Early Jesperi Kotkaniemi destinations before 2026 NHL Trade Deadline

The Carolina Hurricanes are one of the best teams in the NHL at this time. However, this does not mean that the team is unwilling to make a subtraction or two from their roster. According to recent trade rumors, former first-round pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi could be the player heading out of Raleigh in due time.

Kotkaniemi has been a bit of an infamous figure in Carolina since his arrival. He joined the Hurricanes in the summer of 2021 on an offer sheet from the Montreal Canadiens. At the time, Kotkaniemi had intriguing potential as a former top-five pick. Unfortunately, things have not worked out for the 25-year-old forward.

He has skated in 25 games this year, but is barely averaging more than 11 minutes a night. He has two goals and six points, as well. This is far below the 33 points he put up for the Hurricanes last season. As a result, Team Finland did not include the Hurricanes forward on its Olympic roster for the upcoming 2026 games in Milan.

Despite the poor production, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman provided insight into why he could be of interest on the trade market.

“Keep in mind: 31-year-old Alexander Wennberg just signed for three years and $18 million; soon-to-be 30-year-old Christian Dvorak for five years and $25.75 million. It’s hard enough to find centres, there’s two off the free-agent market for higher AAVs than what Kotkaniemi, who will be 26 in July, is owed — four years remaining at $4.82 million AAV,” Friedman wrote Friday morning.

With all this in mind, here’s two potential trade destinations for Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi makes sense for Predators

The Nashville Predators are on opposite ends of the spectrum from the Hurricanes. Though a recent resurgence has brought Nashville up the standings, it was one of the worst teams in the league during the first half of the year. One major reason for this is the team’s horrific depth down the middle of the ice.

The Predators have wisely moved Steven Stamkos over to the wing. However, their top-six centers consist of Ryan O’Reilly and Erik Haula. O’Reilly is certainly a strong player. And Haula is more than capable in his own right. But both players are playing larger roles than they likely should.

O’Reilly is a prime trade candidate this season, so there’s a chance he heads out the door. If the Hurricanes make a play, they could include Kotkaniemi as a piece in the deal. His salary would offset O’Reilly’s, and he would give the Predators a younger player with room to grow. He could get a fresh start on a team trying to build its way back toward playoff contention.

Jets could be ideal trade partner for Hurricanes

The Winnipeg Jets are in a tailspin as we speak. Though they defeated the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, they had lost 11 straight games prior to this victory. Winnipeg, the President’s Trophy winners last year, are firmly in contention for the No. 1 overall pick.

As a result, there is room for this team to make some moves. Kotkaniemi could be a very intriguing player for this Jets team. The Jonathan Toews experiment has not worked for Winnipeg this year. With him potentially heading for retirement, it would be wise to bring in a younger player who could potentially fill his spot on the roster.

Kotkaniemi has four years remaining, and is 12 years younger. Winnipeg could start him on Toews’s wing, and then move him to center next season. In any event, the Jets should be in the business of taking a couple swings. Adding Kotkaniemi would certainly be a swing worth taking ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.

The post Early Jesperi Kotkaniemi destinations before 2026 NHL Trade Deadline appeared first on ClutchPoints.