The Carolina Hurricanes may have shot themselves in the foot when they signed Jesperi Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet in 2022. Since then, the former third-overall pick has played in three seasons with the Hurricanes and has been underwhelming.
After scoring 43 points in 2022-23, Kotkaniemi took a step back and scored only 27 points in 2023-24. Now, he is linked to a potential buyout and may wind up needing to find his third NHL team at only 23.