Apr 16, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) looks on in warm-up before the game against the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

We suspected it, but it has just been confirmed by two sources regarding former Montreal Canadiens forward, Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

Kotkaniemi is resurfacing in a major trade rumor. The Carolina Hurricanes have put his name on the table in discussions with other teams.

When a former Montreal Canadiens player comes up in this kind of conversation, especially a third overall pick, it always sparks something here.

We all remember how his story ended.

What stands out is the caliber of situations in which his name has reportedly come up.

We’re talking about potential trades involving big names in Vancouver, not just a minor move to shuffle the bottom of the lineup.

When a center is being offered in that context, it means things are really moving behind the scenes.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been offered in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks

He hasn’t had the career expected of a third overall pick, but he still appears to hold a certain level of value.

In a league where teams are always looking for help down the middle, that matters.

In his NHL career, he has already reached the 200-point mark.

In the end, the message is simple: the Hurricanes seem open to shaking things up, and Kotkaniemi is a name that can be used as a trade piece.

In Montreal, he’s no longer followed on a daily basis, but he hasn’t been forgotten either.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi: “They offered him up for Quinn Hughes, they’ve offered him up in other scenarios, I wonder if they go back to Vancouver about another one of their players, Elias Pettersson; I wonder if they circle back.

I think they’ve been trying to include him in a trade where they can upgrade in another area.”

– David Pagnotta

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Hurricanes have been shopping former Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi for a while

Out of curiosity, would you trade Owen Beck for Jesperi Kotkaniemi?