Maybe if you're talking about his current market value, but if they'd come out with this signing two months ago when Ässät looked like they'd given up and wouldn't even make the playoffs, the reception wouldn't have been nearly as positive as it is now.
Yeah, yeah. And if a cow had wheels, it'd be a milk wagon.
This thing didn't come out two months ago, it came out now. At a moment when Kivi's market value is probably at his all-career-high this far. Now somebody might point out that maybe they did nab him earlier, just waited for the proper moment to announce it. But here's the thing: Liitto doesn't sit on contracts. At least they haven't done so in the past. They're not a rivaling club team so they've got no obligation to wait 'til a coach is free of his current duties.
So... unless somebody out there is a real psychic and knew that Kivi's going to turn Ässät's season upside down on the second half, what they did was to go after a reasonable prestigious name and get him under a full-time, multiple-year contract. And whoever sealed the deal, be it the Hippo or Urama (who is junior coaching chief) or whoever, they deserve full credit for that.