Offer Sheets, Eichel Changes Agents, Canada In The Semis

• As you may have heard, the Carolina Hurricanes made a bit of a splash on Saturday:/

We've tendered an Offer Sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi 👀 pic.twitter.com/4Mmw3n4DVr

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) August 28, 2021

The Canes’ offer to Kotkaniemi is for one year at $6.1M dollars, and it puts the Habs in a real bind. On the one hand, Kotkaniemi has not proven himself to be worthy of a $6.1M contract — and the Habs are not exactly flush with cap space as it is. On the other hand, letting Kotkaniemi walk would mean giving up on the third overall selection from 2018 in exchange for a 2022 first and third. Carolina may not be as good this upcoming season as in 2021, but they are at worst a play-off contender. It will not be a top 10 pick for the Habs. And with Philip Danault already gone to greener pastures, Montreal would be staring at a gaping hole down the middle if they don’t match.

Over at the Athletic, Arpon Basu breaks down the Habs’ side of things. Sara Civian does the same for Carolina. From the Canes’ perspective, there is some risk in taking on Kotkaniemi but there’s also a certain element of retribution at play here. Recall the Habs’ failed offer sheet of Sebastian Aho in 2019. Carolina certainly hasn’t forgotten.

• Speaking of the Habs, Travis Yost takes a look at what the future might hold for Montreal. Was their run to the 2021 Final a fluke or the beginning of something bigger? Yost has dug up some interesting historical comparisons — a couple of which might be familiar to Sens fans.
• With seemingly no progress towards a trade that would take him out of Buffalo, Jack Eichel has elected to change agents. Eichel is now being represented by Pat Brisson, one of the most influential power brokers in the game. If any agent has the juice to kick-start this thing, it might be Brisson. For now, EichelWatch2021 continues.
• Team Canada will face Switzerland in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Hockey Championships tonight after thoroughly demolishing Germany 7-0 on Saturday. The squad has been firing on all cylinders, and with Marie-Philip Poulin back in the line-up they look poised to take home the title for the first time since 2012. Certainly, this is the best I’ve seen the team look for many years. Be sure to tune in tonight at 7pm ET on TSN to catch all the action.
• Sarah Fillier has been one of the tournament’s breakout starts for the Canadian squad, and Hailey Salvian’s got a great feature on her over at the Athletic. Fillier is the youngest player on the Canadian squad at just 21 years old, but her skillset puts her on par with some of the best players in the world. She’s also overcome some real challenges lately and her poise is truly remarkable for someone her age.
• In other international hockey news, Nikolaj Ehlers has led Denmark to their first Olympic hockey tournament. Ehlers torched the qualifying tournament with nine points in three games, including the game-winning goal in the final match against Norway.
• Emily Kaplan has a great write-up of Henrik Lundqvist’s career over at ESPN. It will surprise no one to learn that Lundqvist was a class act, and that he was one of the hardest-working players throughout his time in New York. /