Carolina Hurricanes

NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup: Hurricanes, Oilers, Canucks

NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup (Mar. 5): Will Hurricanes trade Rantanen, can the Canucks trade Pettersson, and will Oilers land a d-man?

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NHL Trade Talk
March 5, 2025

Welcome to today’s NHL Trade Talk Morning Roundup (March 5). Each morning, we’ll bring you three key NHL stories. Everyone is watching the Carolina Hurricanes and waiting for them to make their decision on Mikko Rantanen. The Edmonton Oilers added a forward, but are they going after a defenseman now? Finally, what is the trade value of Elias Pettersson?

Hurricanes Face Big Decision on Rantanen’s Future

The Carolina Hurricanes trade for Mikko Rantanen hasn’t worked out as expected, but he’s not a given to be traded before Friday’s deadline. Acquired on Jan. 24 without an extension, Rantanen was offered a sizable contract over the 4 Nations break but wasn’t ready to commit. It sounds like he’s still not there yet, leaving Carolina with a difficult decision.

Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that teams are wondering if Carolina might flip Rantanen, especially if they double-retain his salary. However, he hasn’t ruled out staying in Raleigh. If the Hurricanes believe he could re-sign, they may hold onto him for a deep playoff run. If indications shift, a trade could still be on the table.

Oilers Need a Defenseman Now

After adding Trent Frederic via trade from the Boston Bruins, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic writes, “Now they need to add a defenseman and that’ll be the priority for the Oil between now and Friday.”

The Oilers lost 6-2 to the Anaheim Ducks and the club is reeling. Such a lousy record heading into the trade deadline is not ideal for Edmonton as it could force GM Stan Bowman to push the panic button. And, with no-trade clauses for their top-nine paid forwards, few options are remaining when it comes to salary deals. The Oilers did well not to give up anything huge in the trade with Boston, but repeating that kind of trade could be challenging.

What is out there? A top-four defender who can play key minutes and shut things down is important. Speaking of defensemen, Mattias Ekholm didn’t play the final 13 minutes of Tuesday’s game. Jason Gregor reports, “This morning, he said he was feeling better, illness-wise, but he was with medical staff after the game.”

Canucks Might Have to Look at Elias Pettersson Trade Now

If the Vancouver Canucks have intentions to move Elias Pettersson ahead of the deadline or over the summer, he’s going to need to rebound with his play. Pettersson is playing some of his worst hockey right now, and it feels like no one is going to take on Pettersson’s contract, given how much term is remaining on his deal.

The Canucks can’t afford to give someone like Pettersson to have total control over where he ends up if his no-move clause kicks in and he continues to play this badly. That means they would have to trade him this season ahead of the deadline or before his no-move clause begins this summer. As it stands, the situation is almost at a point where the Canucks are feeling like they need to make a deal with someone just to get a team to take him off their hands.

Frank Seravalli reports, “There is not one team in the NHL that could acquire Pettersson today and feel good about it.” “I just want to take these last 22 games, plus more hopefully, and play my best hockey,” Pettersson told the media this week.