Value of: Jesperi Kotkaniemi

[SoundAndFury]

In a vacuum, maybe not.

For a team up against the cap that has Cup aspirations like Carolina, it's fair to ask if that $4.8M is wisely spent on him.

Exactly this. Leafs fans are acting like Kampf is sinking the ship and have gotten rid of multiple 3 mil Ds at this point because they are overpaid by around a million. On most teams, Kotkaniemi wouldn't be discussed. He is just because of the way Canes got him and the position they are in.

It was the same way with the Kuznetsov trade as well.

 

[Bell Centre Hotdog]

Matheson
Dvorak - retain to make it work cap wise.
2nd round pick 2025
2nd round pick 2026

For

Kotkaniemi
Suzuki
1st round pick 2025

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Matheson
Dvorak - retain to make it work cap wise.
2nd round pick 2025
2nd round pick 2026

For

Kotkaniemi
Suzuki
1st round pick 2025

This is terrible for Carolina.

Ignoring the fact that their is a salary cap, the Hurricanes have no need for Matheson, and this would leave a gaping hole for them at 2C.

Carolina would want to improve their roster in a trade, they aren't trying to tank - ask yourself why they would trade their young 2C in Kotkaniemi for an older, worse player in Dvorak (negative value asset) and two 2nd round picks? Let alone add a first to that?

 

[Negan4Coach]

He’s contract seems buyout friendly, although insanely long cap hit would be under a mil every season. I wouldn’t mind the Flyers taking a chance on him if Carolina was willing to attach a pick to him. Maybe something like Jesperi and a 1st for Frost?

There are few Canes fans as disgusted as I am with his contract, but even I wouldn't support giving up a 1st to get rid of him, lol. I'd prefer a buyout, but if not, just let him stay where he is at. At least he plays with physicality.

 

[Bell Centre Hotdog]

This is terrible for Carolina.

Ignoring the fact that their is a salary cap, the Hurricanes have no need for Matheson, and this would leave a gaping hole for them at 2C.

Carolina would want to improve their roster in a trade, they aren't trying to tank - ask yourself why they would trade their young 2C in Kotkaniemi for an older, worse player in Dvorak (negative value asset) and two 2nd round picks? Let alone add a first to that?

Well can we get some context then?

Because you have Canes fans on here talking about buying him out and having dead cap on the books. Saying his value is not great and such then there’s a post like this contradicting those statements.

Kotkaniemi has term left after this year. Dvorak is to plug the hole at center for at least this year. He is a UFA. Salary can be retained up to half.

Matheson is there as they have the same cap hit except Matheson is short term with another year after this. Orlov is on his final year of his contract I thought Matheson would add depth and offensive addition to the backend.

If the Canes were to go as far as I think they can, their 1st rounder is going to be 29-32.

The 2nd rounders the Habs offer would be early second rounders potentially.

Suzuki is an add in, wanted him to play with his brother. He’d get an opportunity with the big club in Montreal I believe.

So if this is bad can you just provide context where actual Canes fans sit then.

Are they talking about buying Kotkaniemi out or is he of value? It’s a bit confusing if you’re looking at packages then if he’s not considered a buy out and has value.

 

[Chrispy]

Well can we get some context then?

Because you have Canes fans on here talking about buying him out and having dead cap on the books. Saying his value is not great and such then there’s a post like this contradicting those statements.

Kotkaniemi has term left after this year. Dvorak is to plug the hole at center for at least this year. He is a UFA. Salary can be retained up to half.

Matheson is there as they have the same cap hit except Matheson is short term with another year after this. Orlov is on his final year of his contract I thought Matheson would add depth and offensive addition to the backend.

If the Canes were to go as far as I think they can, their 1st rounder is going to be 29-32.

The 2nd rounders the Habs offer would be early second rounders potentially.

Suzuki is an add in, wanted him to play with his brother. He’d get an opportunity with the big club in Montreal I believe.

So if this is bad can you just provide context where actual Canes fans sit then.

Are they talking about buying Kotkaniemi out or is he of value? It’s a bit confusing if you’re looking at packages then if he’s not considered a buy out and has value.

Carolina can always buy him out if they have to. The buyout is cheap enough (841K per year) that you can survive on 99% of the cap easily.

What you are missing is that cheap buyout means there's no need to dump him at a loss. And when you have teams like Nashville and Calgary actively looking for young centers, there's no reason to think Carolina would have to take a loss or eat a portion of the contract if they choose to move Kotkaniemi.

If they are told they have to take a loss or eat a portion of the contract and they still want him gone, they buy Kotkaniemi out. That's the part you are missing in this: the buyout is the emergency move. The buyout option prevents them from having to make the trade you propose.

 

[KevinRedkey]

What about something around Mika Zibanejad in the off-season?

Note: CAR obviously adds. I just mean as a base. And I'm a fan of neither team so I have no stock here.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Well can we get some context then?

Because you have Canes fans on here talking about buying him out and having dead cap on the books. Saying his value is not great and such then there’s a post like this contradicting those statements.

Kotkaniemi has term left after this year. Dvorak is to plug the hole at center for at least this year. He is a UFA. Salary can be retained up to half.

Matheson is there as they have the same cap hit except Matheson is short term with another year after this. Orlov is on his final year of his contract I thought Matheson would add depth and offensive addition to the backend.

If the Canes were to go as far as I think they can, their 1st rounder is going to be 29-32.

The 2nd rounders the Habs offer would be early second rounders potentially.

Suzuki is an add in, wanted him to play with his brother. He’d get an opportunity with the big club in Montreal I believe.

So if this is bad can you just provide context where actual Canes fans sit then.

Are they talking about buying Kotkaniemi out or is he of value? It’s a bit confusing if you’re looking at packages then if he’s not considered a buy out and has value.

There would be plenty of teams interested in Kotkaniemi at $4.8M. He's a young, responsible middle 6 5v5 center who brings a lot to the game that doesn't always show up on the scoresheet.

I don't think many people fully appreciate just how incredibly difficult this league can be for young centers. The majority of bigger and/or 2 way centers don't end up hitting approaching their offensive potential until their mid to late 20s, and are often pretty underwhelming between the ages of 18-23.

Look at some of the names below - these were all highly regarded prospects at one point, and nearly all of them were questioned as busts/disappointments at one point or another between the ages of 18-23:
Thompson
D Strome
Vilardi
Mittlestadt
Bennett
Zibanejad
Eriksson Ek
Couturier
Hischier
Miller

Kotkaniemi just turned 24, so it's very unlikely that we've seen what he's fully capable of at this point.

 

[Chrispy]

What about something around Mika Zibanejad in the off-season?

Note: CAR obviously adds. I just mean as a base. And I'm a fan of neither team so I have no stock here.

If there's one thing Carolina has largely avoided, it's been expensive long-term contracts to aging players.

The only exception has been Brent Burns who is a major exception in the league in terms of his fitness level, and even then Carolina was able to get him at $5.28M AAV and giving up almost nothing of value in return.

Tulsky is likely to model out a decline for Zibanejad that won't make him worth the $8.5M for the next 5 years until Zibanejad is 37. I am sure RBA would love to have him but I doubt Tulsky signs off on it.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

What about something around Mika Zibanejad in the off-season?

Note: CAR obviously adds. I just mean as a base. And I'm a fan of neither team so I have no stock here.

There's really no reason for Carolina to bail the rangers out of that contract. Zib has negative value IMO.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

If there's one thing Carolina has largely avoided, it's been expensive long-term contracts to aging players.

The only exception has been Brent Burns who is a major exception in the league in terms of his fitness level, and even then Carolina was able to get him at $5.28M AAV and giving up almost nothing of value in return.

Tulsky is likely to model out a decline for Zibanejad that won't make him worth the $8.5M for the next 5 years until Zibanejad is 37. I am sure RBA would love to have him but I doubt Tulsky signs off on it.

It's funny because the Canes don't have a particularly young team (they're actually tied for the 8th oldest at an average age of 29). The Canes have done a really good job at finding guys with games that age well (notably Staal and Burns, and they're gambling that Slavin is the same) and, most importantly, locking them in at friendly cap rates. They also snoop around player categories that are under-appreciated (the Martinook types) to get an edge on the competition. What the Canes don't do is buy too deeply into UFA hype and pay a guy like Zibanejad more than he is worth right before the returns start to diminish.

 

[robbieberns]

This season Kotkaniemi has succeeded spectacularly as a role player, with that role being someone who plays a simple and responsible game and doing what needs to be done to enable Necas going off every night. Until that changes he’s doing a bang up job at the moment and I’ve got no problem with keeping him around.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

This season Kotkaniemi has succeeded spectacularly as a role player, with that role being someone who plays a simple and responsible game and doing what needs to be done to enable Necas going off every night. Until that changes he’s doing a bang up job at the moment and I’ve got no problem with keeping him around.

There's a certain crowd of folks who expect that elite teams have to have a stereotypically point-producing 2C like Hertl/Horvat/Trocheck in order to have a sufficient center lineup. Kotkaniemi's primary value as a player is as a defensive center, which cuts against the grain that traditional teams look for in a top-6. As it turns out, it's a pretty great setup for an extremely puck-dominant, play-driving winger like Necas.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Kotkaniemi looks like he's starting to come into his own in terms of physical maturity. He looks faster and stronger this year - a few times he's been flying through the neutral zone so fast that I wasn't even sure it was him. And his hits have felt heavier than ever.

He's never going to be an elite offensive player, but he's become really good at bringing up the rear - winning possession defensively and moving the puck up to speedy transition wingers. He creates a lot of offense indirectly without always getting on the scoresheet.

His game reminds me a bit of Sam Bennett's. He's not quite as skilled or physical, but he's a reliable 2 way center who can help transport the puck to his more offensive minded wingers.