NHL Rumors: Rantanen, Hurricanes, Miller, Canucks, Crosby

In a quick news blog, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that a potential Pettersson trade would have involved Martin Necas, but the Hurricanes weren’t willing to move him in a deal for Miller. Friedman also suggested that the Hurricanes are going to work towards an extension for Rantanen, and with their top forward, Sebastian Aho, having a Finnish connection and having played together in the past, and will again at the 4 Nations Face-Off, he will have a role in helping convince Rantanen to stick around.

Andy Strickland reported that Rantanen was caught off guard by the trade and very upset about it. He also stated that the Avalanche showed very little interest in negotiating a contract with him over the past few months. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun refuted that report, saying that there were conversation talks as recent as this past week and that Rantanen was willing to continue negotiating.

All of that is in the past now, and all four players in the deal, Rantanen, Taylor Hall, Jack Drury, and Necas, are all expected to play for their new clubs on Jan. 25, under 24 hours after being traded.

How Rantanen Trade Impacts Miller Trade Front

The Hurricanes were widely believed to have been the front-runner, or at least right there with the New York Rangers, for Miller. With the report that Necas wasn’t an option for the Canucks in that deal, it seems that the Hurricanes were getting impatient with the impending trade that they went for the bigger fish in Rantanen.

The Rangers are still in the mix, and Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli believes the Boston Bruins are in the mix for the center, but it is safe to say the Hurricanes are out. They could still make another pitch, but the salary for this season would be hard to maneuver.

When it comes to moving Miller, the Rangers are, without a doubt, the leading candidates. Earlier in the week, The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reported that he believes the package the Rangers had on the table included Filip Chytil, Ryan Lindgren, and some draft picks (from “What we’re hearing about the nixed J.T. Miller trade and a new Canucks direction”, The Athletic, Jan. 20, 2025).

A package like that could certainly be on the table still, but Drance said he believes the interrupting factor came down to conditions on draft picks. Now that this information has been reported, other teams could look at this and give Canucks general manager Patrick Allvin a call and sketch up a new offer.

Cold Water Poured on Sidney Crosby Rumors

When it comes to the idea of Crosby getting traded, there are usually only two opinions. Either there is no way he is moving, and he will retire as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins, or he might get traded, and if he does it would be to the Avalanche. The Nova Scotian connection between Crosby and MacKinnon is what causes that link, and it makes sense.

Shortly after the Rantanen trade was announced, Seravalli said that there were other big trades in the works over the last 48 hours, followed by a post from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes with an image of the Pittsburgh skyline. This caused a lot of people to believe that there could be a secondary move in the works to unite Crosby and MacKinnon. Chris Johnston, a reputable insider, posted that unless things change, Crosby is not being traded and the Penguins view him as untouchable. Friedman backed this report up by saying “I know there’s a lot of fan/media hope for Sidney Crosby in Colorado this season, but I’d be shocked. I’ve been shocked before, but that would really do it.”.

The Penguins are reportedly busy on the phones making trades, but as expected, it appears that Crosby is going to be sticking around in Pittsburgh.