Part of the Job: Kotkaniemi Prepared For Return To Montreal

RALEIGH, NC - Thursday night. Canes vs. Canadiens. Jesperi Kotkaniemi returns to Centre Bell.
The stage is set and by now most angles of the story have been covered. But what's it really like as we now inch closer to tomorrow night's return north of the border for the Canes forward to take on his former team for the first time?

Tuesday afternoon the Finnish talent was made available by Hurricanes PR for a Zoom media availability, where 39 attendees, including many representing outlets from Canada, provided a variety of questions for the 21-year-old. Most questions were fair and what you would expect to be asked ahead of someone's return to a place where they hold prior experience, some of the questions were in attempt to create storylines going into the contest. The reality of the situation was that Kotkaniemi handled himself with class, navigating everything thrown at him in a professional manner - including having the wherewithal to say it would be "inappropriate" to say he would have been unhappy if Montreal had matched the Canes offer sheet.
"It's part of the job," he shared laughingly afterward, again seemingly unphased by the atypical situation taking place two days before a game. "I think everything went alright, it's just one of those things you need to deal with."

There are the obvious sayings, such as that he had known this game was coming or "circled on his calendar", but what player returning to their former home wouldn't be cognizant of facing their old club? It's where a player not only spends an important period of time in their lives and also somewhere where life outside of hockey, (which does exist for the players) transpires. Friendships are made and maintained, moments are created and remembered.
Especially true in Kotkaniemi's case, he'll return to see an organization that made him the number three overall draft selection and provided him with the opportunity to first break into the league. Events that transpired not that long ago in the grand scheme of things, after all.
Canes Head Coach Rod Brind'Amour shared that he watched the question-and-answer session involving his young forward, seeming proud of how Kotkaniemi maneuvered throughout the event. "I thought he handled it well," the team's fourth-year bench boss said. "It is what it is. You certainly don't fault the kid for what's gone on, everybody would have done the same thing. He's on a new team now, he's trying to find his way. We obviously expect big things out of him, but you've got to take your time. He's still a young kid. We want to make sure we do it right."
Kotkaniemi has appeared visibly happy since coming to Raleigh, sharing yesterday that he's keen to the amount of sunlight and the vast amount of golf courses that the Triangle has to offer. His teammates have taken a liking to the energy he's brought as well.
"Everyone likes him," Sebastian Aho remarked regarding his new linemate earlier this week. "He smiles a lot and he's always positive. He's a good fit."
Pay no mind to those electing to make an attempted splash over his totaled production or time on ice through two games. Two games are such a miniscule sample in terms of the duration of an entire season, especially given that Kotkaniemi has the undertaking of playing a new forward position and learning new systems in addition to everything else that comes with the transition. There's a reason why Brind'Amour made a point to say that the team wants to handle Kotkaniemi's integration the correct way.
"We have a great team and a great group of guys here," Kotkaniemi additionally offered. "I've had a blast so far," he continued with a smile.
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