It's amazing how much activity the Jesperi Kotkaniemi situation has sparked on hockey sites and social networks. A lot of people who were dozing have woken up, and on top of that, this issue has given a lot of gas to the people of 91.9 Sports, who were back in town today. Isn't that wonderful?
One of the stalwarts of 91.9 Sports, "Big" Georges Laraque actually spoke out about the decision he would make if he was wearing Marc Bergevin's shoes. BGL never cuts corners when he lays down his opinion on paper or through the microphone. Via The Hockey News, Laraque made it clear that this situation could help the Montreal Canadiens rather than hurt them.
"Personally, I don't think the Canadiens are going to match this offer, and I don't think they should. The team has worked hard to get Jesperi back on track, a lot of ups and downs in his game, but because he was a third overall pick, the team had to work with him, be patient, but to me, when he reaches his full potential, I see him becoming a third line center in the NHL. With Nick Suzuki, Montreal has their number one center, Jake Evans their third, Ryan Poehling who will have a good chance this year can become their fourth. Jesperi was not ready to fill the role of a number 2 center and these 1st and 3rd round picks can help the Habs to get the right player to fill that void!" -Georges Laraque
"Everyone in the hockey world knows that an offer of 6 million for Kotkaniemi is way too high. It doesn't make sense, his play and numbers don't justify that increase. Jesperi would also have to have a breakout season to not only justify this contract, but also justify his qualifying offer the following year." -Georges Laraque
