Jesperi Kotkaniemi started the season with a bang, so much so that we believed in a major breakthrough for this third overall pick by the Canadiens in 2018.
Unfortunately, the Carolina Hurricanes forward is now running out of fuel as he has only scored two points or two goals in his last 14 games.
Kotkaniemi had 13 points, including six goals, in his first 14 games.
However, his average playing time at the beginning of the season, when everything was going well for him, is practically the same as during his losing streak: 15 minutes 20 compared to 15 minutes 21 seconds.
The Hurricanes aren’t doing much better overall. The Raleigh team has lost its last four games. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour sent a message to his players and possibly Kotkaniemi last Friday.
“We have a lot of people who can’t keep up. We have players who work hard every night, contribute and do their job. But there are many others who need to look in the mirror,” he said, quoted by reporter Walt Ruff on X.
Kotkaniemi was taken away from the Canadiens through a hostile tender and had his best season in the National Hockey League last year with 43 points, including 18 goals, in 82 games.
He is currently in the second season of an eight-year contract that will pay him an average of $4.82 million per year.
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