Hurricanes' Jesperi Kotkaniemi: Assist, fight in overtime loss

Kotkaniemi registered an assist and seven PIM in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders.

Kotkaniemi has four goals and an assist during a four-game point streak. The Hurricanes' trade for Mikko Rantanen and Taylor Hall on Friday will lead to some tinkering of the forward lines until head coach Rod Brind'Amour finds combinations he likes, so it's possible Kotkaniemi could move around the lineup a bit. He's still centering the second line for now, and he won't have to worry about Jack Drury pushing him for that spot -- he was dealt to Colorado as part of the price paid for Rantanen. Kotkaniemi is at 24 points, 79 shots on net, 47 hits, 37 PIM and a plus-9 rating over 50 contests in 2024-25.