Many players took major leaps forward last season, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi has to be at the top of that list. With the team relying on him in a larger role during the first year of a long contract extension, Kotkaniemi met the challenge.
As one of the team’s most polarizing players, Kotkaniemi has been under a microscope since joining the team after signing an offer sheet during the 2021 offseason. He had some bright moments with the Montreal Canadiens during his three seasons but became subject to scrutiny after struggling to live up to the hype as a former 3rd overall pick. The decision to offer sheet him became a major source of discussion, and it is still highly discussed today.
His second full season with the Hurricanes didn’t start well. It took 11 games for Jesperi Kotkaniemi to score his first goal, and through 31 games, he had just three goals and seven points. The production wasn’t there, and it was starting to become troublesome.
Things turned around for him beginning in late December. He finished 2022 strong, which carried through the end of the regular season. Kotkaniemi scored 36 points in 51 games, highlighted by scoring the opening goal of the Stadium Series, a career-best five-point game against Tampa Bay, and a mic-drop moment against his former team.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi wins it for Carolina in the shootout, in Montreal.
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) March 8, 2023
Storybook stuff. pic.twitter.com/LSzGKPG4oO
In total, Kotkaniemi set new career highs in almost every category, including goals (18), assists (25), and points (43). His role on the team also grew, spending most of the season as the team’s second-line center and being used in all situations.
In the postseason, Kotkaniemi was a big part of the series win over New Jersey in the 2nd round. He recorded five points in five games, scoring twice in Game 2 and assisting on the series winner in overtime of Game 5.
In year two of his eight-year contract, there is still plenty of room for Jesperi Kotkaniemi to grow. He’ll be heavily relied upon to become more productive in the top six and to do so more consistently. As the second-line center, Kotkaniemi either needs to be scoring goals or setting up his teammates every night. We can’t get a repeat of last season’s start, where he doesn’t do anything for two months.
After eclipsing 40 points for the first time in his career, we’ll need to see even more points this season from Kotkaniemi. Ideally, you’d like to see him flirt with 70 points, but Carolina has often relied on spreading the points around, so 55-60 would be fine with me. I do think it’s time to see him score more goals, so anything short of 20 goals would be a little disappointing.
The more cynical of our friends up north will jump on any chance to bash Jesperi Kotkaniemi if he isn’t performing. Fair-weathered Caniacs will jump on that train, too. In reality, the stigma surrounding Kotkaniemi has been blown out of proportion. He’s an exceptional player that is starting to come into his own. He’s entering his sixth season in the NHL, and while he hasn’t filled the shows of a top-three pick yet, he’s only 23 years old. Kotkaniemi is ready to take another big step this season, establishing himself as a star on this team.