Eric Tulsky Steered Carolina Hurricanes Roster Into Game 1 Run
The carolina hurricanes roster reached the Stanley Cup Final with four key players tied to the failed Mikko Rantanen chase, and Carolina now opens the series against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at Lenovo Center. It is the Hurricanes' first trip to the Final since they won their first championship in 2006.
Eric Tulsky’s Aggressive Approach
Eric Tulsky said the organization did not want to pass on a chance to add a high-end player. "Fundamentally, we want to be aggressive, right?" he said. "We never want to get worried about the what-ifs."
That approach ran through a stretch that included Rantanen and Mitch Marner. Carolina talked to Toronto about Marner, but he declined to waive his no-trade clause before landing with Vegas in a sign-and-trade deal with the Maple Leafs on July 1, 2025.
Rantanen’s Short Carolina Stay
The Rantanen move came in a three-team trade that also involved the Chicago Blackhawks. Carolina got Rantanen and Taylor Hall, while also receiving Hall and forward prospect Nils Juntorp from Chicago. Colorado received Jack Drury and Martin Necas, along with a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from Carolina.
The Blackhawks retained 50 percent of Rantanen's $9.25 million salary to help facilitate the trade and received a third-round pick in the 2025 draft from Carolina. Rantanen's run in Carolina lasted 13 games, and the team began shopping him with the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline approaching on March 7.
Four Names In The Mix
Those moves left four key players in Carolina's lineup connected at least tangentially to the failed Rantanen pursuit: Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven, Nikolaj Ehlers and K'Andre Miller. Jaccob Slavin said on Stanley Cup Final Media Day on Monday, "It’s obviously worked out well for us," and added, "If ‘Rants’ were still here, I’m sure he’d be helping our team in unbelievable ways, too. He’s not, these guys are here and it’s something (that) they fit in so well here."
Carolina's roster now carries the trace of those missed swings into Game 1 against Vegas. The group the Hurricanes have on hand is the one that pushed them back to the Final, and the names attached to the Rantanen chase are part of why the lineup looks the way it does on Tuesday.
