A completely crazy assumption has been made about KK's intentions!
With the saga surrounding Jesperi Kotkaniemi, we're hearing a lot of tittle-tattle. Will he stay in Montreal? Will he go to Carolina? Many speculate as to why KK decided to sign this contract.
Look no further. He's 21 years old and was offered three times the amount the Canadiens offered him, $6.1 million. That's a lot of money for a 21-year-old who has struggled to find consistency in his game since arriving in Montreal in 2018. We understand then why he put his signature at the bottom of this contract offered by the Canes.
However, informant Andrew Zadarnowski brought up a hypothesis that could be considered far-fetched, but it would make sense to some.
Remember that according to many rumors, the Montreal Canadiens were very interested in the services of Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres. However, a player of this caliber is never free. There was no way Marc Bergevin would include Nick Suzuki or Cole Caufield in such a deal. Jesperi Kotkaniemi, on the other hand, was likely the basis of the Habs' offer.
Is it possible that KK was made aware of the numerous trade rumors sending him to Buffalo? Maybe he wasn't excited to be traded to a team that has been treading water for a very long time. Perhaps, having accepted the Canes' offer, those thoughts crossed the Finnish center's mind. At least, that's what Zadarnowski mentioned on his Twitter account.
If this assumption turns out to be true, you clearly can't blame KK for wanting to flee Buffalo. Who would want to play for the Sabres willingly? Very few players, that's for sure... The Sabres are still far from being a competitive team, especially if they trade their best player, who is one of the most talented forwards in the league.
