Jesperi Kotkaniemi could end up in Calgary

As everyone knows, Brady Tkachuk was still available at the time, and the Canadiens chose to pass on him in favor of Kotkaniemi. One can argue that this selection was a complete failure on the part of the administration led by Marc Bergevin. Kotkaniemi never came close to meeting the expectations placed upon him.

The player, nicknamed KK, finished last season with 27 points, including 12 goals, in 79 games. In his post-season review, he described it as a difficult year:

With a contract that is very heavy compared to KK's contributions, it didn't take long for the idea of buying out his contract to emerge. A buyout this year could be beneficial for the Hurricanes since Kotkaniemi is under 25 years old, making him eligible for a two-thirds salary cap hit instead of two-thirds of his full salary.

Despite being in mid-July, it's likely that Kotkaniemi will remain with the Hurricanes. It's unlikely that he will be bought out, and the only way for the organization to get rid of him would be to trade him.

It seems that Jesperi Kotkaniemi may be traded to the Calgary Flames. According to a recent article on The Athletic, Eric Duhatschek suggests that new Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky considers the Flames as a potential destination for the Finnish player.

According to Duhatschek, Kotkaniemi needs a change of scenery and playing significant minutes. He thinks that the Flames need a center and have the financial ability to take on Kotkaniemi's contract.

The dilemma is whether the Flames are willing to pay $4.82 million per year for KK for the four remaining seasons on his contract. The need to sign Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas, and Jack Drury this summer may encourage Tulsky to accept an agreement at a reduced price for the former Canadiens player. This becomes even more urgent since Tulsky has only $11.68 million available to negotiate with these three players.

KK's contract is likely one of the worst deals concluded in recent years, as it prevents the team from looking to the future and weighs heavily on the organization.