Yet another Carolina Hurricanes player reportedly requests a trade
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
A Finnish report suggests Jesperi Kotkaniemi's camp has asked the Hurricanes for a trade, but nothing has happened yet for the Stanley Cup champion center.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi's camp is believed to have asked the Carolina Hurricanes for a trade, according to a Finnish report, though nothing has come of it so far.
The 26-year-old center remains stuck in a situation that has dragged on for a year.
The comments came from Ilta-Sanomat's Total NHL Forever podcast and were picked up by Satakunnan Kansa.
Sami Hoffrén called the standoff a farce, even from a front office point of view, and said Kotkaniemi's NHL career is slipping away.
He also said he thinks the player's side has already made a trade request to the club.
A reporter on X flagged the report as the first sign he's seen that Kotkaniemi's side wants out, though he admitted that translating Finnish is always an adventure.
Why the situation feels so odd
Journalist Ville Touru said he expected Carolina to have bought out the contract this summer after how painful last spring turned out.
Many others had the same expectation, but the Hurricanes let the cheaper buyout window close and chose to look for a trade instead.
That spring was rough for Kotkaniemi.
He managed nine points in 42 regular season games and sat as a healthy scratch for every playoff game, even as Carolina won the Stanley Cup.
What the contract means for Carolina
Kotkaniemi carries a $4.82 million cap hit through 2029-30, and the buyout price jumps from one-third to two-thirds of the remaining money next summer.
That makes a trade the cleanest way out, and it's why Carolina has been trying to find a taker.
When Carolina set its opening night roster on Sept. 27, Kotkaniemi was listed among the extras for the season opener against Florida.
Hoffrén's take is a belief, not a confirmed request, so the next few weeks should show whether anything moves.
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