Maple Leafs Prospects: It’s Finally Kapanen’s Year To Shine
By Neal DeRosa
I think it is safe to say that Kasperi Kapanen has had an interesting past few years. The Maple Leafs prospect has been quite the talking point for many fans, as they wonder where their expectations should be for the skilled Finnish winger.
There seems to be a feeling behind Kapanen that he has not had the opportunity to show how good he really is…… and there could be some truth behind that.
Kasperi’s journey
Heading into the 2014 draft, Kapanen was looked at as one of the top european draft prospects and was expected to be a primetime player in the IIHF world juniors for Finland. Right before the tournament he got injured, and was unable to play for his country that year. When the draft came along, he dropped to 22nd, a few spots lower than most scouting rankings had him.
After being drafted to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Kapanen went back to Kalpa in Finland where, as an 18 year old, he posted 21 points in 41 games. That year, in his first IIHF world junior tournament, he finished with a goal in five games. As one of the Penguins top prospects at the time, Kapanen definitely felt good about his future with the organization.
Fast forward to July 2015, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Kapanen in a multi-player deal to the Maple Leafs for some guy named Phil Kessel. Kapanen instantly went from one of the Penguins top prospects to “the guy we traded Kessel for”.
As a result, many thought that Kapanen would be in the spotlight in Toronto, but things quickly changed. The Maple Leafs already had William Nylander in their prospect pool, then they drafted Mitch Marner, and soon Kapanen became “just another prospect” in the Leafs organization.
That season, Kapanen made the Marlies and was in the mix with a very talented forward group. With players like Leivo, Arcobello, Nylander, Hyman, Leipsic, Brown, Frattin, and Soshnikov on the team, Kapanen was never going to be the Marlies’ top scoring threat.
More from Editor In Leaf
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Nick Robertson Healthy and Ready
- Ryan Reaves Will Have Zero Impact on Toronto Maple Leafs
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Playing Max Domi In Top-Six a HUGE Mistake
- Top 10 Scandals in the History of the Toronto Maple Leafs
- Toronto Maple Leafs: Results from the Traverse City Prospects Tournament
Early in the season with the Marlies, Kapanen looked less than impressive, causing some fans to believe that he wouldn’t be too useful to the Maple Leafs in the future. Not many of them were upset about this though, as the growing quantity of good prospects in the Leafs pool made Kapanen’s lowering ceiling easier to swallow.
Going into the new calendar year, Kapanen had 10 points in 17 games with the Marlies. He just was not able to put up big numbers with the ice time he was given.
Even internationally, Kapanen was being overshadowed. Two young Finnish kids named Jesse Puljujärvi and Patrik Laine were hogging all the spotlight. During the 2016 IIHF world junior tournament, all eyes were on the projected top-three picks in the upcoming draft, Puljujärvi and Laine, not on the 2014 first round draft pick Kasperi Kapanen.
In a secondary scoring role, Kapanen had a strong tournament, posting 5 points in 7 games including the gold medal winning goal. It was a big goal for Kapanen, as it was a moment where Maple Leafs fans saw a flash of his capabilities, and a goal that made him a national hero in Finland.
After winning gold, Kapanen settled down with the Marlies posting 12 points in his next 15 games. He finished the season with a respectable 25 points in 44 games (0.57 PPG). Fans were starting to take notice. His elusive skating and soft hands were allowing him to get more scoring chances for himself and his teammates, especially during the Marlies’ deep playoff run.
The Future
With the Maple Leafs on the upside of their rebuild, top Marlies forwards like Nylander, Leivo, Brown, Soshnikov and Hyman will surely get time more time on the Maple Leafs throughout the season. As a result, this could be Kapanen’s breakout year with the Marlies.
Throughout his career, he has been the supporting player on very good teams. Whether it was the 18 year old on a professional Kalpa team, or on the gold medal winning Finland U20 team or on the stacked AHL Marlies team, Kapanen has never really gotten deployed as one of his teams’ top forwards due to these circumstances.
Last year on the Marlies, out of his 25 points, 21 were primary points and only four came on the powerplay. In contrast, this year he should be one of the Marlies’ main scoring threats and his production will increase due to extended powerplay time and first line minutes. In addition, after posting 65 shots in 44 games (5.74 shots/60), Kapanen’s shot totals indicate that he has the skill to get into scoring opportunities even as a 19 year old in the AHL.
Expectations
This upcoming season will give everyone a much better idea of what Kasperi Kapanen is capable of. At this point, expecting Kapanen to be an above 0.5 PPG NHL player would be unfair. Furthermore, to tag him as “the guy we traded Kessel for” would also be unfair. He just turned 20 years old and still has to improve his offensive skills while working on his defensive game. Therefore, with Kasperi Kapanen, patience is key.
Next: Maple Leafs sign Trevor Moore
In conclusion, I think Kapanen should definitely spend this upcoming season with the Toronto Marlies. Due to his skill-set, his ceiling is high, but if rushed into the NHL too quickly, he could become a bust. With Matthews, Kadri, and Nylander as our expected future centers, a skilled forward like Kapanen could have a very solid career if he develops into an every day NHL winger.
How good do you think Kapanen will be? Do you think he should make the Maple Leafs this year? Is he the Maple Leafs next breakout star? Comment below!!!
Follow @NickDes52 for more articles, news and analysis for the Toronto Maple Leafs!