NHL insider Elliotte Friedman has drawn a parallel between the Chicago Blackhawks’ role in the Mikko Rantanen trade and the Utah Jazz’s involvement in the Luka Doncic deal in the NBA.
Friedman highlighted in Thursday’s “32 Thoughts” column how both teams were kept in the dark about the full scope of the transactions.
“The NBA’s Utah Jazz were the middleman in the massive Doncic deal,” Friedman wrote, referring to the information revealed by ESPN. “Tim MacMahon (along with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne) reported that Jazz president Danny Ainge didn’t know Doncic nor Anthony Davis were involved ‘until about an hour before it was completed. But by then it was too late to do much about it.’
“Kind of funny it happened a week after the Blackhawks were criticized for not getting more out of eating part of Rantanen’s salary.”
Friedman noted that, like Ainge in Utah, Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson was unaware of key details when agreeing to retain 50% of Rantanen’s salary in the three-team trade that sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes, something that drew criticism.
The secrecy, Friedman explained, was intentional from Carolina’s and Colorado’s side of the trade as the two main parties involved in it and those swapping superstar players.
“One thing everyone understood: GM Kyle Davidson wasn’t told specifics because Colorado demanded secrecy from Carolina,” Friedman wrote. “A couple of executives said that, in this situation, you know what you’re being asked to retain, so you’re guessing who it could be.
“They bet Davidson was given a higher number than actually needed, to make it harder to guess who it was. Apparently, that’s a regular tactic.”
In the NBA, the Lakers got Doncic, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris from the Mavericks while sending Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a protected 2029 first-round draft pick the other way. Meanwhile, the Jazz landed Jalen Hood-Schifino from Los Angeles along with two second-round picks in the 2025 draft.
The Blackhawks ultimately received a third-round pick from Carolina in exchange for retaining Rantanen’s salary, while the Avalanche acquired Jack Drury, Martin Necas, and two draft picks in return. Carolina also landed Taylor Hall from Chicago.
