Toronto Maple Leafs Top Prospects List Part 2

Kasperi Kapanen

The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Kasperi Kapanen as part of the Phil Kessel trade. He is 5’11, a right-winger, and 21 years old. He is the Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect.

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So far, he has played just 17 NHL games and has a single goal. Don’t worry though, this was mostly just fourth line time. He also played six playoff games, where he scored two goals. One of those was in double overtime!

Despite not scoring very much in his debut with the Leafs, Kasperi Kapanen did manage to put up impressive possession numbers 52.51%. This was good enough for fourth on the Leafs last year (though we should be wary of the small sample size).

Though it was just for a brief time, Kapanen showed that he can drive possession in the NHL, make his linemates better and play above-average defense. He has speed (he’ll be one of the fastest players in the NHL) and he can score.

His potential is a more offensive Komarov, of (if we’re really lucky) Nino Niederreitter. He may not score 40 goals or be a superstar, but he should be able to be among the league’s top defensive players, while chipping in a fair amount of offense.

This year there is nothing left for Kapanen in the AHL. He was a point-per-game there last year, and his work in the Playoffs showed he needs to be in the Toronto Maple Leafs top nine.

He makes a fast team even faster (he’s likely the fastest player in the organization) and his defensive abilities are desperately needed on the team that allowed the second most shots in the NHL last year.

Next: Leafs Must Find Room For Kapanen

Kapanen’s presence and NHL readiness should precipitate the trade of one of the team’s more veteran, expensive pending free agent wingers. It’s time for Kapanen to graduate to the NHL, but until he does, he is the Toronto Maple Leafs top prospect.