When the Montreal Canadiens selected Jesperi Kotkaniemi third overall in June, most people - if not all - expected him to be getting ready for the 2019 World Junior Hockey Championships in British Columbia starting on Boxing Day.
Instead, as the Canadiens prepare to face the Nashville Predators on the night of the tournament’s gold and bronze medal games, Kotkaniemi will be firmly entrenched in the Canadiens’ middle six.
Part of the shake up of the Montreal forward lines prior to their game against the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday night was that Kotkaniemi would play with Tomas Tatar and Andrew Shaw.