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Toronto Maple Leafs Roundtable: Steps Forward

By Mike Stephens

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 25: Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Kasperi Kapanen (24) celebrates his short handed goal during Game 7 of the First Round for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 25, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 7-4 to advance to the next round. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 25: Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Kasperi Kapanen (24) celebrates his short handed goal during Game 7 of the First Round for the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 25, 2018, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs 7-4 to advance to the next round. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – APRIL 16: Toronto Maple Leafs Forward Kasperi Kapanen (24) in warmups prior to the Stanley Cup First Round Playoff game between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs on April 16, 2018 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 16: Toronto Maple Leafs Forward Kasperi Kapanen (24) in warmups prior to the Stanley Cup First Round Playoff game between the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs on April 16, 2018 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, ON. (Photo by Gerry Angus/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Wilbert Timmermans

No doubt, that the player who will take the largest leap forward for the Leafs next season is going to be Kasperi Kapanen.

Together with Andreas Johnsson, Kapanen was a victim of the Toronto Maple Leafs depth on the wing last season. It limited Kapanen’s games with the Leafs to only 38, the majority of which were played on the fourth line.

Playing on the fourth line, Kapanen has not always been surrounded with the talent that justifies his skill set. On many other NHL teams, even those who qualified for the playoffs, Kapanen would have been a solid top 9 forward on the roster.

Instead, Kapanen has played an average of under 10 minutes per game (5v5), registering 8 points.

Kapanen utilizes a high-end skill set combined with tremendous speed, a weapon on any roster. We have seen glimpses of his brilliance on the penalty kill briefly, and he would not look poorly on the Leafs power play.

If played on a third-line with players who compliment and keep up with his skill level (perhaps Nylander and Johnsson), I would not be surprised to see Kapanen make the jump to registering 50 points on the next season.

Should that be the case, I hope Dubas signs Kapanen before he does so. The price of re-signing him will be a lot steeper after next season.

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