Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Jesperi Kotkaniemi Will Start Season With Montreal Canadiens

September 29, 2018 at 11:14 am CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 3 Comments

While surprise probably isn’t the correct word, the Montreal Canadiens announced that head coach Claude Julien confirmed that 18-year-old prospect Jesperi Kotkaniemi will start the season in Montreal. No word on where he might play or even what position he might play out of the gate.

“We decided that he’ll start the season here in Montreal. It’s good news for him, and it’s good news for us,” said Julien.

The 2018 third-overall pick has been debated for weeks now about whether or not he should remain with the team. While the team is desperate for help down the middle, Kotkaniemi has not played center on a regular basis in over a year as he played left wing this past season with Liiga’s Assat Pori team as a 17-year-old. With the team already having abandoned the Jonathan Drouin experiment at center and only getting a minimal look at Max Domi as their No. 1 center before being suspended for the remainder of the preseason, the team may be hoping that Kotkaniemi can work his way into the role at some point during the season.

Kotkaniemi was already somewhat of a mild surprise when the Canadiens took him with the third overall pick when there were better-known wingers ahead of him, including Brady Tkachuk and Filip Zadina, but it is believed that the Canadiens fell in love with Kotkaniemi’s potential as a future No. 1 center, which now looks to be immediate. The team is allowed to play him for nine games before they burn the first year of his entry-level contract. The team may want to see how he responds to playing in the regular season before making a final decision on whether to keep him, send him to the AHL’s Laval Rocket or return him to Finland.

One other interesting point made by The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) is that the salary cap specifics could fit perfectly if the team keeps Kotkaniemi this season. He points out that if Kotkaniemi does play more than 10 games this season, then he will sign his second NHL contract in 2021-22 when the Canadiens have freed themselves of some significant cap room, including the contracts of Tomas Tatar, Brendan Gallagher, Jeff Petry and Phillip Danault (assuming none of them get extended). It’s also significant, because the team has quite a few other prospects that are a year behind Kotkaniemi such as Nick Suzuki, Ryan Poehling as well as a potential high pick in the 2019 NHL draft who could hit a big payday in 2022-23 and might have Montreal thinking ahead to avoid having all three get paid in the same year.

East Notes: Marner, Murray, Broadhurst, Kotkaniemi

September 28, 2018 at 7:48 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

While the Maple Leafs have been focusing on getting RFA winger William Nylander locked up, they have held recent extension talks for winger Mitch Marner, agent Darren Ferris acknowledged in an interview on TSN 1050 (audio link):

“We’ve had some very productive discussions so far and if nothing’s done by the start of the season, then we’ll wait until next summer and we’ll get back at it again.”

Ferris added that he hasn’t set a firm deadline of the start of the season to get a deal done but indicated that it would be their preference to wait. Marner has been quite productive over his first two NHL seasons with 130 points in 159 regular games while playing at a point-per-game mark in the playoffs. Ken Campbell of The Hockey News was the latest to suggest that a $10MM per year contract may be needed and it’s hard to imagine the Maple Leafs being prepared to commit to that type of deal over the next few days.

Projected Status Of First-Round Picks

September 3, 2018 at 2:19 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 5 Comments

In the NHL, first-round draft picks hold especially high expectations. Selections made in rounds two through seven hold reasonably similar career expectations, meaning that teams are just hoping to find a few hidden gems on the second day of the draft. Those taken in the top 31 though bring real excitement and scrutiny, even just a few months after they join the organization.

Many players will not make the NHL the year following their draft. Some won’t even sign contracts right away, instead taking their talents to the collegiate ranks where they must maintain their amateur status. The NCAA has become more and more competitive through the decades, and is now considered a top development league for some of the most talented players in the world. Delaying your first contract to play in college is almost never a real detriment to a career, and often results in a more well-rounded game when joining the professional ranks.

Some too will return to junior or their respective international league to continue their development. These decisions can come with or without a corresponding professional contract, and can even be made well into the NHL season. Some organizations believe in giving their top prospects a taste of NHL life before sending them back to dominate the junior ranks, allowing them to build up the desire to return to the best league in the world as soon as possible.

For this year’s crop, there are many who will be battling for a full-time role in a few week’s time. Rasmus Dahlin is all but guaranteed a role on the Buffalo Sabres blue line, but several others could make the jump right away and be impact players. Here are the projected landing spots so far for the 2018 first round picks:

Rasmus Dahlin (BUF) – Signed ELC on July 9. Will play in NHL for 2018-19.
Andrei Svechnikov (CAR) – Signed ELC on June 30. Will play in NHL for 2018-19.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (MTL) – Signed ELC on July 1. Will compete for NHL spot, expected to play in Finland for 2018-19.
Brady Tkachuk (OTT) – Signed ELC on August 13. Will compete for NHL spot, could play in Belleville (AHL) or London (OHL) for 2018-19.
Barrett Hayton (ARZ) – Signed ELC on July 6. Expected to play in Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) for 2018-19.
Filip Zadina (DET) – Signed ELC on July 7. Will compete for NHL spot, expected to play in Grand Rapids (AHL) for 2018-19.
Quinn Hughes (VAN) – Unsigned. Will play at University of Michigan (NCAA) for 2018-19.
Adam Boqvist (CHI) – Signed ELC on July 1. Expected to play in London (OHL) for 2018-19.
Vitali Kravtsov (NYR) – Unsigned. Will play in Chelyabinsk (KHL) for 2018-19.
Evan Bouchard (EDM) – Signed ELC on July 17. Will compete for NHL spot, expected to play in London (OHL) for 2018-19.
Oliver Wahlstrom (NYI) – Unsigned. Will play at Boston College (NCAA) for 2018-19.
Noah Dobson (NYI) – Signed ELC on August 13. Will compete for NHL spot, expected to play in Acadie-Bathurst (QMJHL) for 2018-19.
Ty Dellandrea (DAL) – Unsigned. Expected to play in Flint (OHL) for 2018-19.
Joel Farabee (PHI) – Unsigned. Will play at Boston University (NCAA) for 2018-19.
Grigori Denisenko (FLA) – Unsigned. Will play in Yaroslavl (KHL) for 2018-19.
Martin Kaut (COL) – Signed ELC on July 5. Will compete for NHL spot, expected to play in Colorado (AHL) for 2018-19.
Ty Smith (NJD) – Signed ELC on August 20. Will compete for NHL spot, expected to play in Spokane (WHL) for 2018-19.
Liam Foudy (CBJ) – Signed ELC on July 30. Expected to play in London (OHL) for 2018-19.
Jay O’Brien (PHI) – Unsigned. Will play at Providence College (NCAA) for 2018-19.
Rasmus Kupari (LAK) – Signed ELC on July 13. Will play in Finland for 2018-19.
Ryan Merkley (SJS) – Signed ELC on July 18. Expected to play in Guelph (OHL) for 2018-19.
K’Andre Miller (NYR) – Unsigned. Will play at University of Wisconsin (NCAA) for 2018-19.
Isac Lundestrom (ANA) – Signed ELC on August 7. Expected to play in Sweden for 2018-19.
Filip Johansson (MIN) – Unsigned. Expected to play in Sweden for 2018-19.
Dominik Bokk (STL) – Signed ELC on July 11. Expected to play in Sweden for 2018-19.
Jacob Bernard-Docker (OTT) – Unsigned. Will play at University of North Dakota (NCAA) for 2018-19.
Nicolas Beaudin (CHI) – Unsigned. Expected to play in Drummondville (QMJHL) for 2018-19.
Nils Lundkvist (NYR) – Unsigned. Expected to play in Sweden for 2018-19.
Rasmus Sandin (TOR) – Signed ELC on July 16. Expected to play in Toronto (AHL) or Sweden for 2018-19.
Joe Veleno (DET) – Unsigned. Expected to play in Drummondville (QMJHL) for 2018-19.
Alexander Alexeyev (WSH) – Unsigned. Expected to play in Red Deer (WHL) for 2018-19.

Salary Cap Deep Dive: Montreal Canadiens

September 2, 2018 at 3:10 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 1 Comment

Navigating the Salary Cap is probably one of the more important tasks for any general manager to have. Teams that can avert total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.

PHR will look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation heading into the 2018-19 season. This will focus more on those players who are integral parts of the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.

Montreal Canadiens

Current Cap Hit: $71,687,975 (under the $79.5MM Upper Limit)

Entry-Level Contracts

F Jesperi Kotkaniemi (three years, $925K)
F Nikita Scherbak (one year, $863K)
D Noah Juulsen (two years, $863K)
F Artturi Lehkonen (one year, $839K)
D Victor Mete (two years, $748K)

Potential Bonuses:

Kotkaniemi: $2.5MM
Juulsen: $425K
Mete: $183K
Scherbak: $175K

Total: $3.28MM

It’s too early to tell if the Canadiens intend to thrust Kotkaniemi onto an NHL roster. Most people feel that the third-overall pick from this year’s draft still needs another year to get bigger and develop his skills, but Montreal is desperate for help at the center position and could consider the 18-year-old to make the leap. Regardless, whether he comes to the NHL now of in the near future, the team does have a franchise center they can look forward to placing into the top-six soon.

Mete had a turbulent rookie season after surprising many by making the team out of training camp. The 20-year-old was brought in to complement Weber due to his speed and puckhandling skills, but he struggled at times and eventually was moved out of the top four and was almost sent back to juniors. In the end, the youngster played 49 games, but with a year of experience under his belt, he is expected to take on a top-four role this season. Juulsen is another solid prospect who should get some time, although more likely in a third-pairing situation.

Scherbak could be the most interesting player. The 22-year-old was a point-a-game player with the Laval Rocket in the AHL, but when recalled to Montreal, he was immediately injured and wasn’t able to capitalize on his opportunity. Scherbak didn’t get the minutes once he returned, scoring four goals in 26 games. However, he might get a chance to gain a regular role this year if he can make a strong impression in camp this year.

One Year Remaining, Non-Entry-Level

F Max Pacioretty ($4.5MM, UFA)
F Tomas Plekanec ($2.25MM, UFA)
F Joel Armia ($1.85MM, RFA)
F Paul Byron ($1.17MM, UFA)
D Jordie Benn ($1.1MM, UFA)
G Antti Niemi ($950K, UFA)
D Mike Reilly ($725K, RFA)
D Xavier Ouellet ($700K, RFA)
F Charles Hudon ($650K, UFA)

Much has been said about Pacioretty over the past few months and even in the past week, but as of now, it looks like the 29-year-old is going to end up back on the first line, barring a trade. The team captain is coming off a disappointing 17-goal season after five straight years of 30-goal campaigns (not including the strike-shortened season in 2012-13). The team will have to determine whether they believe last year’s season was a fluke or whether he’s beginning to decline. The team has already committed to several major contracts and adding another one could be detrimental to a team who should rebuild. If he can prove his value with a bounce back season, the team may look to lock him up.

The 35-year-old Plekanec returns after the team traded him away at the trade deadline. He lacks the offense from the old days, but Plekanec still provides an excellent presence as a bottom-six center who has the experience and solid face-off skills, although his six goals and 20 assists is a career low. Byron is coming off a pair of 20-goal seasons for the Canadiens, but is expected to miss part of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in April. However, the 29-year-old has to prove that he can continue his goal-scoring ways.

The team hopes to get a boost from Armia, who came over when the Canadiens took on Steve Mason’s contract from Winnipeg. The 25-year-old got a full season in with a loaded Jets roster and tallied 12 goals and 29 points. With a bigger role in Montreal, he could become a solid 20-goal scorer. The remainder of players will have to prove their value if they want to come back.

Two Years Remaining

F Max Domi ($3.15MM, RFA)
D David Schlemko ($2.1MM, UFA)
F Matthew Peca ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Nicolas Deslauriers ($950K, UFA)
F Jacob de La Rose ($900, UFA)

The Canadiens gave up a quality player in Alex Galchenyuk in order to acquire Domi. The highly-touted winger has struggled in the NHL over the past couple of years and it probably isn’t a good sign that the Arizona Coyotes gave up on the 23-year-old already, suggesting they didn’t feel that he was going to contribute to their team this year. After a impressive rookie season in which he scored 18 goals and 52 points, he has failed to break double-digits in goals in each of the past two seasons since then. Regardless, Montreal is ready to hand him top-six minutes to prove his value and show that he’s better than Arizona thought he was.

Schlemko provides the team with another depth defenseman, but likely isn’t going to play top-four minutes for the team, while the team has high hopes that Deslauriers can duplicate a 10-goal season on the team’s energy line.

Three Years Remaining

D Jeff Petry ($5.5MM, UFA)
F Brendan Gallagher ($3.75MM, UFA)
F Phillip Danault ($3.08MM, UFA)
G Charlie Lindgren ($750K, UFA)

While many players had down years, Gallagher was the bright spot for the Canadiens as the 26-year-old broke the 30-goal mark last season for the first time and has established himself as top right wing on the team. It was a big improvement from his injury-riddled 10-goal campaign the previous year. Suddenly, at $3.75MM over the next three years, his contract is likely the best value on the team. The team also gave Danault a solid three-year extension. The 25-year-old only had eight goals and 25 points, but would be a more ideal third-line center. Unfortunately, with a hole at the second-line center, Danault has been thrust into a role he wasn’t ready for. We’ll see if he can handle that same role this season.

The team is paying a lot of money for Petry, who is one of the team’s most experienced defenseman with the injury to Weber, and the veteran should be able to handle the No. 1 duties for the time being. The 30-year-old blueliner showed off some offensive skills last year, posting a career-high 12 goals and 42 points.

Four Or More Years Remaining

G Carey Price ($10.5MM through 2025-26)
D Shea Weber ($7.86MM through 2025-26)
F Jonathan Drouin ($5.5MM through 2022-23)
D Karl Alzner ($4.63MM through 2021-22)
F Andrew Shaw ($3.9MM through 2021-22)

The timing of Price’s poor season could have been better after the team extended the netminder last offseason. Now after a major drop off in performance after many felt he was the best goaltender in the world, the $10.5MM deal that kicks in this season, suddenly looks quite undesirable. After a season in which he posted a 2.23 GAA and a .923 save percentage in 62 games, Price struggled with injuries and struggled all year behind Montreal’s weakened blueline. He put up a 3.11 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 49 games. The question is which Price will come back this year? If he can bounce back and perform even close to his 2016-17 statistics, that contract wouldn’t look to be quite as bad.

Unfortunately, Weber’s contract is another story. The 33-year-old blueliner still has eight years left on his contract, only managed to play 26 games last season after he was forced to undergo surgery on a torn tendon in his foot and now is expected to miss a large chunk of the season with the possibility of returning in mid-December. While a dominant defenseman when healthy, one has to wonder whether a major foot injury may alter the impact that Weber makes for the rest of his career, considering his advancing age and the way that speed has taken the league over recently. Whether the team can keep him on the ice for another year or two, let alone eight, will be something to closely monitor.

The team has high expectations will be able to bounce back after his struggles to adapt to the center position. Drouin will continue to play there this season and with a full season of experience and a chance to train there in the preseason, Drouin should be much more comfortable, centering the team’s top line. The third-overall pick from the 2013 draft, Drouin has all the talent to make the adjustment and give the team a top-six center. However, his numbers took a hit with the change in positions as he managed just 13 goals and 46 points on the year. The team also has high expectations that Alzner, the team’s big free-agent signing a year ago, will bounce back as well. The veteran defenseman had trouble getting integrated with his new team as well as having to deal with the expectations that came with the contract he signed. However, with a year of experience, he should be able to settle into top-four role this season.

Buyouts

G Mason ($1.37MM through 2019-20)

Retained Salary Transactions

None

Still To Sign

None

Best Value: Gallagher
Worst Value: Weber

(Excluding entry-level contracts)

Looking Ahead

The team has all the contracts of a team trying to rebuild with youth. Unfortunately, it also has two contracts that are going to weigh down the franchise for eight more years, which is a long time, especially when some of the young players begin to develop and will need new contracts of their own. While the contract of Price might not seem as bad if the veteran goaltender can rebound, it’s likely that Weber’s deal will be a major albatross and it’s way too early to even consider trading that contract or buying it out. Regardless, the team needs to rebuild despite their strange salary cap situation. The addition of Kotkaniemi, regardless of when he arrives to the team, is a start to the rebuild, even if the team won’t acknowledge that’s what they’re doing.

Atlantic Notes: Red Wings, Krug, Reinhart, Kotkaniemi

August 11, 2018 at 4:31 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 3 Comments

With the last piece of major housekeeping completed in Detroit after the Red Wings signed star Dylan Larkin to a five-year, $30.5MM deal, the team now has to take a look at their salary cap, which they will be over, even after they move forward Johan Franzen to LTIR. General manager Ken Holland told The Athletic’s Craig Custance, they will likely be “in the neighborhood” of $1MM over the cap.

“We’re very tight,” Holland said on Friday of the cap situation. “With this deal, we’re probably a dribble over. Not a lot, but we’re over. We’re going to have to make some decisions moving forward.”

One possibility would be to bury the contracts of Martin Frk and Luke Witkowski in the minors. However, if the team believes that veteran Henrik Zetterberg could end up missing the season as his injuries haven’t improved this summer, the team could place him on LTIR as well and wouldn’t have anything else to worry about. Custance adds, however, that if Zetterberg does return, that likely would end the chances of 2018 first-round pick Filip Zadina of making the roster out of training camp.

In a mailbag series, Joe Haggerty of NBC Sports writes that with eight quality NHL defenseman on the roster, the team will likely make a trade before the season starts. The team has Torey Krug, Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid, John Moore, Kevan Miller, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie McAvoy and Brandon Carlo on the roster. The scribe writes that could mean that the team might be ready to move Krug if the team can get a big return for the blueliner. And they would need to, as Krug is one of the top offensive defensemen in the league as only Erik Karlsson, Victor Hedman, Brent Burns and John Klingberg have more points over the last two seasons. He has 22 goals and 110 points combined in that time.
The Athletic’s Ryan Stimson (subscription required) wonders where restricted free agent Sam Reinhart should play next year in the Buffalo Sabres’ lineup once he signs. The 22-year-old center has been a decent center for the Sabres in the past, but saw his game blossom once he was moved up and played on the wing next to top-line center Jack Eichel. With the team moving on from Ryan O’Reilly and bringing in prospect Casey Mittelstadt, what should the team do with Reinhart? The scribe breaks down Reinhart’s game and wonders if it would be best for the youngster to take over the team’s No. 2 center position and ease Mittelstadt in.
The Athletic’s Mitch Brown (subscription required) ranks the Montreal Canadiens’ top five prospects with 2018 third-overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi listed as their top prospect. The young centerman, who flew up the draft boards in the final weeks, anchors a list of prospects that Brown believes is the most exciting in the last five or six years. He has been successful playing in the SM-liiga as an 18-year-old and is expected to fill that long-waited hole in the middle.

Several NHL Prospects Included In Finland Summer Showcase Roster

July 26, 2018 at 2:45 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 1 Comment

The World Junior Summer Showcase rosters for USA Hockey have already been released, and today we got a look at one of the countries they’ll have to face next week. Finland has released their final roster for the tournament and it includes several players already drafted by NHL clubs.

Rasmus Kupari, the first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings this past June, is listed with the group and should have a good shot at being one of the leaders on the squad. His skill and ability at center ice should allow him to thrive, though he’ll still be just 18 when the winter tournament is underway. Interestingly Jesperi Kotkaniemi is not on the listed roster, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be on the World Junior team in December. There will still be plenty of changes to the roster, but this group will get the chance to prove their worth next week in Kamloops, British Columbia.

There are a pair of 2019 draft eligible standouts to watch in Anttoni Honka and Kaapo Kakko, as both are potential picks near the very top of the draft. Though there’s no guarantee the 17-year old players make the final cut, they are extremely exciting talents that should be interesting to see a glimpse of against some of their similarly-aged peers.

The full roster is below:

G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF, 54th overall, 2017)
G Lassi Lehtinen (undrafted)
G Filip Lindberg (undrafted)

D Toni Utunen (VAN, 130th overall, 2018)
D Santeri Salmela (undrafted)
D Aleksi Anttalainen (undrafted)
D Saku Vesterinen (undrafted)
D Otto Latvala (undrafted)
D Oskari Laaksonen (BUF, 89th overall, 2017)
D Joona Riekkinen (undrafted)
D Anttoni Honka (2019 eligible)

F Ville Petman (undrafted)
F Erkka Seppala (undrafted)
F Eetu Pakkila (NJD, 203rd overall, 2018)
F Aleksi Klemetti (undrafted)
F Teemu Engberg (undrafted)
F Linus Nyman (undrafted)
F Jesse Koskenkorva (undrafted)
F Sampo Ranta (COL, 78th overall, 2018)
F Aarne Talvitie (NJD, 160th overall, 2017)
F Kristian Tanus (undrafted)
F Kaapo Kakko (2019 eligible)
F Rasmus Kupari (LAK, 20th overall, 2018)
F Olli Maansaari (undrafted)
F Janne Jokinen (undrafted)

Atlantic Notes: Karlsson, Pacioretty, Blashill, Kotkaniemi

July 22, 2018 at 12:28 pm CDT | by Holger Stolzenberg 4 Comments

When looking across the spectrum at different sports, there are often situations that have similarities, which is what happened last week with the San Antonio Spurs when they were forced to trade their superstar basketball player Kawhi Leonard away, eventually trading him to the Toronto Raptors. While a very different sport, The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required) writes that the Spurs handled everything with class, even if they didn’t come out with the best return, and there are other general managers in the NHL, such as Montreal’s Marc Bergevin and Ottawa’s Pierre Dorion who should be paying attention.

The most comparable situation comes to Dorion who is tasked to move superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson as soon as possible. Just like in San Antonio, everyone knows Dorion has to trade him, making it more challenging to get a quality return. The Montreal’s situation with Max Pacioretty isn’t the same, but is similar to DeMar DeRozan, who the Spurs received from Toronto in the Leonard trade, who the team wants to move in fear of him leaving eventually. Regardless, Basu writes that both teams need to move on from their respective situations and the longer they wait the more desperate they are going to get. Neither team is going to want Karlsson or Pacioretty to show up at training camp in a few months. Both teams need to do the best they can and move on as quickly as possible.

In an interview with Detroit Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill, the Detroit Free-Press’ Helene St. James asks the coach about the importance of integrating youth onto their roster next season. The head coach says that there will have to be more advantages given to younger players this coming year. “I think one of the big keys is that when you are a playoff team on an annual basis, the right move is that when a young player and a veteran player are tied, the tie goes to the veteran,” Blashill said. “When you are a team that hasn’t made the playoffs for two years and a young player and a veteran player are tied, I think now the tie should go to the young player.” That could be a big advantage to some of the team’s top talents from Michael Rasmussen, Filip Zadina, Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski who will all be fighting for roster spots in training camp.
Sean Farrell of NHL.com writes that the Montreal Canadiens’ 2018 first-round pick, center Jesperi Kotkaniemi could make the team out of training camp. Bergevin said Kotkaniemi will be at training camp and didn’t rule out the third-overall pick from making the team. “He got better every day, so we’re going in with an open mind,” Bergevin said. “I don’t know, but just the fact that he’s signed and he’s coming to camp and he’s closer to the NHL. Where he’s going to be Oct. 1, I can’t tell you, but we see a lot of potential and growth in this young man.”

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