Revisiting the Disastrous Kotkaniemi Offer Sheet By Carolina

[Mickey Marner]

It didn’t shut their window, but they could’ve spent both the money and draft capital better. Seems like ownership meddling tbh. Their front office is usually quite measured and shrewd, while that offersheet was anything but.

 

[Frank Drebin]

And, as has been mentioned multiple times already, Carolina wasn’t expecting Trocheck to re-sign. He had already informed the team he wouldn’t be signing when the offer sheet was made.

It’s likely why the Canes first attempted to trade for KK, and when that never materialized, made the offer sheet.

It doesn’t fit the “petty revenge” narrative, which is why it’s constantly overlooked.

It also doesn't fit the narrative that the Canes are a well run franchise that has good pro scouting.

 

[MikeK]

At he end of the day it's turned out to be a bad move and one the team would likely take a do-over on. I think they were so focused on revenge for the Aho sheet that they weren't thinking clearly. It hurt the team more than helped it.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

It also doesn't fit the narrative that the Canes are a well run franchise that has good pro scouting.

That’s a narrative that’s out there? News to me.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Isn't this thing revisited here like once a month?

sure, but it is "time" to revisit it again

 

[newsportsfan123]

It also doesn't fit the narrative that the Canes are a well run franchise that has good pro scouting.

Nobody has ever said Carolina’s pro scouting is good it’s more of their amateur scouting at the draft that’s strong. Also, their only big free agent misses under this management has really just been Kotkaniemi and maybe Deangelo the second go around.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

sure, but it is "time" to revisit it again

Because the topic at the end of the regular season was so long ago…

 

[Frank Drebin]

Nobody has ever said Carolina’s pro scouting is good it’s more of their amateur scouting at the draft that’s strong. Also, their only big free agent misses under this management has really just been Kotkaniemi and maybe Deangelo the second go around.

The offersheet at the time seemed very out of character for the Hurricanes who had made tough but correct decisions about players in the past, and the "we tried trading for the player" just seemed like posturing spin to me.

I think they were really hoping that MB matched, because habs were pretty screwed at center ice without kk.

Because the topic at the end of the regular season was so long ago…

Nobody revisits the Patrick Roy trade anymore because every habs fan can admit it was a bad move.

Same with the Sergachev for Drouin. Dead horse. Habs got boned.

 

[Craig Ludwig]

That Kotkaniemi money sure would have bought a good solid goalie for the playoffs...Enjoy paying him for the next 5 years. It was a childish revenge move against a GM who is now basking in the L.A sun. I sometimes wonder how these GMs get their job and then keep it with moves that a teenage hockey fan would make.

 

[newsportsfan123]

That Kotkaniemi money sure would have bought a good solid goalie for the playoffs...Enjoy paying him for the next 5 years. It was a childish revenge move against a GM who is now basking in the L.A sun. I sometimes wonder how these GMs get their job and then keep it with moves that a teenage hockey fan would make.

There is no solid goalie that Carolina can get with the money they spent on Kotkaniemi. Saros is probably the only game changer. No other goalie is going to be elite enough like top 3 in the playoffs.

 

[KrisLetAngry]

Exactly. Habs fans are loving this meanwhile they wasted a tank year on a failed third overall pick. That’s a huge loss for a franchise.

Don't always hit on picks.

Suzuki , Cole Caufield, Slafosky

Then they went out and got some actual centers in the NHL in newhook & Dach we will see if either van be a 2C full time.

The draft sure that sucks. The offer sheet may be the best thing that happened to them however. Forced them to pivot and go a different way with a 1st and a 3rd compensation.

This is a huge L for the Carolina Hurricanes. Atleaat they got to meme about it on Twitter

 

[Dirty Dog]

Everyone involved lost and there were no winners.

 

[newsportsfan123]

The offersheet at the time seemed very out of character for the Hurricanes who had made tough but correct decisions about players in the past, and the "we tried trading for the player" just seemed like posturing spin to me.

I think they were really hoping that MB matched, because habs were pretty screwed at center ice without kk.


Nobody revisits the Patrick Roy trade anymore because every habs fan can admit it was a bad move.

Same with the Sergachev for Drouin. Dead horse. Habs got boned.

I mean I don’t think it was out of character. They traded a 1st for Skjei and that was seen as a terrible overpay, but a year later it actually paid off. He’s been better in his Canes tenure than he ever was in his Rangers tenure. Torcheck trade was also somewhat similar because he was coming off a bad injury that no one thought he could come back from. They also replaced Hamilton with Bear and then Burns. Burns replaced Hamilton production pretty well.

 

[Hoochi Papa]

Three seasons later it is easy to say it wasn't a lose-lose situation. Carolina did lose and they lost a lot: competitive window, when they spent assets to acquire overpriced 4th line center who was subpar at best in playoffs. Sure he had a 43 point regular season but it's a small victory. They lost Vinny and didn't upgrade their goaltender situation because millions were tied to a blown revenge. Key player was missing so they could play cannon fodder 11 minutes per game. That is disastrous.

Canadiens ended up being winners. Bergevin wasted Carolina's first to a slow as molasses injury prone faceoff specialist. He was one of the key acquisitions that finally finished Bergevin's awful tenure with the Habs. That alone is a big win. Canadiens needed to rebuild badly but Bergevin did anything he could to compete with shitty and gritty heart and soul players. Habs finally faced the awful truth that were masquaraded by flash in the pan Covid-playoffs and overall awful Eastern Conference that kept them close to a playoff spot. Whole offer sheet saga humiliated Canadiens and Bergevin and turned latter into a laughing stock. Had they been ~10 points from the last playoffs spot, nothing would've changed. One shouldn't downplay the repercussions of the lost offer sheet.

Finally Canadiens have an actual manager in Kent Hughes. He is great at asset management unlike his predecessor who was mostly fantastic with excuses, how this and that is super hard and that's why we signed Karl Alzner. Rebuild is done with time and patience. And Dvorak's, Gallagher's and Anderson's bloated contracts guarantee they'll remain in bottom 5. No one's really excited about Bobrov and Gorton but at least they had a hit with Slafkovsky.

Future may not be bright but it's definitely much better than it'd be under the old regime.

 

[Hostile Offer]

You guys are too caught up in the narratives and soap opera here imo. The twitter account doesn't run their Franchise. Reality is Kotkaniemi is the prototypical "Brind'Amour" player and they were gambling that with his age and pedigree that he was going to make a big step forward in what would be RFA years, and with Montreal not being in a good cap spot, they could get him on a really good rate on a long-term extension. Obviously this did not work out. The offer sheet itself though? Meh, only 1 year. Yes a bit of trolling and pettiness with the $20 and some things said, but that stuff didn't matter. The 1st and 3rd they gave up are kind of whatever. The 8-year extension given that Kotkaniemi has not made a step forward is ultimately the real issue here.

Gotta remember here that while the offer sheet was just for one year that $6M was his QO for next year which forced the Canes to offer him something truly enticing in order to avoid him walking straight to UFA or simply take that ridiculous QO. It basically meant a lot of term had to be offered to bring the AAV down. Yes they counted on him getting better which is fine but it was a gamble that would've been completely unnecessary in other circumstances.

 

[newsportsfan123]

Three seasons later it is easy to say it wasn't a lose-lose situation. Carolina did lose and they lost a lot: competitive window, when they spent assets to acquire overpriced 4th line center who was subpar at best in playoffs. Sure he had a 43 point regular season but it's a small victory. They lost Vinny and didn't upgrade their goaltender situation because millions were tied to a blown revenge. Key player was missing so they could play cannon fodder 11 minutes per game. That is disastrous.

Canadiens ended up being winners. Bergevin wasted Carolina's first to a slow as molasses injury prone faceoff specialist. He was one of the key acquisitions that finally finished Bergevin's awful tenure with Habs. That alone is a big win. Canadiens needed rebuild badly but Bergevin did anything he could to compete with shitty and gritty heart and soul players. Habs finally faced the awful truth that were masquaraded by flash in the pan Covid-playoffs and overall awful Eastern Conference that kept them close to a playoff spot. Whole offer sheet saga humiliated Canadiens and Bergevin and turned latter into a laughing stock. Had they been ~10 points from the last playoffs spot, nothing would've changed. One shouldn't downplay the repercussions of the lost offer sheet.

Finally Canadiens have an actual manager in Kent Hughes. He is great at asset management unlike his predecessor who was mostly fantastic with excuses, how this and that is super hard and that's why we signed Karl Alzner. Rebuild is done with time and patience. And Dvorak's, Gallagher's and Anderson's bloated contracts guarantee they'll remain in bottom 5. No one's really excited about Bobrov and Gorton but at least they had a hit with Slafkovsky.

Future may not be bright but it's definitely much better than it'd be under the old regime.

I’m sorry to tell you but Kotkaniemi did not prevent Carolina from getting a goalie. Andersen was literally a Vezina finalist in his first Canes season. The only goalie maybe worth signing in that period was Ullmark who has been an awful playoff performer. The 2C situation I guess, but Trocheck was literally not resigning here no matter how many of you fans ignore this.

Also if you think Carolina is just going to not be competitive after this year you might be as dumb as a tree.

 

[CTHabsfan]

Habs fans so caught up in crackling with glee at the Kotkaniemi contract that they forget they had a third overall pick and whiffed so hard on KK that losing him for picks that were used to trade for Christian Dvorak is considered a win.

I haven't seen such a terrible use of a third overall pick since Galchenyuk.

You honestly think Habs fans have forgotten drafting Kotkaniemi rather than Brady Tkachuk, then using the 1st-round pick they received from Carolina to get Christian Dvorak? Think again! The bright spot for the Canadiens was this being the final nail in the coffin for Mark Bergevin's tenure as GM.

 

[Frank Drebin]

I mean I don’t think it was out of character. They traded a 1st for Skjei and that was seen as a terrible overpay, but a year later it actually paid off. He’s been better in his Canes tenure than he ever was in his Rangers tenure. Torcheck trade was also somewhat similar because he was coming off a bad injury that no one thought he could come back from. They also replaced Hamilton with Bear and then Burns. Burns replaced Hamilton production pretty well.

I think I may be misremembering my feelings on the os. At the time.

Looking back I thought it was a brilliant offer because it was essentially zero risk for the hurricanes. They paid basically a TDl rental price for a 20 year old center, bought some good will with the player in the process and looked like they could ink him to a reasonable contract after the 6.1 one year deal was over.

The 8 year contract was a pretty big gamble but they had no RFa rights because of the offersheet. Kk was still looking alright but he was going to have to grow into being a 5m player.

But it was pretty buyout friendly and this is looking like it was a gamble that just didn't work out

 

[Hoochi Papa]

I’m sorry to tell you but Kotkaniemi did not prevent Carolina from getting a goalie. Andersen was literally a Vezina finalist in his first Canes season. The only goalie maybe worth signing in that period was Ullmark who has been an awful playoff performer. The 2C situation I guess, but Trocheck was literally not resigning here no matter how many of you fans ignore this.

Also if you think Carolina is just going to not be competitive after this year you might be as dumb as a tree.

Sure they make playoffs, probably even win a round. Congratulations for participating!

 

[newsportsfan123]

Sure they make playoffs, probably even win a round. Congratulations for participating!

Okay what’s wrong with that? Only 8 teams make the second round every year. Carolina has done that 5 years of the last 6.

 

[ValeriKamensky]

The X-Factor here is Alexander Nikishin, who was best defenseman in KHL and does not turn 23 until October, which is still not a Defenseman's prime. If he comes in and is an instant top-pair, PP1 guy, Carolina is probably automatically the Stanley Cup favorite.

The way the internet scouts overrate guys with 0 NHL games as a key pieces for building contender is….is some special

 

[le_sean]

I’m sorry to tell you but Kotkaniemi did not prevent Carolina from getting a goalie. Andersen was literally a Vezina finalist in his first Canes season. The only goalie maybe worth signing in that period was Ullmark who has been an awful playoff performer. The 2C situation I guess, but Trocheck was literally not resigning here no matter how many of you fans ignore this.

Also if you think Carolina is just going to not be competitive after this year you might be as dumb as a tree.

I mean it’s nice to repeat that Trocheck wouldn’t re-sign, but there was still Kadri, JT Miller, Giroux, Copp, Zacha, Ryan Strome as free agent centres in the summer of 2022. A little foresight and patience would have gone a long way.

 

[Harry22]

I don’t understand why people try to dunk on Carolina with the whole KK fiasco. There was reports of Carolina trying to trade for him before they offersheeted him. This was not a troll job. At the time KK was young and I believe Carolina saw a Couturier situation where he would take longer to develop. Teams gamble on players all the time, luckily for Carolina if they want to move on from KK they can buy him out cheap on league minimum in a couple of years. Also, regarding Trocheck, Carolina was never going to sign a player going into their 30s especially with Trocheck having a massive injury issue probably two years before that. They let Dougie Hamilton walk for the same reason. I think the bigger issue is Jordan Staal, he is screwing them on the finishing side but is too good defensively to be let go.

Carolinas cup window depends on how good Nikishin and Kochetkov are. Nikishin should be here for the 2025/2026 season because the KHL extended their season to like mid may, so he couldn’t even make it if Carolina was to make a run. Morrow is also another player to look at if he can develop a solid defensive game he could replace Skjei. Carolina will make the playoffs for a long time until the Blue Jackets and the Capitals get better. Islanders have no prospects so they will be stuck for awhile and the Caps are in a similar situation. Jackets are the only team that could contend for the 3rd spot once their young players start to show up. Devils will eventually get better and probably push Carolina out of the second spot.

Ah yes, giving him a 20$ (Aho's number) signing bonus and their press release was verbatim the same as the Habs one when they offer sheeted Aho. It was petty and 100% a troll job. Glad it backfired and glad your team is not sniffing the Cup for another year.

 

[WarriorofTime]

The way the internet scouts overrate guys with 0 NHL games as a key pieces for building contender is….is some special

Every player once had 0 NHL games. Hope that helps.

 

[Hoochi Papa]

Okay what’s wrong with that? Only 8 teams make the second round every year. Carolina has done that 5 years of the last 6.

That makes them what, Toronto Maple Leafs of the second round?
It's nice to be pretty good but they could've had an actual push for the Stanley Cup. That window was closed by Kotkaniemi offer sheet and extension. Now they're entering the territory of "who knows, anything can happen".