Hurricanes tried to land Phillip Danault with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi offer before Montreal stepped in

The Montreal Canadiens acquired Danault from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.

The pick originally belonged to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the trade was completed just before the NHL's holiday freeze.

Since then, one detail has been generating buzz on social media.

A report attributed to David Pagnotta claims that the Carolina Hurricanes had offered Jesperi Kotkaniemi in a proposal, but that the Kings did not like the length of the contract.

Kotkaniemi, 25, has four seasons remaining after this one on an eight-year contract. His deal totals $38.56M, with a $4.82M cap hit.

This season, he has recorded 6 points in 19 games, including 2 goals.

In Montreal, the emotional connection is obvious, even if the context has changed since the offer sheet. And that is precisely why simply seeing his name linked to Danault captures the imagination.

We are talking about two centers who each carried part of the team's identity, in their own way.

Danault, for his part, is 32 years old and arrives with a six-year, $33M contract. His cap hit is $5.5M, and the deal runs through the 2026-2027 season.

This season, he had totaled 5 points in 30 games at the time of the trade, with no goals.

During his first stint in Montreal, Danault recorded 194 points in 360 regular-season games, with 54 goals and 140 assists.

It is interesting to know that the Hurricanes made this offer (which was rejected by the Kings) before the trade that sent Danault to Montreal.