Around the NHL: Hurricanes may flip Rantanen, Blackhawks’ Jones prefers trade to contender, Canucks extend Lankinen for $22.5M

NHL hockey is back, as the league returned to action last weekend, fresh off a great 4 Nations Face-Off event. The two-week tournament captivated audiences all over the world, and kudos to the players for buying in.

The NHL didn’t waste anytime jumping right back into action with 24 games combined Saturday and Sunday. The action on the ice is one thing, but there’s lots going on off the ice as well. The trade deadline is set for March 7, and with less than two weeks for general managers to complete deals, it should be a busy week ahead.

Here’s the latest buzz from around the NHL:

Rantanen asks for more time to review Hurricanes’ offer

Mikko Rantanen was blindsided by the trade from the Colorado Avalanche, and while he’s on a contending team with the Carolina Hurricanes, that hasn’t completely sold him to this point. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Rantanen has been offered a nine-digit long-term extension from the Hurricanes, but instead of signing on the dotted line just a couple of weeks after landing in Carolina, he’s asked for more time to review the offer.

The Hurricanes are expected to listen to trade offers on Rantanen without an extension completed before next Friday’s deadline. Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky would hate to lose Rantanen for nothing in the summer if ends up walking, so it will be very interesting to follow what the Hurricanes decide to do should Rantanen remain unsigned.

Rantanen has appeared in seven games with Carolina, scoring once and adding two assists. He’s averaging 20:10 of ice-time per game so far with the ‘Canes, 2:19 less than he was seeing with the Avs earlier in the year.

The interesting tidbit about any Rantanen trade is his contract. The Chicago Blackhawks were involved in the initial trade and retained 50% of the remainder of his contract. The Hurricanes would be dealing the talented winger with just a $4.62 million cap hit, allowing for more teams to get involved before the deadline. Carolina holds Stanley Cup aspirations this season, so look for Tulsky to acquire proven top-six talent if he winds up flipping Rantanen.

Seth Jones prefers trade to contender

According to Ben Pope of The Chicago Sun-Times, Seth Jones has approached Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson about the possibility of a trade to a contending team. Jones feels a change of scenery is something that would bode well for his game, as he’s not interested in sticking around for a long rebuild.

Jones is in the fifth year of an eight-year, $9.50 million AAV contract and holds a full no-movement clause. Entering Sunday’s matchup with the Maple Leafs, the 30-year-old right-handed defenceman had registered 26 points in 39 games for the Blackhawks this season.

Jones admitted he understands his contract will be hard to move. Davidson as mentioned, is retaining half of Rantanen’s salary and $2 million of Jake McCabe’s salary for the rest of this season. The Blackhawks don’t have any other retention on the books.

It’s likely the Blackhawks want NHL talent in return and not a trade package full of draft picks and prospects. They’ll have a lottery pick as it is considering where they sit in the standings, and Davidson would like to expedite the rebuild as much as possible for the 2025-26 season.

As far as potential teams, the Maple Leafs aren’t a likely destination, even with Jones at $4.75 million. The Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets seem like potential landing spots.

Canucks sign Kevin Lankinen to $4.5 million AAV

The Vancouver Canucks have made some interesting moves this season and this one certainly ranks up there, as the team announced they’ve extended 29-year-old goaltender Kevin Lankinen on a five-year deal, worth $22.5 million.

The first two years of Lankinen’s new contract carries a full no-movement clause. Lankinen appeared in 35 games for the Canucks, posting a 19-9-7 record, along with a 2.52 goals against average, and .907 save percentage. The extension caught many by surprise, including Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin: