Hurricanes offer sheet Kotkaniemi

[Axeman33]

The one Hab page I'm on was all too excited to get the 1st and 3rd for KK.

I can't blame them. I would be too, and then when they look at their roster and see who they have playing center, those picks don't look as good. They still need legit centers and finding a top six center isn't easy as teams aren't willing to give them away. That's why they drafted KK in the first place; to develop their own top six guy.

[rataylor22]

Bergevin should be calling Buffalo to see where 2 unprotected 2022 1s puts them in the Eichel sweepstakes.

[lusshouse]

Bergevin should be calling Buffalo to see where 2 unprotected 2022 1s puts them in the Eichel sweepstakes.

Still very far.

[Axeman33]

Bergevin should be calling Buffalo to see where 2 unprotected 2022 1s puts them in the Eichel sweepstakes.

I'd say any offers from Montreal starts and ends with Suzuki.

[lusshouse]

Why does Carolina do this other than to get back at Montreal?
Why does Kotkaniemi sign this other than to get back at Montreal?
Bergevin probably won’t match just to get back at Carolina lol.

I just don’t understand this at all for Carolina or KK.

KK is what 3C now in Carolina, behind Aho & Trocheck.
Heck even JStaal is ahead of him.

Carolina probably just say this at a 6.1M marketing opportunity.

They get a 21 year old center who already has 171 GP and 29 playoff games of experience. They still have, I believe, control over the next 5+ seasons if they wish so.

Kotkaniemi signs there because he's getting twice what he expected to earn. There also may be bad blood in negociations with KK having been benched again and again last season, and doesn't feel respected by MB.

With Trocheck who'll likely walk away at the end of the season, they found themselves their next 2C. Short term, he's either going to get plugged and play on the wing.

Go and ask Petterson and other RFA if they are happy with this signing! You think Barret Hayton's agent is unhappy -- imagine if he can string a solid season and end up with stats relatively similar to KK after his third season?

--

But why would MB let him walk? You litterally botched your draft in 2018 by prioritizing position over talent with Q Hughes, B Tkachuk and Zadina still available. And now you're letting your future top-6 C walk away without a fight? When there are no more options on the market? You think Pettersson would sign in Montreal under 10.2M? And still then, most experts see your team out of the playoffs so you'd give one or two lottery picks?

Bergevin has and will match.

[FrozenInferno]

No way the Habs were going to offer Kotkaniemi $6M yet. And wow, would that help the Canes. Especially if they could extend him……maybe just for 5M AAV, 2 add’l yrs. That’d get him to UFA.

I don’t think he can be extended for a lower AAV. He will be making $6.1M as an RFA this year so he will have to be tendered a qualifying offer at a minimum $6.1M after this contract is up. If they try to sign him for lower all he has to do is wait until the off-season and sign the qualifying offer they’ll be required to extend to him and he’d come back at $6.1M again. Unless they decide not to qualify him and essentially make him a free agent early which won’t happen. This pretty much sets his floor for a salary until he reaches UFA status.

Another interesting point here is should the Habs match the offer it would put them a couple million above their LTIR exception so they’d probably have to shed another piece. Next level trolling from the Canes here and I LOVE IT.

But as fun as this whole thing is to watch sadly it’ll make future offer sheets even less likely because retaliation like this is exactly why GMs never use them in the first place.

[Axeman33]

I don’t think he can be extended for a lower AAV. He will be making $6.1M as an RFA this year so he will have to be tendered a qualifying offer at a minimum $6.1M after this contract is up. If they try to sign him for lower all he has to do is wait until the off-season and sign the qualifying offer they’ll be required to extend to him and he’d come back at $6.1M again. Unless they decide not to qualify him and essentially make him a free agent early which won’t happen. This pretty much sets his floor for a salary until he reaches UFA status.

Another interesting point here is should the Habs match the offer it would put them a couple million above their LTIR exception so they’d probably have to shed another piece. Next level trolling from the Canes here and I LOVE IT.

But as fun as this whole thing is to watch sadly it’ll make future offer sheets even less likely because retaliation like this is exactly why GMs never use them in the first place.

I'm pretty sure they can re-sign him long term for a lower AAV if KK agrees to it.

[FrozenInferno]

I'm pretty sure they can re-sign him long term for a lower AAV if KK agrees to it.

Yeah, but I guess it boils down to why would he if he knows he can keep taking another year at $6.1M until he builds his value beyond that. We saw Laine sign his QO pretty quickly this summer after a down year. CBJ surely would have tried to get him on something lower.

[lusshouse]

I'm pretty sure they can re-sign him long term for a lower AAV if KK agrees to it.

Yes, exactly.
It only impacts the QO.

[Axeman33]

Yeah, but I guess it boils down to why would he if he knows he can keep taking another year at $6.1M until he builds his value beyond that. We saw Laine sign his QO pretty quickly this summer after a down year. CBJ surely would have tried to get him on something lower.

He can only get that if Carolina (or Montreal if they match this) wants him at that price. If they decline his QO, he becomes a UFA at that point. If the team he's on don't see the value after this season, I doubt others will too. That means he's now free to negotiate with anyone, but unlikely he's getting that high of a AAV on the open market.

Laine was different because CBJ extended the QO to Laine to sign. We don't know if Carolina will do the same for Kotkaniemi at this point.

[niconasr]

He can only get that if Carolina (or Montreal if they match this) wants him at that price. If they decline his QO, he becomes a UFA at that point. If the team he's on don't see the value after this season, I doubt others will too. That means he's now free to negotiate with anyone, but unlikely he's getting that high of a AAV on the open market.

Laine was different because CBJ extended the QO to Laine to sign. We don't know if Carolina will do the same for Kotkaniemi at this point.

Agreed, but it's still a good position for KK to be in. I doubt his play would warrant 6M$ next year but if Montreal matches the offer sheet, they probably won't take the chance to lose him as a UFA next year if they don't want to extend a QO. Or if Montreal doesn't match, would Carolina really not extend a QO and let KK leave on the market after spending 6M$, a 1st and a 3rd on him?

[FrozenInferno]

He can only get that if Carolina (or Montreal if they match this) wants him at that price. If they decline his QO, he becomes a UFA at that point. If the team he's on don't see the value after this season, I doubt others will too. That means he's now free to negotiate with anyone, but unlikely he's getting that high of a AAV on the open market.

Laine was different because CBJ extended the QO to Laine to sign. We don't know if Carolina will do the same for Kotkaniemi at this point.

I mentioned the possibility of letting him walk to UFA instead in my first post but I don’t think it happens. They’d also be paying a 1st and a 3rd as compensation for this sheet. They going to give those picks up plus an inflated AAV just for a one year rental? That’s a high price to pay just to be petty.

Trochek has a raise coming after this season and if you ask me this is Carolina prepping to let Trochek walk instead and letting a younger KK take his place.

[Axeman33]

Agreed, but it's still a good position for KK to be in. I doubt his play would warrant 6M$ next year but if Montreal matches the offer sheet, they probably won't take the chance to lose him as a UFA next year if they don't want to extend a QO. Or if Montreal doesn't match, would Carolina really not extend a QO and let KK leave on the market after spending 6M$, a 1st and a 3rd on him?

Again, they can offer him a long term contract for less than his QO.

They just let Hamilton walk because he wouldn't sign a deal the Canes wanted. You think they won't let KK walk?
Sure it cost them a couple picks but Waddell seems more interested in giving Bergevin the middle finger more than anything else.

[niconasr]

Again, they can offer him a long term contract for less than his QO.

They just let Hamilton walk because he wouldn't sign a deal the Canes wanted. You think they won't let KK walk?
Sure it cost them a couple picks but Waddell seems more interested in giving Bergevin the middle finger more than anything else.

Haha, fair enough! That would be bad asset management though.

[roenick27]

I mentioned the possibility of letting him walk to UFA instead in my first post but I don’t think it happens. They’d also be paying a 1st and a 3rd as compensation for this sheet. They going to give those picks up plus an inflated AAV just for a one year rental? That’s a high price to pay just to be petty.

Trochek has a raise coming after this season and if you ask me this is Carolina prepping to let Trochek walk instead and letting a younger KK take his place.

Clearly a big FU to bergevin, but I agree with this post. I think there is a more calculated approach here. They already have ago teuvo etc so I think they are pouncing in the chance to buy a rfa that still has the potential to become a top 6 guy. Letting Dougie go to me stabilized they're salaries on the d men and imo clearly will allow more of a forwards presence (offensively).
Also is security for trochek or staal leaving/declining.
Right now they can roll 3 pretty strong lines and even have a 4th line with guys like stepan and martinook. That's really deep. They also have Suzuki Jarvis etc waiting in the wings (maybe staal/trochek and Nino replacements?).
Either way it will be interesting to see what happens.