Jesperi Kotkaniemi Continuing to Stay Positive Despite Tough Season
When you see him on the ice at practice, it's all smiles.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi looks the same as any other player on the ice during a Carolina Hurricanes practice. He's working hard, doing drills, but in between them he's laughing, smiling and chatting away with teammates.
Even in the midst of one of his toughest seasons, he's managing to keep his head up.
"It's been a tough year," Kotkaniemi said to The Hockey News. "I know it's not been a great year for me, but I'm just trying to stay positive. You always know that in the playoffs, you need everyone. Anything can happen and a lot can go on in the playoffs. So I'm just staying ready and trying to help the team as best I can."
After a breakout season last year which saw Kotkaniemi really establish himself as a mainstay in the Hurricanes' top-six, the 23-year-old Finnish center continued to stay hot to start the 2023-24 season with eight goals and 15 points in the team's first 21 games.
"It was a good start for me, I felt," Kotkaniemi said. "A little bumpy for our team, but we found a way and we've been riding with that and it's worked out pretty good."
However, while the team started to figure things out, Kotkaniemi hit a wall.
Since those first 21 games, 'KK' has had just three goals and 10 points in 55 games.
As those struggles started to prolong, Kotkaniemi saw his role and ice time steadily drop and now, for the first time in his Hurricanes career, Kotkaniemi has seen himself relegated to the press box, being a healthy scratch in three of the team's last four games.
Sure part of that is due to Kotkaniemi's play, but part is also due to the Hurricanes' depth of talent at the moment.
When asked about Kotkaniemi's healthy scratches, Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour stated that the Canes simply had too many healthy bodies.
"That's it."
Jack Drury has taken a major step forward with the Canes this season and the additions of Jake Guentzel and Evgeny Kuznetsov has left virtually no room in the lineup.
"We've got a lot of depth especially with the forwards," Kotkaniemi said. "It's really competitive out there and you have to be ready all the time. And you have to be ready to compete for a spot in the lineup."
Kotkaniemi said that the team has been open with him though on the areas he needs to improve in. Things like being more responsible with the puck, not forcing plays, and contributing on the scoreboard
"Those are the main points."
While those concerns are legitimate — Kotkaniemi has seen his overall defensive impacts drop significantly from where they were last season — offensively, it's valid to question how much of his struggles are solely on him.
According to Corey Sznajder of All Three Zones, Kotkaniemi has been among the top in the league in terms of passing ability and transitional play.
JFresh Hockey / AllThreeZones
And from my eyes watching him all year, he should honestly have about five more goals and 10 more assists at least.
Kotkaniemi, at his best, is a playmaker with high-end vision and he's got a great talent for creating space for offensively dynamic wingers. We've seen that first hand last season.
However, the NHL is a results driven business and once Kotkaniemi struggled to produce, he saw his role change from making plays to preventing plays.
"When you play less, you kind of play a different way," Kotkaniemi said. "Making sure that the other team's not putting the puck into your net when you're out there and just trying to get a breather for the big boys. I think that's the biggest thing with being on the third or fourth line."
It's a different role than he's used to and perhaps because of his defensive struggles this season (fifth most even strength chances and goals against per 60 among Hurricanes forwards) and because he's at times tried to force plays trying find that offensive spark again, that's the reason why he's the odd-man out.
But Kotkaniemi isn't one to sulk.
The young Finn understands that hockey is a team game and he's willing to accept whatever role the team puts him in.
"I think the main point for the year has been that we want to win as a team. I just try to play the role that I'm given all the time and try to do my best there."
"It doesn't matter what the role is. Winning is the main point."
So whether he's in the lineup or not, Kotkaniemi is keeping his head held high, laughing, joking and just working hard so he's ready to help his team in whatever ways he can.
Because he gets it.
