The Montreal Canadiens have decided not to match the one-year, $6.1 million offer sheet on Jesperi Kotkaniemi, officially making him a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canadiens received Carolina's first- and third-round picks in 2022 as compensation.

Kotkaniemi, the third overall pick in 2018, finished the 2020-21 season with 20 points in 56 games. With the departure of Phillip Danault as a free agent, he appeared primed for an expanded role in his fourth season. However, he may have felt slighted with how the Habs deployed him during his three seasons, motivating him to sign the offer sheet with Carolina.

Kotkaniemi appeared to be rushed into the lineup as an 18-year-old rookie, was sent to the AHL during his second season, and was constantly line juggled last season, never really finding continuity with any particular players. All the while, he averaged 13-14 minutes per game over each of those three NHL seasons, which was more in line with what a third-line forward would receive. The icing on the cake may have come when he was made a healthy scratch during the final two games of the Stanley Cup Final, or perhaps even with his RFA contract situation dragging out.

It's not easy to find a prominent roster spot for Kotkaniemi on the Hurricanes, especially with him being paid $6.1 million this season. They've probably figured something out, even if on the surface the offer sheet seems like a revenge move for the Sebastian Aho offer sheet two years ago. The Canes are currently loaded up the middle with Aho, Vincent Trocheck, and Jordan Staal. So Kotkaniemi will either begin as the Hurricanes' fourth-line center, or he will need to be moved to the wing to be moved up in the lineup.

Kotkaniemi will certainly be financially better off, but in terms of scoring this seems like a missed opportunity. If he agreed to sign the offer sheet, perhaps he knows he will feel more comfortable in an environment that is less of a pressure cooker than Montreal. He will instead have the burden of being a $6 million player, when it seemed like his upcoming contract would be more in line with his actual NHL production.

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Players this helps:

No one in particular on the Hurricanes

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Players this hurts, in order:

Kotkaniemi

Derek Stepan

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NOTE: The Canadiens acquired Christian Dvorak for a first- and second-round pick shortly after they announced they would not match the Kotkaniemi offer sheet. The Habs' side of Saturday's transactions will be covered in a separate fantasy take article.

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