The Hurricanes really need to find an answer for their second line center conundrum.
Ever since the exit of Vincent Trocheck in 2022, the Carolina Hurricanes have struggled to find a dependable option at the second-line center position.
The team had hoped that Jesperi Kotkaniemi could fill that role, signing him to an offer sheet and subsequent eight-year deal, but it hasn't quite clicked.
Kotkaniemi has had stretches of play where he's looked the part of a legitimate 2C, but there's also been longer stretches of struggling plays and healthy scratches.
Last year, the 2018 third-overall pick came out of the gate hot, with eight goals and 15 points in the team's first 21 games.
The Finnish center had been one of Carolina's most productive players in the second half of the 2021-22 season, so it looked like a natural progression for him.
“There’s always good things every year," Kotkaniemi said about focusing in on what went right that year. "It's just about trying to get it all together, I feel. Defensively and offensively. I think the main point is just getting the team to win games though. I think that’s the main thing. When the team’s winning, everybody’s playing good. So just trying to get to that mindset.”
However, around December, Kotkaniemi hit a wall.
Scoreless stretches of 10 games, 22 games, 7 games and 15 games followed and in the next 58 games Kotkaniemi played, he had just four goals and 12 points.
He then had just one point in 11 playoff games.
Performances such as that can weigh on a player, but the forward is looking forward to a fresh start this year.
“Summer’s always good," Kotkaniemi said. "It’s a long year and it was a little tougher one last year. But reset is a good word for it. Just try to get it out of the system and get a fresh start for this year. So far I’m feeling good and I’m excited to get the year started.”
His coach has the same mentality.
"[This year] is a fresh start," said Rod Brind'Amour. "Everybody has a fresh start. If you had a good year, so what? If you had a bad year, so what? It's irrelevant. Today's a new day."
The ultimate question though is can Kotkaniemi be a second-line center in Carolina or is he destined for a role in the bottom-six?
"Depending on where he ends up and what role he plays, then that really is going to determine what's expected," Brind'Amour said.
The Canes lost a lot of offensive talent this offseason, so it's imperative that the young players they do have take a step forward.
Kotkaniemi, if he's going to be the 2C for Carolina, has to produce this year. If he's playing alongside Andrei Svechnikov and Martin Necas, he has to be impactful.
"You have to produce," Brind'Amour said. "If you're on the power play and you're playing with the top wingers on your team, then you have to contribute in that way or it's probably not going to work."
When he's on, the 23-year-old is a strong playmaker who can use his size and physicality to create space for his linemates. He's also shown the ability to play a strong defensive game.
The pieces have been there, KK just has to put it all together.
"I don't know if anything has held him back, I just think there's a level he has to get to," Brind'Amour said. "It's everyday you have to play... it's not everyday, it's every shift. Every shift has to be the same. We're all looking for that and he is too. This is a big year for him.
"I think he's still a really young player and there's a willingness there, for sure. We just have to get that out of him and I think we will."
Recent Articles