The Carolina Hurricanes are going into a new season with Jesperi Kotkaniemi remaining as the second-line center. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour essentially confirmed this in a recent interview with 99.9 The Fan’s Adam Gold. After ruling out the idea of Seth Jarvis playing at center, Brind’Amour hinted that maybe there will be a surprise, but it’s not likely. As questions continue to arise regarding this Hurricanes roster, much of the speculation has been put to rest. The Finnish third-overall pick will continue to operate in the top six for Carolina. There will be many people who do not appreciate this, but given how empty the center market was, it felt like an inevitability.
As I’ve said before, Kotkaniemi is not a bad player. However, he is probably in the wrong place on the second line. He screams perfect third-line center. The fact that he will be taking second-line reps this season is not the player’s fault, so the Hurricanes will need to provide him with support. Last season, only Jack Roslovic had more 5v5 points than Kotkaniemi. He tied for second with Jarvis. Kotkaniemi did that while playing a minute per game at 5v5, less than Jarvis. Kotkaniemi also had one 5v5 point more than Sebastian Aho, so make no mistake, he was the team’s top-producing center at 5v5. So, how can the Hurricanes build on that this season?
Stronger Linemates
Last season, Kotkaniemi played most of his ice time with Martin Necas and Eric Robinson. With respect to Robinson, that isn’t a player that should be in the top six of a Cup contender. You can argue the same about Kotkaniemi, but there is no viable alternative for him right now. With young talents like Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake bursting through, and the additions of guys like Taylor Hall and Nikolaj Ehlers since the start of last season, Kotkaniemi’s supporting cast could be more substantial.
As for replacing Necas, that’s harder. The fact that the Czech winger started the season on fire before cooling off before his trade to the Colorado Avalanche elevated Kotkaniemi’s production quite substantially. It means he will need to improve himself, but that isn’t impossible. Lost in the fact that he’s been around since 2018-19 is that Kotkaniemi is still just 25 years old. Could he put it together and recognize the talent that got him selected at third overall? It’s not impossible, but…
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