The Chicago Blackhawks today announced that the team has acquired a third-round selection in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Taylor Hall. Chicago will also retain 50 percent of Mikko Rantanen’s salary cap hit as part of the trade.

As Chicago's rebuild moves forward, the three-team blockbuster trade is about the major details, not the minor ones.

Taylor Hall made his Carolina Hurricanes debut on Saturday night. They did their best Chicago Blackhawks impression.

The Hawks will receive a third-round draft pick, but the Hurricanes' acquisition of Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche is the far bigger part of the trade Friday, per reports.

As the third wheel in Friday’s blockbuster deal involving the Colorado Avalanche, Carolina Hurricanes, and superstar forward Mikko Rantanen, the Chicago Blackhawks played kingmaker, agreeing to take on half of Rantanen’s salary cap hit in exchange for a third-round draft choice.

Carolina didn't get the win and Hall didn't get on the scoresheet, but he wasn't invisible either. He lined up on the fourth line with Jack Roslovic and Juha Jaaska and recorded three shots and one hit in 11:36 of ice time.

Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard didn’t hold back his disappointment after learning Taylor Hall had been traded on Friday. The Hawks sent Hall to the Carolina Hurricanes as part of a blockbuster three-team deal in which they only landed a third-round pick in return for Hall. Chicago also retained 50% of Rantanen's salary in the deal.

Getting a 3rd round pick from the Hurricanes gives the Blackhawks nine total selections in the upcoming draft.

The trade is a stunning midseason swap of point-per-game players in their primes, an anomaly in the NHL trade market in the salary-cap era.