Well he plays with a ton of range, has good hockey IQ, borderline top-6 skills (at least for now), and a booming shot. Yes, there IS upside there. I think it was bullish of the Canes to offer him 6 mil+, but that doesn't take away from the fact that he will develop into a top-6/9 centre with two-way acumen that should at least be a 45-50 point player every season. Maybe Kesler is a nice comparable here. Yes, I know their styles are different (Kesler brought more of the snarl and agitation (amongst other things)), but Kesler didn't necessarily set the league on fire well before he turned into the player he did. Funny enough, he also signed an offersheet. This comparison is based on development trajectory and the fact that they are/were both indisputable top-9, two-way centres who are more than capable goal scorers.
As far as him getting 'mishandled' goes (which I think may be a reach in some respects), the Habs didn't even start Caufield in the playoffs which says something. Sure, he could have gotten more rope in Montreal, but teams handle their players differently, and I don't even think Kotkaniemi was treated too unfairly. I think Kotkaniemi would have been able to manage in Montreal had he stayed, but I think that Carolina will be a better fit for him playing with other skilled two-way forwards like Aho, Necas, and Svechnikov - all of whom are surefire top-6 players. I like what Carolina did here, and even though they paid big money to sign Kotkaniemi, I think he's under less pressure to have to cement himself immediately as a top-flight centre. With the way things were shaping up in Montreal, he would have had to immediately fill the 2C role, and that could have very well set him up for failure. Now he'll be more sheltered on a team like Carolina in the same way that a guy like Podkolzin will be with us (both will likely start on the 3rd line). In fact, Kotkaniemi will likely start on the wing. Kotkaniemi, like Podkolzin, is expected to be a core piece), but both guys can be brought along slowly while they hone their crafts and just play their games. Both play on teams who are rising at very high trajectories, and both are being put into positions where they can evolve organically with their respective teams. I know one is getting paid 6+ while the other is on their entry-level deal, but both players have been drafted a year apart from the other and are big, skilled forwards with a refined two-way game, etc. Kotkaniemi is more set up for success as a Hurricane than he was as a Hab. Again, I can't stress enough that the price the Canes paid for him is a high one (right now), but to acquire a player like him that will grow nicely with this Canes' core, is either by trading a king's ransom to acquire him or to draft him 3rd overall.