Jesperi Kotkaniemi is fed up with being eliminated in the playoffs

The Hurricanes lost their series against the Florida Panthers in just four short games.

Everyone will agree that this wasn’t the scenario that was originally envisioned… But hey. After all, it’s worth remembering that the Panthers barely qualified for the playoffs, and there weren’t many people giving up on the Bruins and Leafs.

Now, to their credit, they’re in the Stanley Cup Final.

All this to say that, once again, the Hurricanes were unable to take the next step. The team is more than excellent in the regular season, and has been for several years now.

But in the playoffs, we all know the game is different.

Today was the team’s season review. There was a lot of frustration in the comments of some players, including Jesperi Kotkaniemi…

And the CH veteran said loud and clear that he’s tired of losing in the playoffs. What he wants is the Stanley Cup:

I’ve lost in the first round, the second round and the Stanley Cup Final. I’m fed up and I want to win the big trophy. – Jesperi Kotkaniemi

The former CH is adamant 😤 https://t.co/HXzLRKmCAD

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) May 26, 2023

KK will celebrate his 23rd birthday this July (the 6th, to be precise), but that doesn’t stop him from having a good playoff record.

He has played 58 playoff games, which can be quite a lot at his age. In fact, the Finn has only missed the playoffs once in five seasons of his NHL career, and that’s no mean feat.

Seeing him say things like that is normal… Even still, he’s only 22 at the time of writing.

The question now is, what’s next for him and the Hurricanes?

Remember that the third overall pick in the 2018 draft is tied to the team until the end of the 2029-2030 season, so he has many, many years left to spend in Carolina.

We know that the Hurricanes see a lot in him, and Rod Brind’Amour has said more than once how much he likes the development of the main player at times.

The next step for him will surely be to find an element of consistency in his game… And that’s what’s hard to do in the NHL because of the parity in the NHL.

In gusto

– Ayoye!

– Excellent piece on the scandal surrounding Hockey Canada.

– Looks quite a bit like this, indeed.

– I’ve never seen the process before and I have to say it’s pretty cool.

RIP ice. 💔

(Via: @AnaheimDucks) pic.twitter.com/aWVBA1vWSq

– BarDown (@BarDown) May 26, 2023

– Evgenii Dadonov won’t be in uniform for the Stars’ next game.

– News from the Blue Jays.

ROSTER MOVES:

🔹 C Danny Jansen (left groin strain) placed on 10-day IL, retroactive to May 25

🔹 C Tyler Heineman recalled from Triple-A and will be active tonight pic.twitter.com/CVCOSNVigp

– Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 26, 2023