For one, Brind’Amour is pairing his two best players by putting them on a line together. Aho has led the Hurricanes in scoring in six of the last seven seasons, and Rantanen was a superstar in Colorado, logging more minutes than any forward in the league since the start of the 2021-22 season.

After a blockbuster trade late Friday, Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall made their Carolina Hurricanes debuts in the team’s overtime road loss at the New York Islanders.

The Carolina Hurricanes traded for Mikko Rantanen, and, in a perfect world, would love to keep him around long-term. If they're able to extend him, several of their current players won't be back in 2026.

BOTTOM LINE: The Carolina Hurricanes face the New York Rangers in Metropolitan Division play on Tuesday. New York has a 6-7-0 record in Metropolitan Division games and a 24-21-4 record overall. The Rangers have scored and allowed 148 goals this season for an even scoring differential.

In a three-team blockbuster NHL trade, the Carolina Hurricanes added two key forwards from Colorado and Chicago.

The Carolina Hurricanes just pulled off the biggest trade in franchise history. In a three-team trade between Carolina, the Colorado Avalanche and the Chicago Blackhawks the Hurricanes took a swing for the fences.

New York Islanders ride three-game winning streak into Saturday night matchup versus Mikko Rantanen and the Carolina Hurricanes

Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2025 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and insight from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7.

Welcome back to NHL Predictions here at Last Word on Hockey, where we preview and predict the upcoming slate of NHL games around the league each day. This article will preview and predict the matchup between the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Islanders.

The Wisconsin Badgers made the top 12 schools for top-ranked class of 2026 offensive tackle Carter Scruggs on Sunday. The Badgers cracked Scruggs’ list of finalists alongside Oregon, Oklahoma, USC, Clemson, Michigan, Alabama, Virginia Tech, Miami, Penn State, South Carolina and Georgia.

The up-and-down Boston Bruins remain squarely on a crowded playoff bubble in the Eastern Conference. Team president Cam Neely has acknowledged that a “retool” could be on the table between now and the March 7 trade deadline.