1 player Hurricanes must trade before 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference at this time. They entered the NHL’s Olympic break sitting tied on points with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the top seed in the East. Carolina is likely to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth consecutive season.

The Hurricanes have been a regular-season buzzsaw during that time. However, they have come up short in the postseason every year. They have had three appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2019. But they own a putrid 1-16 record in 17 East Final contests. As a matter of fact, their win in last year’s East Final was their first East Final victory since 2006.

Carolina has gone for broke before, and they have a chance to do so again. At the same time, shaking up their roster may mean the team has to subtract and make room for new faces. This can certainly be difficult when the team is playing as well as the Hurricanes have been.

This team won’t need to worry too much about that, though. The Hurricanes have one clear trade candidate on their roster. And they need to do whatever they can to make a deal happen before the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.

Hurricanes need to part ways with Jesperi Kotkaniemi

The Hurricanes signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi as a sort of revenge play in 2021. The Montreal Canadiens had attempted to sign Sebastian Aho to an offer sheet in 2019. In response, Carolina signed Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet. Montreal elected not to match the offer, and off to Raleigh the young center went.

Kotkaniemi never truly lived up to the billing of a former No. 3 overall pick, though. He did have an impressive 43-point season during his second year with the Canes. However, he has not matched that sort of production in the years since.

This year, the issue is even more evident. The Hurricanes are playing Kotkaniemi around 10 or so minutes a game. He hasn’t scored a goal since November 8th. It simply is not working out for Kotkaniemi in Raleigh at this point.

The Hurricanes should part ways with him at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. And there are some things going in their favor as it pertains to his potential trade market. For instance, Kotkaniemi is still only 25 years old. He doesn’t turn 26 until early July. Additionally, he is signed for multiple seasons, and won’t be a free agent until 2030.

Kotkaniemi is making a rather sizeable $4.82 million, and will do so for the remainder of his contract. However, if the Hurricanes retained 50% of his salary, he would only account for about $2.41 million for any acquiring team. This is a much more manageable cap hit for his production.

Teams across the league are seeking depth at center. If they can get a 25-year-old player with control on a manageable cap hit, that seems like a dream situation. Add in his positional versatility, and there is likely to be some sort of market for Kotkaniemi.

He is not a superstar player by any means. But he can play a role in the NHL, either down the middle or on the wing. And there is still some time for him to find his stride and improve his game. Things didn’t work for Jesperi Kotkaniemi in Carolina, but a change of scenery trade could benefit everyone at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.

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