I heard habs are giving monahan an extension. He loves it there too, if they cant trade him he will stay

I hope they trade him at TDL for a high pick and he never comes back. Good player, but any team signing him long term will regret it later.

MTL isn't retaining on 3 long term contracts.

Josh Anderson would be an upgrade to the Penguins' bottom six. Any warm body would. But the fact is that the Penguins only have pennies of cap space. You'd be taking a contract back, and we wouldn't be giving up a first-rounder. That could get us a far better player than Anderson.

Absolutely, especially with potential big signings coming up in Caufield, Harris, and Slaf Guhle and Xhekaj before Anderson's contract would come to an end.



I don't think he gets a long term deal, I see him in the Duclair style player, guy with talent, but he'll get some 1-3 year deals, as I don't think anyone would take a long term risk with him given the history.

Gorton and Hughes have a good handle on the direction of this team.

Carolina doesn't have the cap space even with an awful deal like Armia retained. If you take him out and just retain on Dvorak... maybe? I still don't think it is a fit though. Carolina have a better version of Dvorak in Kotkaniemi

Blues have no need or the cap for Monahan

Kotkaniemi have one of the worst contract in the NHL. He's gonna have less than 15 goals this year and for the next 7 years.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Kotkaniemi's contract is well worth it. He's one of the best defensive centers in the NHL and is currently centering one of the best lines in the NHL statistically. He may not get 15 goals or 50 points, but if his wingers continue playing like they are, I do not care what his production is. He's doing something right. He's the only thing on that line that changed.

Anyone playing with Svechnikov and Necas would look good.

Do yourself a favor and look at how awful Necas was last year bud. Kotkaniemi takes Necas' defensive responsibilities away. He's making Necas look that good.

Best defensive centers in the NHL?

save this post, he won't get a single vote for the Selke.

Centering two guys who do all the work and you still can't get secondary assists goes to show how useless he is.

Who cares about last year?.... if we focus on last year, KK was paid $6.1M to be a 40 point pace guy, who managed to be a measly +3 on a team with the fewest goals against in the league?

Waddell did Bergevin dirty, but Bergevin and the Habs are laughing in the end, they got out from under a player who was overrated and drafted earlier than he should've been, this contract isn't going to age well.

Selke votes =/= best defensive player. Using the awards to try and justify takes is comical

Trying to argue Kotkaniemi is useless because he doesn't get "secondary assists" is just laughable. He's dominant in the dot, he's one of the best defensive centers in the NHL with one of the best xGA stats in the NHL.



Yet in a 4th line role Kotkaniemi set new highs in goals despite only playing 58 games or something and a new career point pace. He was drafted higher than he should have been. 100%. No one is arguing that. That does not make him a bad player. Erik Johnson was drafted 1st overall, he's not got the pedigree of a 1st overall pick, yet he's a good NHL player. For Kotkaniemi, he's a good player. He's going to be paid 4.82 million to be a 3C at worst. There's no concerns about that deal at all buddy. If he puts up 40 points a year and is great defensively as he has been his entire career, that's fine. You're worrying because... what? He'll never be a Richard candidate?

MTL 3rd line center is paid 1,7M and i wouldnt trade him for KK

Jake Evans? Really? Dude wouldn't crack the top six centers on the Chicago Wolves... he's good defensively, he's nothing special offensively. He's like Kotkaniemi but not as good in his own end...

you're aware that the best defensive players in the NHL get Selke votes... because, you know, it's for the best defensive forward.... so, again, as you claimed in the next sentence, you state that he is one of the best defensive forwards in the NHL.... so, someone that great would be recognized... because 34 forwards received at least one of 5 place votes last year.

Last year KK received zero, while literally every other C on Carolina received at least 1 vote.

My point still stands, KK will not get a single vote again this year, because he's not "one of the best defensive centers in the game" as some internet homer claims him to be.

Cool stats bro, last year he was on pace for his best points per game production, this year, he's on pace for his worst points per game production lol.

Also, Puck IQ shows that last year, in his "great" season, he played 20% of his TOI against Elite competition and only 30% against Middle ranked competition, more than 50% of the time, he played against 4th line garbage, he was sheltered because his defensive game is trash.

You're comparing EJ to KK, clearly you're out in left field smoking the dankest of the dank, EJ is a leader, a big body D-man, and plays to his strengths. KK is soft as butter and that contract will only look worse.

I'm not worrying at all, he's going to be bought out 5 years into his contract and be back in Finland, so, are you worried that you can't admit your team made a mistake and overpaid for a middling center?

Teuvo Teravainen didn't get Selke votes and he is the best defensive forward the canes have analytically.... stop it, you're embarrassing yourself. It goes to the C that puts up the most points and you can't justify giving the Hart to.

Kotkaniemi played on the 4th line. Okay. Here, this compares Bergeron to Kotkaniemi.

https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playercompare.php?fromseason=20182019&thruseason=20202021&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=oi&rate=y&p1=8480829&p2=8470638&loc=B&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single

This shows that offensively, Kotkaniemi and Bergeron are mismatched. Bergeron and KK defensively are SO comparable. Oh, and this isn't a case of "limited sample size" this is Kotkaniemi's entire career. This is bigger that just his fourth line times.

You're trying to argue Kotkaniemi is going to be bought out and be in Finland? Kiddo, that is ludocrist. Johnson was solid defensively, and smart. Kotkaniemi is the same. Johnson's not quite the same at this point in his career, I think we can both agree. If you can't admit that a Canadian team may have made a mistake when one of the best run franchises in the NHL saw value in a player they didn't, that's your problem. Can't admit Kotkaniemi is going to be a good player for a long time?

Cirelli got 28 second place votes, after putting up 43 points in 76 games, basically the same PPG pace as KK last year... yet KK is snubbed... do you even believe the comments you say, or you just throw them out there and hope something is actually accurate.

Jordan Staal was the highest ranking Hurricane, and Eriksson-Ek, Foligno, Danault were all in the top 10, so your claim of "if goes to the C that gets the most points that you can't justify giving the Hart to" is utter nonsense as there are a ton of C's who did better than Staal, EE, Danault, and Foligno isn't even a C.

for your "bergeron to KK" comparison, you're the one saying KK is amongst the best defensive forwards in the NHL..... I'm not saying that, I'm not comparing them, KK doesn't belong anywhere in the conversation with Bergeron, neither point wise, and again for your literacy skills, not in defensive categories either.

So... this might be hard to follow, so I'll slow it down.

1) Bergeron is better defensively than KK
2) you claim KK is a great defensive forward, again, amongst the best in the NHL
3) nobody, outside you, thinks KK is a great defensive forward as demonstrated by the fact that Evan Rodrigues got 1 5th place vote, Michael Raffl (Not a C) got 1 5th place vote, Jesse Puljujarvi (Not a C) got 1 5th place vote, which is more than KK

Voting for the Selke is done by the PWA, and even there, the writers for the Canes didn't even throw a vote at KK, they gave it to Staal, Aho, Fast, and Trochek before even considering KK, the Canes own writers disagree with you, and they would have a bias, as demonstrated by random guys getting 5th place votes above, but clearly you know more than the writers, and your opinion clearly means more than a coach who shelters KK to easier assignments because he would be exposed defensively against Elite assignments.

Random internet homer knows all.

also, in your own garbage link you failed to post correctly.

KK

Offensive zone starts per 60 : 10.02
Neutral zone starts per 60: 12.63
Defensive zone starts per 60: 5.24

Even your own failed attempt to provide a link shows that the coach doesn't trust him to take defensive zone starts, so, keep rambling on about your nonsense based on opinion rather than facts.

And before you try to compare Bergeron zone starts in some lame attempt to defend your point, he gets 39 zone starts per game compared to 27 for KK, Bergeron's OFF Vs. DEF is 1.6 to 1, and KK is 2 to 1

KK is primarily getting neutral zone starts, because he produces no worthwhile offense, and cannot defend despite your claims.

EDIT:

OMG you're an even bigger clown, the link you posted, you excluded last season and cherry picked his time in Montreal only, you're officially one of the most entertaining commenters on this website, thank you.

KK's OFF vs DEF zone starts last year is actually worse, @ 2.15 to 1 LOL

His GA/60 is actually up last year compared to his time in Montreal, his GF/60 is actually massively down from his time in Montreal, almost all his stats with the Canes are worse than his time in Montreal, you're actually helping prove that he's gotten worse.

You're the best dude, truly, I enjoyed this laugh, thanks, don't ever change.

Buddy, you honestly think Bergeron is that good defensively? Dude is incredible, but he shouldn't have won the Selke last year. Using the awards to try and justify your take, especially one like the Selke that's voted for by the PWHA is comical.

Bergeron and KK are defensively comparable.
Kotkaniemi is among the best defensive forwards in the NHL.
Anyone that understands analytics sees Kotkaniemi as a great defensive centerman.

You honestly think dinosaurs like that are credible? STOP IT



You then try to argue that Kotkaniemi's DEFENSIVE ZONE STARTS are the issue. You claim they're his cherry picked days in Montreal (Which is wrong! It's his entire career!) But you ignore the fact Kotkaniemi's xGA is comparable, his dxG is comparable to BERGERON! You don't even understand the stats! It's actually comical.

His GA/60 was up, but by less of a percentage than Bergeron's! It's almost like scoring was up around the NHL Last year! Oh, and to put this into a little more perspective, he's still over a poit per game playing top six minutes for the canes.

You cannot read stats and I loved this conversation. You're a clown. Before you even consider responding, please do some research on analytics. Your takes are AWFUL and you completely disregard any argument I make because it disproves your incorrect narrative.

Your literal link, the top section you selected

Years 2018-2019 thru 2020-21 (Montreal)

regular season, 5v5,

It's cherry picked.... learn to read before trying to do research on analytics.

His time in Carolina is appreciably worse than Montreal, so, again, "one of the best defensive center in the NHL", nope, you got no idea what you're talking about, your bias is showing.

Anything that isn't 5v5 isn't a reflection of defense. It's a reflection of the system. I mean you can go ahead and change it if you want. It's regular season because the playoffs don't give enough of a sample size to give a genuine comparison. This isn't cherry picked, it's basic analytics! You're actually clowning yourself. This hate boner you've got for Kotkaniemi is bringing out the worst in you. Kotkaniemi's defensive numbers are comparable to Bergeron's. You've got the link there, feel free to compare their Carolina numbers. They're the same... oh wait, you don't know how do you? Do you want a new link and I'll do it for you so you don't have any excuses? I better...

For the record, I'm an NST subscrieber so I can see all 5 seasons, you can't. But here.

https://www.naturalstattrick.com/playercompare.php?fromseason=20202021&thruseason=20222023&stype=2&sit=5v5&score=all&stdoi=oi&rate=y&p1=8480829&p2=8470638&loc=B&gpfilt=none&fd=&td=&tgp=410&lines=single

They don't change much at all!

you're literally ignoring the fact that Bergeron plays consistently between 35-45%35-45% of his time on Ice against Elite competition and 30-40% of his time against middle competition.

KK played 19% against Elite competition, and 30% against Middle competition.

Your numbers are skewed because he gets easier assignments, my bias isn't against KK, he's a marginally average player receiving a salary above his performance level, my bias is against homer fans who don't consider context, or understand the underlying buildup of numbers they quote and they just throw numbers assuming they have any validity on their own.

You probably yell about how Game Stops stonks were higher therefore the company is actually worth more, without considering the context of Reddit users trying to overthrow hedge funds with artificial increases.... but, the number was higher, therefore Game Stop is worth more than Apple and Samsung. Genius, because. you know the number without context is all that matters.

KK gets easier assignments, and barely performs as well, and AGAIN, you're the one claiming he's "Amongst the best defensive forwards in the NHL" so he should be getting tougher assignments, unless you're clearly wrong, which... you know, you are. lol

So your argument is that QoC plays a part (Quality of Competition) and it is certainly worth noting that Kotkaniemi doesn't get the big assignments. I've not tried to argue that he does. But that doesn't mean he doesn't excel defensively! That's the entire issue here. He plays incredibly well defensively. Someone that can play well defensively in a sheltered role. But just because he's not getting major assignments on account of the fact Jordan Staal is a 7th defenseman doesn't mean he's not FANTASTIC defensively. David Krejci is one of the best defensive centers of our generation. He never got the tough assignments, does that take away from his skill? NO! Your entire argument is that Kotkaniemi is sheltered, but he's not absolved of his defensive responsibility. You've got a hate boner kid