Right Wing
The same thing goes for Armia. The former Winnipeg Jet has a knack of effectively using his size to force opponents off the puck. He’s also made the slot his domain and gets a lot of wrist shots off from that area. He wouldn’t be an anchor on the line either. Armia can skate and has used that speed to spring himself and others on odd-man rushes.
Then there’s the heartwarming element to it all in that Kotkaniemi was a fan of Armia back when he played for Assat.
Jesperi Kotkaniemi told Finnish reporters at the draft that Joel Armia was one of his idols growing up. They're both from Pori. Now they both call Montreal home.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 30, 2018
The 25-year-old spent many years playing within the Assat system and saw three years with the main club between 2010 and 2012.
Armia would bring not only the physical presence but the offensive pressure, Lehkonen adds the high magnitude of shots and high-danger chances, and finally, Kotkaniemi is the string that keeps things going on in the zone by making the plays and continuously directing the puck to the other members of the ice.
Having him with a mobile defenceman along the blueline who can move the puck would be a benefit as well. Mike Rielly, for example, is known to get a lot of shots on net. He and Kotkaniemi can play off of each other, especially in those moments where he wants to activate from the point to get something going himself.