Hurricanes Shouldn’t Rush to Move Kotkaniemi

The roster of a Stanley Cup champion is by definition formidable. You do not win the most prestigious trophy in sports through luck alone. You need some, but rosters that capture the banner are well-built, well-coached, and extremely talented. For the 2025-26 Carolina Hurricanes, that continues to hold true. They are perhaps the most efficiently built roster we’ve ever seen. However, one player’s future remains in doubt as the celebrations in Raleigh continue. That’s Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

He’s got four more seasons on his contract, making $4.82 million average annual value (AAV). That’s not the issue for Carolina. Kotkaniemi was the only player not to play a single second in the Hurricanes’ 19 playoff games as they destroyed the league with a 16-3 record to capture the Cup. He did play 42 regular-season games, meaning he will have his name etched on Lord Stanley, but he recorded only two goals and seven assists for nine points. It was the worst offensive season of his career, and it’s not particularly close. So, what happens now?

The Rumors

Frank Seravalli said on Halford & Brough on Sportsnet that a team made a genuine offer for Kotkaniemi at the deadline. Carolina declined it, noting the slim center market and believing the notorious offer-sheet recipient was the Hurricanes’ best option for center coverage. He wasn’t needed, but it gives you an idea of how highly the Hurricanes believe in the Finnish centerman, even in the midst of the worst season of his career.

Seravalli’s credibility is often subject to debate, so perhaps you don’t believe him. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said back in January that the Hurricanes were listening to offers on him. He was put into offers for players the Hurricanes thought could improve their roster. This is a player the Hurricanes could move today if they wanted to, but they’ve held onto him, thinking he’s better for their Stanley Cup ambitions than a late-round pick would be. You can disagree with the logic, but it worked.

The Players Skillset

There is no denying what Kotkaniemi is at his best. He’s a good, defense-first centerman. The problem for Carolina is that it is exactly what captain and reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jordan Staal is, and even at 38, he’s one of the best defense-first forwards in the NHL. It leaves Kotkaniemi as a square peg in a round hole, either in the 2C slot, which Logan Stankoven has now made his for the foreseeable future, or as the fourth line center. As the 4C, he doesn’t kill penalties like Mark Jankowski does, so his utility is very different.

Offensively, he gets a lot of heat, but he’s not bad at all. His career point average is 32 points. That’s not bad considering it’s mostly even-strength. Kotkaniemi has never been the recipient of large chunks of power-play time. It means he doesn’t produce as much as others who get an even split of the power play. On another team that’s young, trying to get better with a fresh start around him, Kotkaniemi could very well return to some of the form he found when he first landed in Raleigh.

Weighing the Situation

Some fans want to see the player moved, and their reasons make sense. Kotkaniemi makes $4.82 million, and the Hurricanes did not use him in the postseason. Even if only so the player can get back on the ice in a different city, there is logic to a trade. Freeing up that cap space is always nice. It’s not like it would be hard to move Kotkaniemi, either. Yes, it’s almost $5 million, but the cap is shooting up so astronomically that it’s not that hard to swallow for teams looking for center depth.

The flip side of this situation is… why move him? Carolina has $11 million in cap space; they’re not cap-strapped in any fashion. They can comfortably run it back with the same roster that won the Cup and have room for a significant addition this offseason. The center market, outside of the Dylan Larkin powderkeg and whatever happens there, is barren. Carolina won’t find someone as qualified as Kotkaniemi in free agency. So, why make a move for the sake of making it? The organization thought they were better off keeping Kotkaniemi then. What changes now?

As the years go on and the cap keeps doing Olympic-level high jumps, Kotkaniemi’s contract is only going to look better. With all the rumors and the offer sheet saga surrounding Kotkaniemi, it’s given people a false memory of this player. He’s only 25. This is not a player on the downside of his career; it’s a young player still fighting for a chance in this league. Why not continue to use him, even as a healthy scratch or in the event of injury, and let him increase his value rather than shoehorn him away now?

Ultimately, this comes down to what the Hurricanes’ front office decides is more valuable. Do they believe cap space, the once sacred commodity in a flat cap world, is more important than a player who can play up and down the lineup in a pinch? He might not be an ideal fit in any one slot, but the fact that he can play almost anywhere does work to his benefit. It’s a genuine question, and one that will continue to linger.

So, what’s the most likely resolution? Common sense indicates Carolina retain the player until they find a better fit for the unique system that they play. However, if someone comes in and offers the Hurricanes a return they cannot refuse, would they consider moving Kotkaniemi? It’s worth noting he has a modified no-trade clause, so he would have partial control over any hypothetical deal. We’ll see what happens in the coming days and weeks, but it is an intriguing situation.