The Hurricanes have added Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the lineup. Here’s how it went down
After a week of suspense and relentless social-media chatter, the Carolina Hurricanes have a new player in Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and some questions finally have been answered.
No, the Hurricanes were not shocked when the Montreal Canadiens did not match Carolina’s offer sheet for the Finnish-born forward, Canes president and general manager Don Waddell said Sunday.
No, the Hurricanes did not make the offer sheet as a two-year-old retaliatory move for the Habs’ 2019 offer sheet to Canes center Sebastian Aho.
“It was certainly not about revenge,” Waddell said on a media call. “It was all about the player.”
Yes, the Canes’s marketing people did have some social-media fun with the offer sheet. Waddell said several people were involved in the “group effort” to add a $20 bonus to the one-year $6,100,015 contract offer — Aho wears No. 20 for the Canes and Kotkaniemi wore No. 15 for Montreal, although he will switch to No. 82 with Carolina.
“It was a marketing thing,” Waddell said. “We’re trying to continue to build our franchise here in Raleigh and trying to keep our fans engaged. Nothing against Montreal at all. It’s all about what we’re trying to build here in Raleigh.”
From a hockey standpoint, Waddell said the Canes “probably” would use Kotkaniemi at left wing next season. He said they also plan to place Jake Gardiner on Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) after the veteran defenseman undergoes back and hip surgery that Waddell said will hold him out this season.
That personnel move will take Gardiner’s $4.05 million salary cap hit off the books and Waddell said it would alleviate concerns about the team being able to absorb Kotkaniemi’s cap hit.
Waddell noted the Canes first tried to trade for Kotkaniemi, 21, then decided a few days later on an offer sheet and the contract price. The offer sheet was tendered Saturday, Aug. 28, and signed by the player, and Waddell said Canes owner Tom Dundon also reached out to Kotkaniemi.
“We weren’t making an offer sheet just to make an offer sheet,” Waddell said. “We wanted to make an offer sheet that would potentially get the player. It’s an acquisition cost of getting a young, 21-year-old player. It all makes sense.
“We’re very fortunate to have an owner who’s going to spend to the cap every year. It’s not a question of what we’re going to spend. It’s who we’re going to spend it on.”
Kotkaniemi said he had some discussions with Montreal general manager Marc Bergevin as the week went along. A restricted free agent, Kotkaniemi and his agent, Markus Lehto, had been unable to reach a contract agreement after the season with the Canadiens.
Various media reports in Canada had Kotkaniemi being offered a short-term deal at roughly $2.2 million to $2.5 million a year. But $6.1 million for one year?
“I was really excited when I saw that offer sheet for the first time,” Kotkaniemi said.
By Saturday afternoon, Kotkaniemi had a new team. Selected third overall by the Canadiens in the 2018 NHL Draft, his time in Montreal ended when the Habs accepted the two draft picks from the Canes — first- and third-round selections in the 2022 NHL Draft — and let him walk.
“It will be a great opportunity,” Kotkaniemi said on the media call. “I felt the confidence from the first second from Carolina. It feels really good when someone’s trusting you. I can’t wait to get things started.
“I knew Carolina had a great team. A couple of Finns over there. They can be a (Stanley) Cup contender over there. It’s always an honor to be a part of a team like that.”
Those Finns are Aho and forward Teuvo Teravainen. Kotkaniemi now hopes that after playing in the Stanley Cup finals with the Habs this season, he can help lift the Canes into contention.
The Habs, after a spirited, unexpected run to the finals, fell short in losing to the champion Tampa Bay Lightning. Kotkaniemi, who had five goals and three assists in 19 playoff games this year, was made a healthy scratch in some of the games in the Final, a decision that had to be disappointing, but that he would not address Sunday, saying only that he had “great memories” from his time with the Habs.
Kotkaniemi, asked about his development as a player in Montreal, said, “There’s ups and downs. That’s normal.” He had 62 points in 171 regular-season games in Montreal; Svechnikov, in comparison, has 140 points in 205 games over his first three seasons. There’s considerable room for Kotkaniemi to grow.
Waddell said no discussions have begun with Kotkaniemi or his agent about a possible longer-term deal. The Canes are not able to sign Kotkaniemi to a new contract until January.
“As this player continues to develop ... we’ll see where the contract goes from there,” Waddell said.
This story was originally published September 5, 2021 at 1:26 PM with the headline "The Hurricanes have added Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the lineup. Here’s how it went down."
