Montreal Canadiens: Jesperi Kotkaniemi looks like he’s here to stay

The Montreal Canadiens are four games away from having to make a decision on whether Jesperi Kotkaniemi and according to Claude Julien, it’ll be an easy one.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi making the Montreal Canadiens out of camp was a pleasant surprise. Management gave the 18-year-old a chance to prove whether he could handle the grind of the NHL and he proved he had the drive to do it during the preseason.

In many ways, Max Domi‘s five-game suspension was a blessing in disguise. Kotkaniemi ended up taking his spot in between Jonathan Drouin and Joel Armia looking good doing it. His offensive awareness and playmaking ability is an easy quality to notice. Kotkaniemi is always looking for ways to advance the puck whether it’s during pressure in the opponents’ end or on the rush.

But considering the kind of coach Claude Julien is, defensive play away from the puck propelled him to the good list.

Kotkaniemi has played in all five of the Habs’ games so far this season and has two assists. The first came in the season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Andrew Shaw‘s powerplay goal while the second is the most recent and the better of the two overall. It started with a strong play in the neutral zone by Kotkaniemi to intercept the passing attempt by Anthony Mantha. He gets the puck to Joel Armia who ended up finding Paul Byron in front of the net to put the Montreal Canadiens up by four.

More from A Winning Habit

• Montreal Canadiens: Biggest Questions Going Into 2023-24
• Montreal Canadiens: Quentin Miller’s Poise And Confidence Fuel His Game
• Montreal Canadiens: Laval Rocket Top Defence Pair Could Be Set
• Montreal Canadiens: Worst Move Of The Pierre Gauthier Era
• Montreal Canadiens: Could Casey DeSmith End Up In Colorado?

The only thing that can be nitpicked is his success in the faceoff circle. Drouin went through the same thing when he started playing centre on a full-time basis last season.

Kotkaniemi has had some good nights (66.7% and 75% against the Pittsburgh Penguins) and some not so good nights (14.3% and 18.2% against the Leafs and Red Wings respectively). But that’ll improve over time as he gains a handle of how to work the draws.

There are another four games before Kotkaniemi officially burns a year off his entry-level contract. Does he stay beyond that? According to Julien, the decision has already been made.

Some may not agree with this. The Montreal Canadiens are playing well and picking up points along the way, but the playoffs still aren’t a total guarantee. However, Kotkaniemi doesn’t need to play in the playoffs to grow as a player. He’s showing improvements in his individual game every night and being in the NHL is helping to facilitate that.

Kotkaniemi is in the best spot at the moment, and it’ll be interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for him.

In Case You Missed It

Tomas Plekanec joins a special list of players

The 35-year-old veteran has 1000 games under his belt and is one of the few (relatively speaking) to do it with two teams or less.

There’s value in having a goaltender like Antti Niemi

Antti Niemi is picking up where he left off last season in giving the Montreal Canadiens an opportunity to win. Just what you need from a go-to backup.

Montreal Canadiens place Jacob de La Rose on waivers

Jacob de La Rose is available.