For the Hurricanes, who open at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday (7 pm ET; BSSO, BSOH, ESPN+, NHL LIVE), winning the Stanley Cup is the only acceptable outcome after four straight seasons of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. but being unable to take the next step since reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2019.
“We want to win. That’s all we’re going for,” Kotkaniemi said. “Anything under that is not good.”
For Kotkaniemi, it’s about proving he’s ready to fill Carolina’s second-line center hole when created Vincent Trocheck left to sign with the New York Rangers this offseason.
“I want to be a good player in this league, and this will be a big step towards that,” Kotkaniemi said. “I’ve always wanted to be with the top guys on the team and maybe now I’ll get a good chance to play with the top guys. So, I have to show that I’m worth it.”
Kotkaniemi insists he didn’t spend last season trying to prove he was worth the one-year, $6.1 million offer sheet the Hurricanes signed him to as a restricted free agent Aug. 28, 2021. It would’ve been understandable if he did, considering Carolina had to give up a first-round pick and a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft as compensation after the Montreal Canadiens opted not to match the offer sheet.
But with a season with the Hurricanes under his belt, and the stability that comes with the eight-year, $38.56 million contract ($4.82 million average annual value) he signed March 21, the 22-year-old said he is more settled heading into this season.
“I feel way more comfortable coming in here,” Kotkaniemi said. “Last summer was kind of a mess. Everything happened pretty fast, and the games almost started right away (after Montreal announced it wouldn’t match the offer sheet on Sept. 4). So, I had a little more time this summer to work out and pull everything together and came here well rested and feeling good, ready to go.”
The Hurricanes approached Kotkaniemi’s first season with them almost as if he was a rookie again, bringing him along slowly (his average of 12:10 in ice time per game was 10th among their forwards who played at least 40 games) so he could learn their system and continue to develop. Although Kotkaniemi played some wing initially, the Hurricanes quickly realized he was a better fit at center.
So Kotkaniemi spent much of the season centering the fourth line with some time on the power play (1:12 per game) mixed in. The result was a solid if unspectacular 29 points (NHL career-high 12 goals, 17 assists) in 66 regular-season games and two assists in 14 playoff games last season.
“Obviously, he did play,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “He was on the power play. There were some key roles there, but nothing like it should be now. So, hopefully, he’s ready for it.”
Whether Kotkaniemi is ready is one of the Hurricanes’ biggest questions entering the season. If he isn’t, the Hurricanes have other options to fill the second-line center spot, including Paul Stastny, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract Aug. 23.
But if Kotkaniemi can handle the second line center job, that allows Stastny to fill in elsewhere, strengthening Carolina’s forward depth while Max Pacioretty recovers from a torn Achilles tendon.
“He definitely has that upside in him,” said the Hurricanes first-line center Sebastian Aho, who, like Kotkaniemi, is from Finland. “I know for a fact that he can easily play well for a while, but you’ve got to do it consistently to take that spot and that’s a good challenge for him. But no doubt he can do it.”
Video: 2022-2023 Team Preview: Carolina Hurricanes
Kotkaniemi will likely start the season centering a young second line between Andrei Svechnikov22, and Martin Necas, 23. Carolina selected Svechnikov with the No. 2 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, one spot before Montreal picked Kotkaniemi.
So, the Hurricanes had scouted Kotkaniemi extensively during his draft year and saw more offensive potential in him. He had an NHL career-high 34 points (11 goals, 23 assists) in 79 games as an 18-year-old rookie in 2018-19 and has shown flashes since then, including when he had eight points (five goals, three assists ) in 19 playoff games in 2021 to help Montreal reach the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games.
Carolina would love for him to replace the 51 points (21 goals, 30 assists) Trocheck produced in 81 regular-season games last season.
“We’ve got to remember [Kotkaniemi is] still a young player and we’re putting him in a bigger role and it’s going to take some time for him to develop into where we see him,” Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said. “But that’s why we signed him to a long- term deal, because we see the upside. It’s just a matter of when he hits full stride. It might take him another year or so, but certainly we think he’s got the skill level.”
Brind’Amour also believes Kotkaniemi has the offensive skill to play on the second line. He’ll be monitoring more if Kotkaniemi can handle playing against opponents’ top offensive players, which is an important part of the job.
“That will be the test,” Brind’Amour said. “I know he can play with these guys. Anybody can play with these guys. You’ve got to be able to do that against the other team’s best guys.”
At the start of his fifth NHL season, Kotkaniemi can feel his career clock ticking.
“Yeah, I’m getting old, man,” he joked.
But Kotkaniemi understands that this will be a pivotal season for him and the Hurricanes.
“I think it’s about time to take a step forward,” he said. “I’ve been a good 30-, 20-point guy, so I want to fix that, get a little higher on the points. But mostly, I just want to win, win the Cup. Montreal went to the Final, so I saw that, and I just want to go a step forward and win the Cup and experience that with this team.”
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