Hurricanes Make Surprising Kotkaniemi Decision Amidst Buyout Window Closing

The clock is ticking on the NHL’s first buyout window — and the Carolina Hurricanes have seemingly decided to let it run out on Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, Carolina is not expected to buy out the Finnish center despite this being the last opportunity to do so at the favorable one-third rate. The window closes in just over 48 hours.

To be clear, Carolina is actively seeking to trade Kotkaniemi now. With rising cap, $4.8 million for a 3C will be the new norm, so he is seen as a player with trade value considering there are so few centers available.

They’ll wait til that materializes. But no buyout.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 28, 2026

A buyout this summer would cost Carolina $6.8 million spread over eight years — roughly $850,000 annually. If the Hurricanes pass and revisit the option next summer, that figure balloons to $15.2 million over seven years, including a $4.82 million hit in year one. As Jonathan Willis writes, “It’s now or never, in other words.”

And yet Carolina is passing. In a weaker market that doesn’t have many centers available, the Hurricanes believe Kotkaniemi has trade value and are actively shopping him. Seravalli reports the organization views his $4.8 million cap hit as increasingly palatable given the rapidly rising salary cap, and that quality third-line centres are scarce enough that a market should materialize. There’s a risk, however. Kotkaniemi was a healthy scratch for every Carolina playoff game this spring, and teams have shown no desire to take on his contract in the past. There was talk that the Los Angeles Kings had shown interest at last season’s trade deadline, but he, too, ultimately passed.

Canes AGM Darren Yorke was non-commital when asked about Kotkaniemi’s future: “We’ll evaluate what happened today, and as we go through July 1, we’ll always try to do what we think is the best thing for the organization to get better.”

Can the Hurricanes Actually Trade Kotkaniemi?

Carolina is making a calculated bet that a rising cap transforms a contract that looks awkward today into a reasonable one tomorrow. But, if no trade materializes and Kotkaniemi’s buyout rate jumps to two-thirds next summer, this decision to let a significant opportunity pass by could look like a poor decision.

Maybe the Hurricanes can move the center. As July 1 comes and goes with teams looking at backup options, he could be Plan B or C for teams desperate to reach the salary cap floor.

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