The Winnipeg Jets and Carolina Hurricanes play Sunday in Raleigh, N.C., but there could be a certain amount of interest from fans of the Nashville Predators.

This wasn’t just any trade offer, but the Hurricanes had no interest in sending Rantanen to the Maple Leafs. And their reasoning had nothing to do with the players, picks, or financial aspects of the deal.

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Boston Bruins on Thursday night, and the game airs on WRAL. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET Thursday at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh. The Hurricanes (36-22-4) are second in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division,

BOTTOM LINE: The Carolina Hurricanes host the Boston Bruins in Eastern Conference play. Carolina has gone 23-7-1 at home and 36-22-4 overall. The Hurricanes have a +28 scoring differential, with 197 total goals scored and 169 given up.

The Maple Leafs tried to get Mikko Rantanen from the Hurricanes before the trade deadline before he was traded to the Stars.

The trade that's bringing Stanky to Raleigh ⬇️ Details » https://t.co/jqhxVzzsEY pic.twitter.com/A30iEvAEJQ

The Buffalo Sabres visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night in an Eastern Conference matchup at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh.

With the NHL’s Eastern Conference tightening up, the Hurricanes went into Sunday’s game just six points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings, who held the second wild-card playoff spot.

Entering Wednesday night, the Orange and Black are four points out of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers haven't made the playoffs since 2020.