Call it petty. Call it a troll job. Call it whatever you want, just tell us where we can sign up for more of it. The details that went into the Carolina Hurricanes “revenge” offer sheet for Jesperi Kotkaniemi borderline on obsessive. No detail was left out.
From GM Don Waddell’s press release being the exact same statement Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin released when the Habs sent Sebastian Aho an offer sheet in 2019, to the Hurricanes issuing joint press releases in French, the Uno card social media posts, and the “people don’t forget” taglines, Carolina put on a masterclass in pettiness.
For those unfamiliar with the situation, back in 2019 Montreal gave Sebastian Aho an offer sheet which would have paid the forward $42M over 5 years. Carolina ultimately matched the offer, but were none too pleased about it. Offer sheets, though perfectly legal, are seldom used at the NHL level for no reason other than “that’s not how we do things around here”.
Reports are now suggesting that the idea of “revenge sheeting” Jesperi Kotkaniemi this year as an RFA actually came from Hurricanes owner Thomas Dundon and not Don Waddell as was originally assumed. Regardless of who ordered the hit, the hockey world has been buzzing for the past 24 hours about the seldom used offer sheet tactic. Something which comes as music to the ears of the Carolina Hurricanes comms team after a series of unpopular moves this offseason took some of the shine off their “lovable underdog” persona.
And if that was their goal, then consider it accomplished and then some. Even minor details like the $20 signing bonus (Sebastian Aho’s number) and the $6,100,015 salary (15 is Kotkaniemi’s number) were picked up by keen eyed observers.
In terms of on ice production, the jury seems to be out on whether the gamble will pay off for Carolina. Some scoff at the idea that a 21 year old centre with only 62pts in 171 games is worth a $6.1M salary (to say nothing of the 1st and 3rd round pick Carolina would have to send Montreal as compensation for the offer sheet). Others think you’d have to be crazy not to give up a late 1st rounder, and a 3rd for a former top 3 draft pick with 3 years of NHL experience already under his belt. Wherever you land on this spectrum, unless you’re a Habs fan, this is about as entertaining as it gets when it comes to the NHL offseason.
The move puts Montreal in a difficult spot. They’re likely to play most of the year without their number 1 defenseman in Shea Weber. Not to mention they’re already bumping up against the salary cap for 2021-22 without Kotkaniemi under contract. Add in an extra $4M in salary they were hoping to avoid if they decide to match Carolina’s offer sheet and suddenly you’re looking and needing to shed salary before puck drop in the fall.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that things between Montreal and the Finnish forward weren’t in a good place this summer:
Hockey Night in Canada’s Elliotte Friedman also indicated on a recent podcast that the best offer Montreal had presented Kotkaniemi’s camp recently had been in the $2.5M AAV range. With Carolina nearly tripling this offer, it’s no guarantee that Bergevin and Co. don’t simply let Kotkaniemi walk and recoup some draft picks in the process.
Montreal now has 7 days to match the offer from Carolina. Montreal hosts Carolina at home on October 21st at 7pm ET. Mark your calendars.