Hurricanes nearly made Canucks trade before Mikko Rantanen deal

The Carolina Hurricanes stunned hockey fans with their Mikko Rantanen trade on Friday night. The Hurricanes acquired Rantanen and Taylor Hall in a three-team trade with the Colorado Avalanche and Chicago Blackhawks. With the dust settling a bit, we are learning more about what happened. Among the details coming out is a potential trade with the Vancouver Canucks.

The Hurricanes and Canucks nearly agreed to a deal themselves, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. LeBrun did not name which player Carolina would have acquired in a deal with Vancouver. However, the trade never got over the finish line as the Hurricanes pivoted to the Rantanen deal.

Rantanen is one of the top 10 players in the NHL at this time. In fact, he is the fifth-highest goal scorer and fourth-highest point scorer in the league since 2020-21, according to Evolving Hockey. The Finnish winger is a free agent at the end of this season, though. To this point, Carolina has not agreed to an extension with their new star winger.

Mikko Rantanen trade nixed Hurricanes-Canucks deal

The Hurricanes announced themselves as Stanley Cup contenders on Friday night. Mikko Rantanen is a bonafide superstar and one of the best goal-scorers in the game. However, he was not the only star-level talent Carolina went after. Reports had emerged that the team was also interested in Canucks stars Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller.

Miller was a logical fit for the Hurricanes on the trade front. When on his game, he is an elite talent. Moreover, he was a bit of a better positional fit. He could have slotted in as a second-line center behind Sebastian Aho. However, Carolina decided to go away from Miller and make a trade with the Avalanche.

The Canucks are dealing with a reported rift between Miller and Pettersson in their locker room. As a result, Vancouver is listening to trade offers on both players ahead of the trade deadline in March. It is not clear whether Vancouver will trade either player, but they are doing their due diligence.

The Hurricanes are certainly strong contenders for the Stanley Cup out of the Eastern Conference. Carolina has not won the Stanley Cup since 2006 when they defeated the Edmonton Oilers. In fact, they haven't won a game in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2006.

Rantanen changes the game for the Hurricanes in a major way. Meanwhile, the Canucks continue their search for a trade suitor for one of their stars. Fans should certainly monitor Vancouver as the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline begins appear over the horizon.