Breaking: Habs make a call on top pick Kotkaniemi

Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin held a press conference this morning to address the team’s first 10 games and… wouldn’t you know it the Habs GM actually had a smile on his face for a change. Predicted by many to be in the basement of the NHL’s standings this season, the Habs have gotten off to a nice 6-2-2 start thanks in large part to some strong goaltending from Carey Price and from offensive contributions from newcomers Max Domi and Tomas Tatar.

The real buzz though is concerning the newest of newcomers on the team’s roster, 18 year old third overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The young Finnish centre selected third in this past June’s 2018 NHL Entry Draft played his 10th game with the team this past weekend, meaning that he’s now officially “burned” the first year of his three year, entry level contract, a decision that typically means the player is with the big club for the long haul. So… what’s the plan with Kotkaniemi? Keep him in Montreal, send him down to the AHL’s Laval Rocket or ship him back to Finland for some further seasoning?

"The plan is to keep him in Montreal, but in 10 to 15 games if we see he's struggling, we'll reassess. But, things are going well for him so far." - Marc Bergevin on Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Excellent. With four assists through his first 10 games and with some strong two way play, it’s hard to argue that Kotkaniemi isn’t ready for the NHL. The kid needs to bulk up his 6 foot, 2 inch frame, but that will come in time. As it is, he’s using his superior hockey sense and his high level of skill to be a big contributor for this team. Even at just 18 years of age, this kid is showing he has what it takes to be an impact player in the NHL. Hopefully, for hi sake and for the team's sake, he can keep his high level of play up over the long haul. After years and years of having to be patient with top picks and prospects, it's refreshing to see a kid come in and earn his way onto the Habs' roster the way Kotkaniemi has. Keep it up, kid!