Adam Engström: the Habs can say thank you to the Hurricanes (and to Jesperi Kotkaniemi)

Dose
Crédit: YouTube

In August 2021, the Carolina Hurricanes put the Habs in a rather precarious situation. The Canes submitted an offer sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, which he accepted.

Marc Bergevin had a week to decide whether or not to match the offer, and in the end opted to let KK head for Raleigh.

The Canadiens, in the process, got a first-round pick and a third-round pick, both in 2022. The former was used to obtain Christian Dvorak… but the third-round pick stayed in town.

In the end, Kent Hughes and his gang were able to use it, and with that pick, they selected… Adam Engström.

Yes, we’re talking about the man who’ll be making his NHL debut tonight.

(Credit: Screenshot/HockeyDB)

In reality, then, Bergevin’s decision not to match the offer is really making him look good. Not only did Kotkaniemi never become the true top-flight center we’d hoped he would, but Engström is one of the Montreal organization’s bright prospects.

The decision to pay top dollar for Christian Dvorak, on the other hand, was less fruitful. But that’s another story.

In the end, then, the Habs seem to have emerged from this saga with the upper hand over the Hurricanes. They’ve avoided overpaying for Kotkaniemi, and they’ve landed a young defenseman who’s attracting attention across the NHL right now.

Imagine if, in the end, Engström allowed the Habs to get their hands (via trade) on the second center they never had in Kotkaniemi. That would be something.

Overtime

– Speak of the devil.

– Hehe.

– It’s understandable.

– Brett Hull almost wore a Habs uniform.

– Interesting.