Jesperi Kotkaniemi compares life in Carolina and Montreal: 'the life is so much easier'
It's been just over 19 months since the Carolina Hurricanes successful offer sheeted former third overall pick, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, from the Montreal Canadiens and the young Finn appears to finally be hitting his stride in the National Hockey League.
This season, Kotkaniemi has already set career-highs in goals (15), assists (22) and points (37) and it seems like he's very much enjoying his time with the Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes.
Recently, Kotkaniemi was asked about life in Carolina compared to Montreal and he shared a pretty blunt answer about how less stressful it is not being in a hockey-crazed market.
Given that Montreal is an Original Six market and how hockey is a religion in Quebec, it's understandable that players on the Canadiens' roster are under a microscope 24/7 and that not everyone can handle the pressure, whether it's the media attention when you're not playing well or everyone knowing your personal life.
It's great to see that Kotkaniemi is enjoying success in Carolina and the Hurricanes are hoping that, despite his age, he can be someone to lean on in terms of playoff experience as he helped Montreal reach the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, scoring a crucial overtime winner in the first-round against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
»Here in Carolina, the life is so much easier. You don't really stress about anything. Great teammates. Great staff. The media is not bad. It's really a stress-free life here.» - Jesperi Kotkaniemi
Do you think the big media markets in the NHL are scaring talent away?— Hockey Of Tomorrow (@HockeyTomorrow) April 4, 2023
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 4 | 1 ANSWERS Jesperi Kotkaniemi compares life in Carolina and Montreal: 'the life is so much easier' Did Montreal make the wrong decision taking Kotkaniemi third overall in 2018? | ||
| Yes | 0 | 0 % |
| No, was a good option at the time | 0 | 0 % |
| Didn't give him a fair shot to develop properly | 0 | 0 % |
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| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Werenski | 2 | 3 | 5 | |
| Sean Monahan | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Jesper Bratt | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Frederick Gaudreau | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jack Hughes | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Nikita Kucherov | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Mackenzie Weegar | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Kent Johnson | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Alexander Wennberg | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Mitchell Chaffee | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Coronato | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Marcus Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Nick Foligno | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Conor Geekie | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Stefan Noesen | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Corey Perry | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dmitry Voronkov | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 19 | 16 | 3 | - | 32 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||