The Canadiens can prevent Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s team from returning to the finals

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Canadiens can prevent Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s team from returning to the finals
Credit: Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

In 2021, the Canadiens reached the Stanley Cup Final. Jesperi Kotkaniemi was with the Canadiens at the time.

Dissatisfied with his role, he took advantage of the Hurricanes' trade offer that summer to leave Montreal. He signed a one-year contract before agreeing to a long-term deal with the Hurricanes.

All of this, as we recall, stems from the Sebastian Aho trade. #Revenge

While Aho is a key player the Hurricanes needed to keep, that's not the case with KK. He's not doing anything right… but he's doing it at a high cost in a market where people don't care about him.

The player, who has yet to play in the playoffs, had a disastrous season. Nothing is going right for him there.

(Credit: Hockey DB)

But we can all agree it's ironic that it's the Canadiens who could prevent Kotkaniemi from returning to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.

I say that as if KK were going to have an impact in the series… hehe.

But jokes aside, the two times (2002 and 2006) the Habs and the Hurricanes faced off in the playoffs in the past, those were the two times the Hurricanes made it to the Stanley Cup Final.

For the third time in three matchups, the winner of the series between the Habs and the Canes will advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Since KK isn't playing, a lot has changed since Sebastian Aho signed with Montreal, and both teams have had new GMs since the feud between the two organizations, I think it will take time for the rivalry to develop.

I don't think the history between the two clubs will be a huge factor.


In a nutshell

– Sad news.

– The Quebec native is expected to leave Buffalo.

– Indeed.

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