The Carolina Hurricanes signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an eight-year contract extension in March, which carries a $4.82 million cap hit.
Kotkaniemi scored 12 goals and 29 points in 66 games with the Hurricanes this season, a pace of 15 goals and 36 points per 82 games. He’ll be turning 22 years old next month and can play either at center or on the wing.
It was definitely a gamble for Carolina to go for an eight-year deal with Kotkaniemi, given that he’s still seemingly finding his game a bit and hasn’t necessarily shown major offensive upside. With a player like Martin Necas at basically the same age, at least Necas shown he’s very skilled offensively but it’s more so about rounding out his game and finding consistency. With Kotkaniemi though, he hasn’t shown many flashes of huge offensive potential that would indicate he’ll be able to sustain high levels of production.
That said, Kotkaniemi was playing in a limited role and considering he averaged only about 12 minutes per game this season, his numbers were pretty decent overall. If Kotkaniemi takes the next step defensively as well, the production does also become less of a focus but as of now, the forward doesn’t necessarily have many key attributes of his game that really stand out to warrant the deal.
It also kind of remains to be seen as to where Kotkaniemi’s long-term spot in the lineup will be. He played in multiple different spots in the team's lineup this year but you have to imagine the plan is probably for him to be a long-term, third-line center. With Jordan Staal now entering his mid 30s and likely to slow down, Kotkaniemi does seem to be the natural replacement, even if he may not necessarily be quite ready for the role yet. There's also always the chance the forward could make huge progress and end up as a fixture on the second line down the road, though that seems less likely.
Obviously, Carolina is betting on Kotkaniemi becoming a consistent producer and important center for the team. If it works out, the team could end up with excellent value on the deal for a very long time. There’s also the chance though that he isn’t fully able to take the next step and doesn’t necessarily provide the impact the Hurricanes are counting on.
It’s a deal that’s really dependent on how Kotkaniemi continues to develop with the Hurricanes and one that could have major implications, for better or worse.
Carolina Hurricanes Blogger • 
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