks go by, and you’re like, ‘OK, now I’m really feeling like I’ve been here for a while’, so it’s not something that just happens overnight, and it helps that I’ve been through it before,” Hall said. “I was kind of expecting a trade to happen, so I was able to process it emotionally a bit before it happened.”

As a teammate, Hall also understands how different this situation might be for Rantanen, who hasn’t had to think about some of these logistics before.

“For Mikko, it’s a little bit more difficult,” Hall said. “He was there for 10 years, and I think it was a bit more shocking — and it’s his first time. There’s a lot that goes into it, and sometimes you see a player, and you don’t really know the full story of what’s going on. That’s the business, and that’s why we get paid the big bucks.”

Even if they’re at different stages of life, one thing that Hall and Rantanen both have in common is getting adjusted to new teammates.

“It’s fun to just kind of sit back and see who the funny guys are, who the quiet guys are, who the guys are that say things under their breath that make you laugh,” Hall said. “It’s just interesting to sit back and feel your way through it. It’s a really good group of guys. There are a lot of established players, but you can tell that they’re very welcoming to anyone new.”

While Hall is still doing his investigating, Rantanen seems to have already found out who the jokesters are.

“You’ve got to see how guys are, but I can tell that [Jordan] Martinook and [Seth] Jarvis are the ones to throw jokes at each other and other guys, that’s something I’ve noticed.”

The Hurricanes added two lethal pieces to their forward group. Rantanen and Hall are guys that have turned this team into an elite Stanley Cup contender. It might take them time to settle in, but once they do — watch out.

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Inside Taylor Hall’s and Mikko Rantanen’s (very) different experiences being traded to Carolina

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