The situation is very dire for the former Montreal Canadiens player, Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Jesperi Kotkaniemi had a fantastic start to the season, by far his best in his career, with a tally of 15 points in his first 21 games. The Hurricanes finally thought that the price paid in prospects and salary was worth it.
However, things have soured since then, and KK has only managed a single point in the last 17 games. Surprisingly, his linemates are still producing, which is even more concerning. It suggests that he is not heavily involved in the plays and doesn't often touch the puck.
This is quite unusual for a center, especially in a top-six role. Let's recall that the Finnish player is earning nearly 5 million per year until 2030, and his initial role is to play as the 2nd line center.
Here is the production of the players he most frequently plays with:
Michael Bunting has 26 points in 36 games.
Martin Necas has 26 points in 38 games.
Andrei Svechnikov has 23 points in 23 games.
People are starting to express serious concerns about him in Carolina, wondering if he will truly become the player they hoped for. Rod Brind'Amour is increasingly critical of him in his press conferences and has even removed him from the power play.
We don't like to see a young player struggling like this, and we don't wish him any harm. However, it's safe to say that it helps Canadiens fans not to miss him too much.
In any case, the prospects acquired by letting him go were used to get Christian Dvorak. Neither the Canadiens nor the Hurricanes seem to be clear winners in this situation.
| POLL | ||
Do you think the Hurricanes gave Kotkaniemi too big of a contract too quickly? | ||
| Yes | 928 | 91.8 % |
| No | 83 | 8.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
