Since 2018, all his time with the Montreal Canadiens, Jesperi Kotkaniemi has donned the number 15. In the past with the Assat Pori club in the Finnish first division, KK had donned the numbers 31 and 93 as well.
When he arrived in Carolina, we thought that KK would choose his famous number 15, but in vain. He finally opted for a total "reset" as he selected the number 82...
A question comes to my mind... Why? Maybe he wanted to make a new start in Carolina? It's a strange decision, considering how rarely the number 82 is used in the NHL.
I've always considered KK to be a rather unique person during his short stay in Montreal. He only confirms my thoughts with the selection of the number 82.
Numbers in the 80's are popular in Carolina, maybe he wanted to follow a trend? Martin Necas wears 88 and Teuvo Teravainen wears 86, as mentioned on the Canes Twitter account.