In the first of what’s likely to be a series of moves leading up to the trade deadline next Friday, the Penguins have placed right wing Kasperi Kapanen on waivers.
Following a solid first season in the ‘Burgh, the flashy 26-year-old Finn has largely languished, tallying 18 goals and 52 points in 122 games since the start of the ’21-22 campaign.
Coach Mike Sullivan seemed almost apologetic when announcing the move.
“Kappy is a really talented player,” Sullivan said. “To a certain extent it’s on all of us because we didn’t find a way to maximize his potential. He brings a ton of speed. He has the ability to shoot the puck. He has good offensive instincts. Brings a lot of size. There’s so many attributes that Kappy brings that are really attractive. For whatever reason, we couldn’t find a way to get his potential out of him, and that falls on all of us.”
Given Kapanen’s onerous contract, which runs through the ’23-24 season at an AAV of $3.2 million, it’s unlikely he’ll be claimed by another club. However, the Pens would then have the option of sending him to the Baby Pens, which would save $1.125 million on his “cap” hit (no pun intended). Perhaps paving the way for a player (forward Valtteri Puustinen?) to be recalled.
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