It has been a strange start to the season for the Carolina Hurricanes. As in currently stands, they sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division and the margin for error is small. The Hurricanes have had their flaws and they’ll need to work out the kinks in order to improve.
It has been a tough Western Canadian trip for the team as they’ve lost three games in a row and have been outscored 11-4 in those three games. Goaltending has been a glaring issue all season, but the offense has seemed to cool down as well. Head coach Rod Brind’Amour has been vocal about his team’s play and did not mince words during the 6-1 blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Brind’Amour was critical once again after the game against the Calgary Flames game and said, “We’ve got a lot of guys that aren’t pulling their weight… We have some guys working hard every night, contributing, doing what they do. But there’s a lot of others that need to look in the mirror.”
One player whose contributions have dwindled is center Jesperi Kotkaniemi. After a blistering start to the season, he has cooled down and his production is missing in the lineup.
Kotkaniemi Has Cooled Down
The second-line center position always appeared to be a question mark for the Hurricanes. While general Manager Don Waddell has the upmost faith in Kotkaniemi to be the player they believe he can be, in the last twelve games, Kotkaniemi has just two points, with both being goals. It is a massive drop off from his strong start and it is something that is missing offensively for this group.
Related: Hurricanes Goaltending Plaguing Team Despite Strong Blue Line
The Hurricanes remain a great team at five-on-five and control the pace of the game. With Kotkaniemi on the ice, good things are happening when the puck is in the team’s possession. the Hurricanes have the edge in shot attempts (209-138) and is outshooting the opposition 109-72. Kotkaniemi has two goals but has been on the ice for four goals (fifth fewest among forwards). It is not for a lack of effort on his part, but the bounces aren’t going his way.
Kotkaniemi does little things that make him a unique player. He is a good forechecker and is good with puck battles. He’s a player who will go to war in the corners for a puck and allow his linemates to find more open ice. However, individually, things have not gone his way. He has fired 19 shots on goal and is generating a measly 2.88 individual expected goals (iXG). Kotkaniemi has had his looks, firing 37 attempts on the net and having 14 of them from the high-danger area.
He is turning the puck over (six giveaways) and is not threading the needle offensively like he was. Every player goes through slumps and his strong start is encouraging to know he can bounce back.
Kotkaniemi’s Strong Start Instills Optimism
Kotkaniemi had a career year during the 2022-23 season, scoring a career-high 18 goals and 43 points. It was encouraging to see, as he started to blossom into the player everyone knew he could be. That career year catapulted him into having a roaring start to 2023-24.
In his first 14 games, Kotkaniemi scored six goals and added seven assists for 13 points, with his five goals scored at five-on-five play being tied for the most among the forwards. Being on a near-point-per-game pace was encouraging and great for his confidence. Furthermore, he was a factor offensively from an individual standpoint aside from the production.
Kotkaniemi was firing the puck (29 shots) and has an eye opening 17.24% shooting percentage during this stretch. His nose for the net and ability to drive offense was evident, as he generated 4.02 expected goals. For a player that is good defensively and is just getting started offensively, seeing him score beyond his expected rate is great.
Compared to the numbers above, Kotkaniemi had more shot attempts, scoring chances, and high danger attempts from an individual stand point. Despite the slump he’s been in, the strong start is an encouraging sign he’ll eventually get back on track.
Getting out of the Slump
Inconsistent efforts all around and lackluster goaltending have put a damper on what was pegged to be a special season for the Hurricanes. It still can be a special season: the Hurricanes still have 56 games to go.
While the team is in a good position to maintain their position in the Division, they cannot afford to hit a skid: the race is tightened and hiccups need to be minimal. With the team getting outscored the way it has over the last three games, having Kotkaniemi break out of his slump would go a long way to having success offensively.