A non-hockey fan's guide to understanding why Jesperi Kotkaniemi's offer sheet is hilarious
Why a Finnish hockey player you've never heard of is at the heart of the NHL's funniest offseason story.
Welcome to FTW Explains, a guide to catching up on and better understanding stuff going on in the world. You may have seen that the Carolina Hurricanes tenured an offer sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, but you’re not sure why it’s making headlines. We’re here to help.
If there’s one thing hockey fans love, it’s a surprise offseason offer sheet. On Saturday, the Carolina Hurricanes turned heads with an out-of-nowhere offer sheet to Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadiens, the NHL’s first offer sheet in two years (and we’ll talk about that one, don’t worry).
The news made waves in the hockey world, in part because of the rarity of offer sheets, but also there’s some extremely juicy history between the Hurricanes and Canadiens when it comes to offer sheets. If you’ve clicked on this article, you’re probably wondering why the hockey fan in your life or those you follow on Twitter are having a laugh at this development.
Good news! We’re here to explain why a Finnish hockey player you’ve never heard of signing a contract is the best, most hilarious NHL story in some time. Let’s begin.