Bad news for Jesperi Kotkaniemi: things are not going well with the Hurricanes
Since the start of the playoffs, it has to be said that the 16 NHL teams are putting on quite a show. While the Habs are out this year after a rather mediocre season, this is not the case for many of the team's former players who are currently participating in the playoffs.
While some are performing very well, that's far from the case for others. As reported by my colleague Alexandre Desrosiers of Rumorsandtransaction.com, two former Habs center Phillip Danault and Jesperi Kotkaniemi are performing completely opposite of the current playoffs.
Danault is having a great series as his team faces the powerful Edmonton Oilers. He has three goals and two assists in six games. Although Connor McDavid's team was able to force a Game 7 on Saturday night in Edmonton, the trio he completes with Trevor Moore and Carl Grundstrom is playing great hockey and is by far the best of the Kings.
Kotkaniemi, on the other hand, has been on a tear with the Carolina Hurricanes. The former third overall pick in the 2018 draft, has no points in six games and his coach, Rod Brind'Amour, is only using him an average of 12:37 minutes per game. Let's just say that's a far cry from the player who had five goals and eight points in 19 games last year with the Habs.
And bad news for him, he was in a rotation this morning on the Hurricanes' fourth line, which means he could potentially be left out for the most important game of the season.
File to follow for KK.
The two former Habs will be in action this weekend for their respective teams' seventh and final game. The Hurricanes will take on the Boston Bruins while the Kings will be in Edmonton.
| POLL | ||
Who will make it to the second round? | ||
| Phillip Danault and the Kings | 85 | 19.7 % |
| Jesperi Kotkaniemi and the Canes | 148 | 34.3 % |
| Both | 62 | 14.4 % |
| None of them | 137 | 31.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
