Canucks and Hurricanes talked trade before Friday’s blockbuster Mikko Rantanen trade: reports

The Avalanche managed to get assets for a player in Rantanen who they may have been unable to sign as the 28-year-old gets set to test unrestricted free agency this summer. For the Canes, they bolster an already impressive lineup with a high-end point-producer in Rantanen, as he’s already up to 64 points through 49 games this season.

And for Chicago… well, they’re a part of this trade. By giving up Taylor Hall (who also heads to Carolina), and retaining 50% of Rantanen’s contract, the Blackhawks walked away with a *checks notes* third round pick. What on earth are they doing? Free Connor and bring him home.

Now, as always: the Canucks angle on this.

There were rumblings this afternoon that something was brewing with the Canucks a day after yet another embarrassing loss, this one to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. The Hurricanes were also mentioned as one of the teams interested in trading for Canucks forward JT Miller, with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reporting that the Canes were one of the teams with permission to talk to Miller, whose contract features a full no-move clause.

It feels safe to assume that the Canes are no longer interested in trading for Miller after today’s deal with the Avs. According to multiple reports, the Canucks were active in talks with the Canes today, and according to some, were seeking Necas in a trade for Miller.

Later, Friedman reported that the Canes were in talks with the Canucks about both Miller and Elias Pettersson in separate deals before ultimately deciding to acquire Rantanen.

Will the Canucks make a move soon? There’s certainly been plenty of smoke and noise around this team for a while now, and their recent stretch of games hasn’t inspired confidence that this core, as currently constructed, will be able to turn this around on their own.