Clearly, the reason they're at this point, unfortunately, is not because of their $6.1 million center, Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
KK had a season clearly below expectations and it didn't get any better in the playoffs. After scoring 9 goals in only 29 playoff games with the Montreal Canadiens, he has 0 goals (and 1 point) in 12 playoff games in Carolina.
Remember that in the season, KK lost almost 3 full minutes of ice time per game. That's a lot! (He also lost 40 seconds of time on the power play, compared to his usage in Montreal)
In the playoffs, in the last few days, his playing time is in free fall (around 8-9 minutes per game)