Phillip Danault: The Hurricanes offered Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the Kings

Félix Forget
Phillip Danault: The Hurricanes offered Jesperi Kotkaniemi to the Kings
Credit: Getty Images

Phillip Danault, as we all know, was traded to the Canadiens last Friday. The center clearly needed a fresh start(even if he didn't ask the Kings to trade him, according to his agent), and he's going to get it in Montreal.

Even if, in his case, we're talking more about a return to his roots than a new beginning, hehe.

That said, we know that the Habs weren't alone in the race for Danault's services. And David Pagnotta, on today's episode of DFO Rundown Insider Edition, talked about another club that made an offer to the Kings: the Carolina Hurricanes.

What's interesting is what was in that offer. And while Pagnotta can't give all the details, he did learn the identity of one of the pieces involved in that offer.

We're talking about… Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

According to Pagnotta, the Kings didn't like the fact that KK still had four years left on his contract after this season, especially for a guy the club was having trouble envisioning in its lineup. That's why Ken Holland preferred a draft pick.

A club that wanted a center (ideally a young one) preferred a second-round pick to Kotkaniemi: that says a lot about the Finn's value.

And according to Pagnotta, the Hurricanes have been trying to sell Kotkaniemi to another club for quite some time. His name is being bandied about as the Canes try to improve their club. But even in a league where everyone's looking for center players, there's clearly not much interest in the third pick of the 2018 draft.

Imagine a world in which Danault and Kotkaniemi had been traded for each other, though: it would have caused (a lot of) chatter in Montreal, in light of the fact that both guys left the club in the same offseason.


Overtime

– ECHL players go on strike.

– They play big hockey.

– Classic.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!