Montreal Canadiens: Ideal linemates for Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Left Wing

I think it’s safe to say right off the bat that Kotkaniemi shouldn’t be in the top six. Things can change as the season progresses, and if the coaching staff feels he can handle more minutes, then they should see what he can do with them instead of holding him back. For now, there wouldn’t be a problem with Kotkaniemi being the third-line centre on the Montreal Canadiens.

Playing in the third hole while controlling some of the zone starts would be a good way for Julien to manage him and place him in positions to succeed. As far his linemates, an all Finnish line with Kotkaniemi in between Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Armia could be a very effective unit.

It goes beyond the fact that they all hail from Finland. Each player’s style and skills complement one another.

Kotkaniemi sees the ice so well and has the hockey IQ to continuously make plays in the offensive zone by continuously being aware of where players are relative to himself. At the same time, he can predict moves occurring and be in the right position to act on or disrupt them. Now think of a player like Lehkonen who is a warehouse for shots and high-danger scoring chances.

Last season may have been a year-long valley of bad luck in terms of goals evident by the 23-year-old’s 4.1% drop in shooting percentage despite finishing with more shots and total shot attempts than in his rookie season. Lehkonen can get hard on the forecheck and work the boards to get the puck to his linemates, in this example Kotkaniemi, who can then make further moves to generate chances.