Jesperi Kotkaniemi: Don’t rule out a trade instead of a buyout

Pablo Herrera-Vergara
Jesperi Kotkaniemi: Don’t rule out a trade instead of a buyout
Credit: Josh Lavallee/NHLI via Getty Images

Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been warming the bench in the press box ever since the Hurricanes' playoff run began.

It would be very surprising to see him in a uniform by the end of the Stanley Cup Final, or even to see him wearing a Carolina jersey next year.

I'm the first to think that buying out his contract seems to be the only option in his case, but according to Nicolas Cloutier, a reporter for TVA Sports, the Hurricanes might still find a taker for him.

Keep in mind that Kotkaniemi is under contract through 2030 with an annual salary of nearly $5 million.

It's true that the center position is hard to fill in the NHL, especially on the free-agent market. That often involves a trade, but I wonder who would want a player like Kotkaniemi on their roster, even if Carolina agrees to absorb part of his salary.

I'd love to be proven wrong, but the Finnish player has never lived up to the expectations placed on him, whether with the Habs or the Hurricanes. Buying him out would cost the Hurricanes approximately $830,000 per year against their salary cap through the 2033–2034 season.

Worse still, he has become a replaceable player in Rod Brind'Amour's eyes on a roster that is far from the most talented in the NHL.

I still believe Kotkaniemi can, and will, play in the NHL next year, but likely with a team in rebuilding mode and certainly not at his current salary. He's not the kind of player who will transform a team's culture, unlike a player like Brendan Gallagher.

We'll see. The rest of this story is likely to be particularly interesting in his case.


In a nutshell

– A hot topic in Colorado.

– I don't think that's going to happen.

– He has every reason to stay.

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