On Friday morning, Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that the Carolina Hurricanes are open to dealing center Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
In Friedman's blog, he shared that Kotkaniemi has already been pitched in trades that ultimately went in the other direction.
The Hurricanes were in on ex-Vancouver Canucks D-man Quinn Hughes, who was moved to the Minnesota Wild. Kotkaniemi was mentioned in that deal.
Furthermore, when the Los Angeles Kings were in the process of trading away Phillip Danault, Carolina was involved in that discussion, with Kotkaniemi on the table. However, Danault was traded to the Montreal Canadiens instead, in exchange for a second-round pick.
On Saturday, The Hockey News posted three potential trade destinations for Jeperi Kotkaniemi. On that list were the Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and the Kings.
Three Potential Trade Fits For Hurricanes' Jesperi KotkaniemiThe Carolina Hurricanes are reportedly listening to offers for Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Which teams could make sense as potential landing spots for the 25-year-old center?The connection can be made with the Kings who dealt a center in the Danault and picked up another, younger center in Kotkaniemi. However, that doesn't mean it's a great idea.
After this season, Kotkaniemi still has another four years on his current contract. His deal pays him $4.82 million in average annual value in what was inked as an eight-year ticket.
That price wouldn't be so hefty if the 25-year-old contributed at a sufficient level. But with the Hurricanes this season, he only has two goals and six points to show for it.
As a result, he's been demoted to the fourth line this year, and hasn't scored a goal in 14 games.
An indication of how poor and disappointing Kotkaniemi has been as of late would be the lack of representation he's had for Finland.
He was left off the Olympic roster for the upcoming tournament in February, and wasn't even included on Finland's 4 Nations Face-Off roster either.
Not only does acquiring Kotkaniemi not make sense for the Kings from a quality and performance standpoint, but there also isn't a true spot in the lineup for Carolina's center.
With Danault in Montreal, Kings center Alex Turcotte has been given an elevated role, moving from the fourth line to the third line. Bringing in Kotkaniemi would just complicate Turcotte's role once again.
There isn't much more time in Turcotte's development as a young player. Turning 25 years old in February, he could use all the opportunities he can get in order to blossom as an effective NHL player, and the Kings organization should roll with that.
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