The ongoing saga involving St. Louis Blues star Robert Thomas has led to multiple trade ideas. One of the teams believed to be willing to take a swing at Thomas is the Carolina Hurricanes.
To be fair, the Hurricanes are in on everyone. The club has been linked to numerous big-name forwards. This season alone, chatter has sprung up about the Canes kicking the tires on Artemi Panarin, Quinn Hughes, Vincent Trocheck, and even Elias Pettersson.
But Thomas has been a recurring theme. Granted, the talk involving Thomas has shifted to other clubs like the Detroit Red Wings. But that doesn’t mean the Hurricanes will just go away quietly into the night. The Canes, like Detroit, have the requisite specs to get a deal done.
And that’s where an interesting replacement for Thomas could pop up. We’re talking about Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Now, Kotkaniemi hasn’t even been close to an 80-point player. In fact, he hasn’t lived up to the hype the Hurricanes placed on him when they plucked him from the Montreal Canadiens via an offer sheet a few seasons ago.
But now, Kotkaniemi has turned into a relatively well-rounded player. He’s improved defensively and continues to produce at a decent clip. Last season, the 25-year-old scored 12 goals and 33 points in 78 games. That was a nice bounce-back after scoring 18 goals and 43 points in 2022-23. While Kotkaniemi’s numbers have fallen off a cliff this season, his nine points in 36 games have mostly come in a diminished fourth-line role.Â
In St. Louis, Kotkaniemi could see top-six minutes, potentially sliding behind Dalibor Dvorsky on the Blues’ second line. Jim Montgomery could use Kotkaniemi in a third-line lone, leaving Brayden Schenn on the second line. That assumption is based, of course, on Schenn remaining with the Blues. If Schenn leaves, then it could be Kotkaniemi rolling on the second unit.
Kotkaniemi could come with some nice sweeteners
Kotkaniemi would hardly be the only piece coming back for Thomas. The Blues could likely fetch a couple of first-round picks and another prospect. Four total pieces for Thomas wouldn’t be a bad return. Plus, the Blues wouldn’t have to worry about turning over stones for Thomas’ replacement.Â
The interesting part is the sweeteners coming back with Kotkaniemi. Multiple first-round picks could allow the Blues to draft a true replacement for Thomas. As such, Kotkaniemi could be more of a placeholder while a true top-line center emerges from the Blues’ system.
Even as a placeholder, Kotkaniemi could be a long-term fit for the Blues. He could still grow into an elite 3C, allowing Dvorsky and another prospect like Otto Stenberg to develop into a top-six role.
If anything, adding Kotkaniemi buys the Blues time. That is, naturally, if the idea is to trade Thomas for futures. But if the plan is to trade Thomas for someone who could help right away, well, the focus could lie elsewhere, then.