A Thursday night hockey game in the second week of the NHL season may not normally be Jose Rojas Jersey a head turner for NHL fans, but this Hurricanes vs. Canadiens matchup has a seven-layer cake's worth of backstory. You're probably thinking to yourself: "Hurricanes and Canadiens? Of all the teams, these two have drama?" They're not in the same division. They never faced off last season (well, on the ice, at least). Sure, maybe there are a few guys with history and chattine s between them but, while most teams have on-ice beef, the current soap opera is strictly perched high above. A story that began over two years ago and seemed to be, at the time, a one-trick pony was reignited this summer. Here's a timeline of everything that has gone down between the Hurricanes and Canadiens, the root of their animosity, from Canada Day 2019 to today: Hurricanes vs. Canadiens: A timeline July 1, 2019 When free agency opened up on July 1, the Canadiens sent prized Hurricane youngster and restricted free agent Sebastian Aho . "Sebastian Aho accepted our offer," Montreal's general manager Marc Bergevin at the time. "He wants to come to Montreal. He sees our youngsters coming up in the organization and he wants to be a part of that. We're proud but there's still a waiting period." (Note: Bank this quote for later). "We all get along, but we all have a competitive edge. I'm responsible for the Montreal Canadiens and not other teams. I owe it to the Canadiens and Geoff Molson." - Marc Bergevin on his relationship with other GMs Canadiens Montral (@CanadiensMTL) Carolina had a week to decide what to do, although management had already said they would match any offer. "I know my summer just got better because I'm not going to be negotiating a contract all summer," Hurricanes GM Waddell said during a news conference in which he noted he thought the offer would have been more. "We make a decision and move on." Then began in which the Canes were adamant they were keeping the then-21-year-old: Will we match the offer sheet for Sebastian Aho? Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) And the Habs stoked the fire by introducing their fans to him: Learn more about restricted free agent centerman Sebastian Aho. FAST FACTS Canadiens Montral (@CanadiensMTL) July 8, 2019 As expected, the Hurricanes officially matched the offer. "This was an easy decision," Waddell said in a statement. "Sebastian is one of the best players in the league and the centerpiece of what we're building here. We've spoken to him throughout this proce s and he's made it clear that he wants to be in Raleigh and be a part of this organization. "There was no concern at any point that we would not be able to match this contract. Once again, the Carolina Hurricanes should not be underestimated. We have a plan and all the resources to win a Stanley Cup." The Canadiens seemed resolved to not snag the budding star. "In tendering an offer sheet to Sebastian Aho on July 1, our objective was to add a talented young forward entering the prime of his career," Bergevin said. "With Carolina matching our offer, we wish Sebastian and the Hurricanes all the best." 2019-20 season Nothing major happens; the teams play three times, with Carolina winning the first two. Aho collects just one goal in the series. 2020-2021 season Montreal and Carolina play in two different divisions and do not meet over the course of the season or the playoffs. Aug. 28, 2021 At 5:33 p.m. ET on a quiet Saturday in August, the Hurricanes dropped an atomic hockey bomb when they announced they had tendered an offer sheet for one year and a $6,100,015 million salary to Canadiens restricted free agent Jesperi Kotkaniemi. "Jesperi Kotkaniemi accepted our offer. He wants to come to Carolina," Waddell said in the team's release. "He sees the core weve built here and he wants to be a part of that. Were proud, but there's still a waiting period. When you make an offer like that, we saw a vulnerable position. The offer, with the compensation and the core we have, we realized that it was the best chance we had to get the player." So here's where the fun begins: Remember that Bergevin statement above? From "accepted our offer" to " waiting period," it's a word-for-word copy of Bergevin's statement from two years ago. The didnt mi s a single detail. Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) The amount was something the Canadiens just couldn't match, based on salary cap constraints this season and beyond. But the numbers are quite interesting: The $15 at the end of the $6,100,015 was for Kotkaniemi. He wore No. 15 with the Canadiens. The contract came with a $20 signing bonus. What number does Sebastian Aho wear? Yep, 20. You can say the North doesn't forget, but my goodne s, neither does the South. People dont forget Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) To pour even more salt into the open wound, the Hurricanes Twitter account's profile was changed to French: "Compete official des Hurricanes de la Caroline." That translates to "Official account of the Carolina Hurricanes," which the Canadiens currently have as their header (albeit for Canadiens de Montreal) in both languages. The account also posted the following tweet: Les Hurricanes ont annonc aujourdhui avoir dpos une offre hostile au joueur autonome avec restriction Jesperi Kotkaniemi des Canadiens de la Montreal. Lentente propose est dune dure de un ans et dune valeur annuelle moyenne de 6,1 millions $. Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) Per Twitter translate, it reads: The Hurricanes announced today that they have made a hostile offer to restricted free agent Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadiens. The proposed agreement is for a one-year term and an average annual value of $ 6.1 million. Hostile offer, indeed. Sept. 4, 2021 The Canadiens do not match the offer sheet and receive a first- and third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft as compensation. It should also be noted that the contract is $66,081 below the threshold for Carolina having to give up a first-, second- and third-round pick in the draft. Not saying that was done on purpose in order to give up just a first and a third, but it makes you think. (One of Montreal's first-round picks was sent with a 2024 second-round pick to the Coyotes for center Christian Dvorak. Arizona gets whichever one is higher). Sept. 5, 2021 Waddell speaks to the media the day after officially acquiring Kotkaniemi. It certainly was not revenge, Waddell told reporters Sunday. We talked about this player, we know this player. (We used) the CBA as other teams have in the past to try to acquire a 21-year-old player. So to us, it was all about the player. We looked around the league and thought this made the most sense from where we are as a team. We have a couple of other good Finnish players on our team and thought this would be a great fit. OK, sure, no revenge. Oct. 9, 2021 You'd think everything would be over by now, right? Well, think again. According to a report from the Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli, the Canadiens ratted out the Hurricanes for playing only four preseason games. The NHL CBA requires teams to play six preseason games. only played four. According to , there's thought that the only reason the NHL noticed was because they were told by . Oh boy. Presented by DailyFaceoff.com Hockey (@DFOHockey) through NHL senior vice president of communications John Dellapina that the Canes were one of several teams granted an exemption on the number of preseason games. The requirement wasnt changed. But the pandemic has required us to be agile and flexible in many areas, Dellapina said in an email. By the way, there is no penalty in the Collective Bargaining Agreement for not playing the minimum. Oct. 21, 2021 Stay tuned. ... Taylor Ward Jersey