Why should the Canadiens decline Kotkaniemi's offer sheet?
The Carolina Hurricanes had no choice but to match the Montreal Canadiens' offer sheet two years ago.
Because Aho was already their greatest player, the offer sheet not only rescued the Hurricanes from a difficult salary negotiation, but also offered them their best player at a discount. The Montreal offer sheet did Carolina a lot of good.
On Saturday, the Hurricanes tried to retaliate by signing restricted free agent Jesperi Kotkaniemi to a one-year, $6.1 million contract. Montreal has seven days to match, or lose salary cap space, a first-round pick, and a third-round pick.
The Canadiens made a big investment in him by taking him third overall in 2018 and promoting him to the NHL. He has showed glimpses of the talent that made him a high draft pick, and he still has a bright future ahead of him. But the results on the ice have been mixed. A healthy scratch in the Stanley Cup Final, he hasn't improved his offensive game in three years, and the Canadiens aren't sure he's ready to be a top-two centre.
He is young. A player selected so high in the draft should be showing more signs of becoming an impact player by now.
So, did the Canadiens do a good job with him No. Has he been rushed and mistreated? Probably. But not right now. Doubtful. If the Canadiens match that offer, they will be forced to a) keep him for the entire season or b) make him a $6 million qualifying offer next offseason.
Concerning the first point, the CBA prohibits trading a player after accepting an offer sheet. Montreal can't justify another $6 million investment if he finishes the year and doesn't grow. It's an exorbitant fee for a guy who hasn't reached that level yet and may never reach it.
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With no prior experience, he would be the Canadiens' fifth highest paid player this season.
After a surreal Stanley Cup Final run, losing Kotkaniemi and Philip Danault in the same offseason would be a major blow to the team's centre depth. It may open up more opportunities for the squad to get a superior player.
Taken first and third round selections from Carolina would boost to their trade capital. They would have 12 draft picks in 2022, six in the first three rounds (two first round, one second round, and three third round) and some salary cap flexibility. It might be a minor upgrade like Arizona's Christian Dvorak or a major upgrade like regaining Jack Eichel's attention. Buffalo may be interested in those two first-round picks and a few other young players.
In addition to using the exact same sentence Bergevin used when signing Aho, the organisation tweeted the announcement in French.
To trade for Kotkaniemi would require a first-round pick and a third-round pick. This seems to be a slap at a team that sought to steal their star. It's all pettiness and putting Montreal in a difficult wage cap situation where they must decide on Kotkaniemi next season.
So let Carolina worry about the cap hit, the qualifying offer, and whether Kotkaniemi ever becomes the player they hoped he would be.
Credit: NBCsports
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Should the Habs match the offer sheet? | ||
| Yes | 42 | 35 % |
| No | 78 | 65 % |
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