The Montreal Canadiens turned a few heads and inadvertently created a few .gifs when they selected Jesperi Kotkaniemi third overall in the 2018 NHL Draft. There were several more “NHL-ready” forwards available with that selection, but the Habs elected to take Kotkaniemi.
The Finnish forward definitely filled an organizational need at center. The Habs have long been looking to upgrade that position. They saw an opportunity to do so with a tall, lanky, creative forward in Kotkaniemi who has the ability to play the middle of the ice. In order to take him, they had to pass up on a few intriguing wingers like Brady Tkachuk and Filip Zadina.