Jesperi Kotkaniemi has not scored in his last 23 playoff games (!)

Despite being selected with the 3rd overall pick in 2018, Jesperi Kotkaniemi never became the player we thought he would be.

He was seen by the Habs organization as the club’s 1st center of the future, but we know that never worked out.

And now that he’s in Carolina… it’s not much better either.

The man nicknamed “KK” in Montreal enjoyed a respectable second season with the Hurricanes (43 points in 82 games), but has since regressed. He finished his last two campaigns with 27 points (79 games) and 33 points (78 games), which isn’t great.

But it’s especially in the playoffs that the former Canadiens player has tended to disappear over the past two years. Kotkaniemi has NO goals in his last 23 playoff games… and only five assists in that span.

His last playoff goal came on May 5, 2023…

Oops.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi last 22 playoff games: 0 goals.

Now would be a good time.

– NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) April 30, 2025

The worst part of all this is that there are still five years left on the player’s contract in Carolina.

At his salary ($4.82 M per season), that’s a lot for a player who doesn’t give enough offensively… and the Hurricanes could quickly find themselves with a problem on their hands if things don’t settle down for the main interested party.

Time is starting to run out, too, because Kotkaniemi will turn 25 this summer, in July.

Few players his age are in a position to blossom in the NHL, and it’s not as if Kotkaniemi is constantly improving either.

It looks like the opposite is happening right now :

The CH missed out by drafting him so quickly, but the CH also succeeded by deciding not to match the Hurricanes’ hostile offer.

Because right now, everyone would be shitting themselves if Kotkaniemi were still playing for the Montreal Canadiens.

You could even say that the CH has practically avoided disaster…

Gossip

– The boys!

Raf, Brandon and Simmer pic.twitter.com/L15ByJtTlt

– xyz – Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) April 30, 2025

– Indeed.

Tampa needs its big guns to avoid eliminationhttps://t.co/IAT0UMuwj5

– RDS (@RDSca) April 30, 2025

– Wow.

The NFL has fined Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich $100,000, and the organization will also have to pay $250,000 for a false phone call to Shedeur Sanders during the draft.

Ulbrich’s 21-year-old son made… pic.twitter.com/D5CgRcvowR

– RDS (@RDSca) April 30, 2025

– That’s a change.

A real World team https://t.co/OKtk03lga3

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) April 30, 2025