Hurricanes' Kotkaniemi fined $5K for elbowing Stars' Hanley
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Carolina Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for elbowing Dallas Stars defenceman Joel Hanley.
The incident happened during Saturday's contest between the two teams but Kotkaniemi was not penalized during the game. Dallas skated away with the 2-1 win.
Kotkaniemi, 23, has 10 goals and 20 points in 58 games with the Hurricanes this season, his third with the team.
The third overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens at the 2018 NHL Draft, he signed a one-year, $6.1 million offer sheet in August 2021 with Carolina. Montreal declined to match the offer sheet and received Carolina's 2022 first- and fourth-round picks.
He is in the second season of an eight-year, $38.65 million contract with an average annual value of $4.82 million.
The Pori, Finland native has appeared in 376 career NHL games, scoring 62 goals with 154 points split between the Canadiens and Hurricanes. In 58 playoff games, he has 12 goals and nine assists.