Ducharme compares Kotkaniemi to a crooked nail
Montreal Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme explained his decision regarding young forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
The latter, accompanied by Cole Caufield and Alexander Romanov, will be left out for the first game of the series against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Asked Dominique Ducharme how quickly he's willing to employ his depth�the supposed strength of this Canadiens team�if things don't go to plan off the hop.
He said he wouldn't hesitate for a second. «100 per cent,» he started. pic.twitter.com/hkXt16MLSK� Eric Engels (@EricEngels) May 19, 2021
" If you hit a nail at some point it starts to crook and if you keep hitting it it'll just get even more crooked, Ducharme said of Kotkaniemi. " With what we went through at the end of the season, there was no time to put things right. With the schedule, our injuries and everything ... Right now, with our week of preparation, it's getting KK straight! "
Kotkaniemi was on a tough streak late in the season as he scored just one goal in the last 24 games of the campaign. The 20-year-old Finn was still able to benefit from some training to improve his game.
" I'm extrapolating, but let's say KK comes in in game two, that means he will have played 57 out of 58 games. He's just keeping on improving and moving forward in that. We love him, we love his potential, we love what he does, what he will become and what he is capable of doing. You just have to take the time, take a step back, put it back straight so that it is the KK that you want to have and that it wants to be, "concluded Ducharme.
This season, in 56 games, KK has scored five times and added fifteen assists for a total of 20 points.
Credit: TVA Sports
