The CH wanted to match the Canes' hostile offer but KK made a controversial move towards the Habs

The story had made a huge noise in the Montreal metropolis, when the Carolina Hurricanes had dared to return the favor to the Canadiens, by making a hostile offer to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, in the summer of 2021.

A gesture that was premeditated for a long time by this organization that still had on its heart the hostile offer of the Canadiens for Sebastian Aho in 2019.

There were two very distinct camps among the club's fans, those who wanted to match the offer and those who said "bye-bye" Jesperi. Keep in mind that the Canes had offered $6.1M for a player who had just finished the season with 20 points in 56 games.

We know the rest of the saga, eventually Marc Bergevin did not match the hostile offer and the Habs got compensation of a first and third round pick in return, which essentially translated into Christian Dvorak, afterwards.


However, according to information that was stated by Jean-Charles Lajoie this morning on BPM Sports, the story could have been quite different, as the Habs intended to match the offer in the first place.

However, things changed when Bergevin tried to negotiate with Kotkaniemi on the terms of a long-term contract... and didn't get a return call.

Basically, the former Tricolore GM wanted to come to an agreement with the Finn on the next deal, once he was done with the $6.1M one-year deal. So, if the CH had matched the offer for one year, but agreed with KK for the next contract at a good price, this episode could have become a mere bad memory.

But what we understand now is that Bergevin wanted to match the offer and immediately negotiate the next deal with the third overall pick in 2018, but the latter completely ghosted the organization that drafted him.

Jesperi's agent didn't even bother to return the Habs' call.


Wow, that's a game-changing detail that proves just how problematic a personality the former CH number 15 has.

Moreover, seeing how things are going in Carolina for him right now, despite being on a team that is overflowing with talent, proves to us that he very possibly has an attitude problem and that the Tricolore has saved itself from a big quagmire with him.

He would have potentially become a bad apple in the CH locker room, seeing the other youngsters on the team having success, unlike him, who has only accumulated a meager three points, including one goal, in 20 games so far this season.



Credit: InTheCoulisses