For weeks Jesperi Kotkaniemi looked to be the option for the Montreal Canadiens. Other names slipped into the organization’s view, but they proved on the podium that the Finnish centre was their guy. The front office was jacked about it, and the fanbase was polarizing towards it, but it’s a positive step forward for the Habs.
Kotkaniemi had a big smile on his face after Trevor Timmins called out his name. That smile never faded as he walked on to the stage, had his first presser as part of the organization, and most importantly, for those iconic draft day pictures.