The expression that "Revenge is a dish best served cold" appears to have roots in French literature, although its precise origin isn't clear.
There's no mistaking its meaning, though.
Or that that's what the Hurricanes had in mind when they signed Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, a restricted free agent, to an offer sheet Saturday.
Why Kotkaniemi accepted the offer is as easy to understand as the reason Carolina extended it: He'll be paid $6,100,035 to play next season.
That's quite a payday for a guy who was a healthy scratch for the last two games of the Stanley Cup final, as well as Game 1 of Montreal's opening-round playoff series against the Maple Leafs.
Oh, Kotkaniemi, who was the third selection in the 2018 draft, isn't a bad player. He has good size (6 foot 2, 201 pounds) and is a responsible two-way contributor and creative playmaker who, at 21, clearly has the potential to improve.
What he hasn't done is anything that suggests he's worth anything close to the money Carolina is prepared to give him.
Sure, the Hurricanes likely would be a better team with Kotkaniemi than without him, but that isn't the only reason they gave him the offer sheet.
Perhaps not even the primary one.
No, it's obvious that Carolina was seeking payback for the Canadiens signing Carolina center Sebastien Aho to a five-year, $42.295 million offer sheet in 2019.
Anyone who questions that should note that Kotkaniemi's unusual salary-cap hit figure includes a $20 signing bonus (Aho wears No. 20) and a stray $15 to go with the other $6.1 million (Kotkaniemi wears No. 15).
Not much cryptic about that.
And then there was the Carolina press release announcing the offer sheet. The first four sentences were lifted, almost verbatim, from one the Canadiens put out two years to announce that Aho had signed with them.
The Hurricanes ultimately decided to match that offer and keep Aho, who led them in scoring in 2020-21 with 24 goals and 33 assists in 56 games.
Montreal has six more days to decide if he wants to do likewise to keep Kotkaniemi, but that seems unlikely at this point.
Not only because the Canadiens have some salary-cap concerns through which they must sort, but -- in an obviously related matter -- because it would be difficult to justify paying Kotkaniemi a salary so far above his reasonable market value.
It's hard to imagine that members of Kotkaniemi's immediately family truly believe that he is worth $6.1 million. (Or, if you prefer, $6,100,035.)
That's why the Canadiens figure to accept the first- and third-round draft choices in 2022 they will get as compensation for losing Kotkaniemi, who had five goals and 15 assists in 56 games last season, rather than match Carolina's proposal.
One aspect of Carolina's, uh, generous offer that shouldn't be overlooked is that Kotkaniemi will be eligible for unrestricted free agency again next summer, so the Hurricanes will have to offer him at least $6,100,035 to retain his rights.
Otherwise, he will become unrestricted, free to sign with any team. Including, of course, Montreal.
Could Kotkaniemi produce at such a level that he not only justifies the money he'll get in 2021-22, but makes giving him the necessary qualifying offer next summer an easy call for whichever club he is with a week from now?
Of course.
Just as it's possible that Sidney Crosby could be voted the most beloved athlete in Philadelphia this winter.
Could happen. Just not a very prudent way to wager.
There is, of course, a reason that offer sheets are rare in the NHL Generally, they accomplish nothing more than doing another GM's negotiating for him, making it possible for him to simply agree to live by the terms another club has worked out with a player.
That's a pretty good deterrent to chasing another club's restricted free agents. At least it is if the contract proposal isn't detached from reality and intended to do more than simply convince a player to move to a different club.
In this case, the Hurricanes didn't have to purchase a billboard near the Bell Centre to deliver their message to Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin.
Their point has been made.
They got their revenge.
They also got an agreement with a player who has done nothing to suggest he is worth the money he will be paid during the coming season, regardless of who is signing the checks.
Carolina has done a lot of good things in recent years, transforming the franchise from an afterthought to a legitimate force in the league.
Signing Kotkaniemi to that offer sheet -- and doing it for reasons that transcend on-ice productivity -- is not one of them.