At the time of writing, we still don't know where Jesperi Kotkaniemi will be heading next season. Will he still be a member of the Carolina Hurricanes or will he return to the Montreal Canadiens? What decision will Marc Bergevin make? One thing remains certain, the relationship between "KK" and the Habs seems to be a little frayed. In fact, Kotkaniemi's statement indicates his desire to leave...
The Athletic reported that the young Finnish player may not only be looking for a decent contract, but that he is also looking to leave the Montreal organization because of the way he was treated. In addition to being left out from the lineup a few times, he was hurt by Bergevin's comments about him not having absolute confidence in KK as the Montreal Canadiens' second center.
This issue is taking a very negative path as Kotkaniemi is not only ready to leave the team, but is actively looking for that path. With all of these elements, plus the totally illogical contract that Don Waddell dropped on him, how can we believe that the 3rd overall pick in the 2018 auction will come back to don the knitwear of the Canadiens? No way!
We've been saying it for the past few hours, the best direction for Bergevin to take is to refuse to match the offer, then turn around and make a deal with the picks and good prospects he has. After reading all this, imagine how he KK would be received in the dressing room in two weeks... That's it!
