With a slump, Hurricanes’ Kotkaniemi Reflects Team’s Inconsistencies
The Carolina Hurricanes’ season has gotten off to an odd start. They currently hold the fourth-place position in the Metropolitan Division, so there is little room for error. The Hurricanes need to iron out their kinks in order to become a better team.
The team’s trip to Western Canada has not gone well; they have dropped their last three games and have been outscored 11-4 overall. This season, the goaltending has been a major problem, but the offense has also appeared to wane. Rod Brind’Amour, the head coach, has been outspoken about his team’s performance and did not hold back during the 6-1 thumping loss to the Edmonton Oilers. After the game against the Calgary Flames, Brind’Amour was critical once more, stating, “We’ve got a lot of guys that aren’t pulling their weight.” Some guys put in a lot of work every night, contributing and going above and beyond. However, many more people need to examine themselves in the mirror.
A player whose involvement has decreased is Jesperi Kotkaniemi, a center. He has cooled off after a scorching start to the season, and his output is not present in the starting lineup.
Kotkaniemi Has Retreated
For the Hurricanes, the second-line center position was always a moving target. Despite having complete faith in Kotkaniemi to reach his potential as a player, general manager Don Waddell has only given him two points in the past twelve games, both of which have come from goals. It is a significant decline from his explosive start, and this team lacks it offensively.
The Hurricanes maintain their superiority as a five-on-five team and command the game’s tempo. When Kotkaniemi is on the ice, the team’s possession of the puck results in positive outcomes. The Hurricanes are outshooting the opposition 109-72 and have the advantage in shot attempts (209–138). Kotkaniemi has played for four goals (the fifth fewest among forwards) and has scored two goals. The bounces aren’t going his way, but it’s not for lack of trying.
Little things that Kotkaniemi does set him apart as a player. He does well in puck battles and as a forechecker. He is a player who will engage in a puck battle in the corners to free up more ice for his teammates. On his own, though, things have not gone as planned. He is only producing a pitiful 2.88 individual expected goals (iXG) after firing 19 shots on goal. After making 37 attempts on the net, 14 of them came from the high-danger area, Kotkaniemi has had his fill.
He is not threading the offensive needle like he used to, and instead he is turning the puck over (six giveaways). Every player experiences slumps, so knowing he can recover from them is encouraging given his excellent start.
In the 2022–23 season, Kotkaniemi had a career year, tallying a career-high 18 goals and 43 points. Seeing him blossom into the player everyone knew he could be was heartening. His stellar year in his career propelled him to an explosive start in 2023–2024.
Kotkaniemi scored six goals and dished out seven assists for 13 points in his first 14 games; his five goals during five-on-five play tied for the most among forwards. It was encouraging and fantastic for his confidence that he was playing at almost a point per game. In addition, he contributed offensively on an individual basis in addition to the production.
With 29 shots, Kotkaniemi was shooting efficiently and had an impressive 17.24% shooting percentage during this time. His ability to create offense and nose for the net was demonstrated by the 4.02 expected goals he scored. It’s fantastic to see a player who plays strong defense who is still developing offensively score at a higher rate than anticipated.
From an individual standpoint, Kotkaniemi had more shot attempts, scoring opportunities, and high-danger attempts than the figures above. Even though he’s been in a slump, his excellent start suggests he will eventually get back on track.
Breaking Free from the Trap
It was anticipated that the Hurricanes would have a historic season, but inconsistent play from everyone on the team and poor goaltending have dampened expectations. With 56 games remaining, the Hurricanes can still make this a memorable season.
Even though the team has a good chance of holding onto its position in the Division, they cannot afford to falter because the race is becoming more competitive and there cannot be many setbacks. Given how the team has been outscored thus far,
