It’s no secret that Jesperi Kotkaniemi hit the dreaded sophomore slump with the Montreal Canadiens during the 2019-20 regular season. That, coupled with some injury troubles, led to him spending a significant amount of time with the Laval Rocket before COVID-19 derailed the season.
The detour to Laval was perhaps concerning to some, but important to his long-term development. That, and the time off thanks to the shutdown seems to be just what the doctor ordered, as we’ve been seeing some of the best hockey the Finn has played in his young career.
He scored twice during the play-in series, and it seemed his legs have caught up to the size he added last offseason and over the shutdown.