A resurgence and a fall
The 2009-10 season—his first full campaign with the Hurricanes—saw Jokinen set career highs in goals (30) and points (65). The team, however, suffered a 17 point setback in the standings and missed the playoffs for the third time in four years.
A series of injuries held Jokinen to 70 games during the 2010-11 season, though he still posted 19 goals and 52 points. The Hurricanes gained 11 points in the standings over the previous year but it wasn’t enough to earn them a return to the postseason.
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The injury bug returned during the 2011-12 campaign but—thankfully—only cost Jokinen 3 games. His production, however, slipped. By season’s end, Jokinen sat with 46 points (12 goals, 34 assists). The season was a trying one for him, exemplified by a 25 game goal-scoring drought that he suffered through. Again, the Hurricanes regressed and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year.
The 2012-13 season didn’t start well for Jokinen, who failed to record a point through the first 9 games. His production did pick up, though he endured a pointless streak of 6 games in March. Then, on April 3, 2013, Jokinen was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional draft pick.
Jokinen played well for the Penguins before moving on to a very productive stint with the Florida Panthers. He rounded out his NHL career with stops in Edmonton, Los Angeles, Columbus, and Vancouver.
What’s your favorite Jussi Jokinen memory? Who would you like to see featured in a future ‘Fan Favorites’ entry?