As the 2019-2020 season rolls along, many Canadiens fans and critics alike have written Jesperi Kotkaniemi off as a bust at the National Hockey League level. While this second season has turned into a surprising and rather disappointing campaign for the youngster, there are plenty of reason for hope. His previous injuries, high hcokey IQ and raw talent lend hope to the fact that he will not only turn into a contributing professional player but a highly-skilled, Alexander Barkov comparable type player that he was always hoped to be.
Firstly, Kotkaniemi’s still only 19 years old. This is incredibly young for a player to enter the league. Of the players who do play at, or around, this age, most don’t become a high end, point-producing player right off the bat. The fact that Kotkaniemi had 34 points in his rookie year is impressive. It’s even more impressive that he did that while holding down the 3C position for the majority of the year. When comparing this season to last, oftentimes people set an unreal expectation for production, especially for being so young. For all the people then comparing the success of Brady Tkachuk, there are two important factors one must remember. Going into the draft, analysts and reporters alike were stating that Tkachuk is the more NHL ready prospect compared to Kotkaniemi, being older by 9 months and NHL skill right. Secondly, after being drafted, the conversation switched to “should Kotkaniemi play for Ässät in Liiga or for Laval in the AHL”. This wasn’t because of his skill level or his IQ, but rather his physical maturity to the game. Most analysts projected that he would play in the NHL in two years after his draft. For reference, that would be next year. After 115 NHL games, Kotkaniemi obviously is ahead of any curve, regardless of production this season.
To further complicate things, this season has not been entirely his fault. Injuries have plagued this sophomore campaign of his to the point where equaled production at the NHL level would be almost miraculous. From offseason surgery on his left knee to having both a concussion and a groin injury have hampered his ability to find a groove, something that affects all players, regardless of age or skill.
Finally, the NHL is not a developmental league. Coaches don’t get paid to babysit budding stars. Coaches get paid to win games. Even though Kotkaniemi has the skill to be a dominant player one day, his current skill set doesn’t allow him to slot up past 3rd line center position with Domi, Danault, and Suzuki all on the team. This affects his ability to play both powerplay, penalty kill and overall quality minutes with quality players. As seen with many prospects throughout the league’s history, playing minimal, sheltered minutes, doesn’t usually help the morale or skill. Lias Anderson from New York was drafted one year before Kotkaniemi and is already stuck in a place in New York’s depth chart where he can’t escape.
While not ideal for him or for the organization, to avoid what happened with Lias Anderson, Kotkaniemi was assigned to Montreal's AHL team, the Laval Rocket. Kotkaniemi’s assignment to Laval might just be the best thing for his development. In Laval, Kotkaniemi has played on the first line with Charles Hudon, who has 27 goals in 46 games so far this season. Since Kotkaniemi’s reassignment to Laval, Charles Hudon has scored 7 goals, which all have been assisted to him by Kotkaniemi. In 11 games so far, Kotkaniemi has 11 assists. This is good for 4th in u20 rookie assist, even though Kotkaniemi has played at least half the number of games as the next closest player. With this surge in offense instint and growing confidence in all aspects of his game, Kotkaniemi and company have worked themselves into a tight playoff race between four teams for one playoff spot. Being in this situation, under Joel Bouchard will help his game to grow. After a few setbacks this season, Montreal is developing him right. Not for short term help, even though Montreal has an apparent lack of skill in their lineup, but for the long-term viability of the franchise.
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