NHL rumors: The Hurricanes’ Stanley Cup champion that will likely be bought out

The Carolina Hurricanes have won the Stanley Cup. It was their first Cup win in 20 seasons, and now they will look to make it back-to-back in 2026-27. As the team looks to accomplish that feat, the Hurricanes will be making some changes to the roster.

One of those moves that is likely to be made is moving on from a former first-round pick, according to Frank Seravalli of Hockey247.

The Hurricanes are likely to buy out Jesperi Kotakaniemi.

“Kotkaniemi is a Stanley Cup champion, and his name will be engraved on Stanley’s mug by virtue of playing in more than half of the regular season’s games. But he was a healthy scratch for all 19 playoff games as his career has ground to a halt in Carolina. He was quality insurance depth to hold in case of injury, but no one is trading for his contract now,” Seravalli wrote. “Luckily for the Hurricanes, Kotkaniemi is still 25, so they can enact a buyout for one-third of the value remaining spread over double the term, which will save $13 million in real cash and leave an imprint of less than a minimum salary player on the books for the next eight seasons.”

Kotkaniemi was the third overall selection of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He would break into the NHL in the 2018-19 season with the Hab, scoring 11 goals and adding 23 assists in 79 games. In the summer of 2021, the Hurricanes signed Kotkaniemi to an offer sheet, which the Canadiens did not match. Since then, he has been a member of the Hurricanes. He had his best season in 2022-23, finding the back of the net 18 times while adding 25 helpers.

Still, he has not broken out as a player with the Canes. He played in just 42 games this year, scoring only two goals and adding seven assists. He was also a healthy scratch for every playoff game this year. As the Hurricanes celebrate their first Cup in 20 years, it could also be the end of Kotkaniemi on the roster.

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