Hurricanes’ Jesperi Kotkaniemi determined to be more productive. ‘It’s going to turn’
Carolina Hurricanes practice was winding down Wednesday at Invisalign Arena and Jesperi Kotkeniemi was getting in a little extra shooting practice.
The Canes center set up low in the right circle, taking passes and ripping one-timers. A few shots missed the cage but many were on target.
And, yes, he’d like to see more go in the net when it counts — in games, helping the Canes win.
That has not happened for Kotkaniemi since he scored in the Canes’ Dec. 19 game against the Vegas Golden Knights at PNC Arena, a 6-3 win for Carolina. He has gone 17 games without a goal and has that one in the past 28 games.
Kotkaniemi, 23, has a quick smile, an easy laugh and a friendly demeanor. He doesn’t shy away from media questions when things aren’t going well — remember, he once spent time in the media-questioning cauldron that is Montreal — and didn’t Wednesday.
“It’s always a little frustrating when the puck’s not going in the net,” he said in an N&O interview. “But you just try to stick with it. Just try to make the game as simple as you can. Hopefully, the puck is going to find the net at some point.”
Early in the season, he had six goals in his first 14 games and eight in the first 21, in addition to seven assists. That was 15 points in 21 games, putting him on a pace for roughly a 60-point season.
Would this be the breakout season for the player the Canes obtained from the Canadiens with an offer sheet in 2021, a player Carolina signed to an eight-year, $38.5 million contract extension in March 2022?
Instead, there has been the offensive decline and more recently a decline in playing time. The Canes’ second-line center in the first half of the season, Kotkaniemi has since flipped with center Jack Drury and been moved to the fourth line.
Kotkaniemi played fewer than 10 minutes in each of the three games before the All-Star Game break, getting a season-low 9:04 against the New Jersey Devils on Jan. 25.
Kotkaniemi is a prideful player. He also has learned to be a patient one, realizing what has to be done and willing to do it.
“You try to think about what went wrong and how it can be better,” he said of dealing with the rough patches of a season. “I’ve been through this a number of times. When it’s not there, it’s not there. Nothing’s going in.
“But hopefully, if you work hard, it’s going to turn at some point.”
Kotkaniemi said he headed to Mexico with teammate Seth Jarvis during the Canes bye week and All-Star break, and that goalie Antti Raanta and his family also were there. He said he took in some of the LIV Golf Mayakoba tournament in Playa Del Carmen and got some sun. It was restful.
Kotkaniemi said he returned to Raleigh refreshed and ready for the Canes’ 34-game sprint to close out the regular season. The first game back was not a victorious one for Carolina as Vancouver took a 3-2 win Tuesday, but Kotkaniemi was engaged and in the fight from the start and finished with nearly 15 minutes of playing time.
Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Kotkaniemi’s play was “fine,” a word he used recently in discussing Kotkaniemi’s season.
“I think at times he tries to do a little too much, which is what you expect with young players, who are trying to score on every shift or thinking they have to score,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s not a lack of effort. The problem is sometimes it’s not there and you have to be able to live to fight another day and do some other things.”
That’s what Kotkaniemi has tried to do. Against Vancouver, he won five of seven faceoffs. He won some board battles. He was responsible enough in the defensive zone.
Kotkaniemi had a chance to tie the score with 6:30 left in regulation. Centering Martin Necas and Michael Bunting, he took a pass from Necas as he broke to the net and forced goalie Thatcher Demko into a tough glove save. Retrieving the puck, Kotkaniemi got off another shot seconds later.
Kotkaniemi was on the ice late in regulation after the Canes pulled goalie Pyotr Kochetkov for a sixth attacker. He cleanly won an offensive zone draw in the final minute, setting up a quick shot by Brent Burns that was blocked as the Canucks held on.
Again, Kotkaniemi did not make the scoresheet. He has been without a point the past eight games. But his effort Tuesday was noticeable and he’ll look to be that way again Thursday against the Colorado Avalanche at PNC Arena.
“The biggest thing in this game, as you know, is to win the games,” Kotkaniemi said. “It’s not the individual part that much. We want to make the playoffs and go far. With not many games, we have to stay sharp.”
This story was originally published February 8, 2024 at 5:30 AM.
