Toronto Maple Leafs 2018-19 Player Grades

Kasperi Kapanen by Zoe Mason

In his first full season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kasperi Kapanen did not disappoint.

In the absence of William Nylander, Kapanen had some pretty big shoes to fill, playing on the wing of Auston Matthews.

Nylander’s two-month absence due to a contract dispute was aptly handled largely as a result of Kapanen’s ability to keep up with and compliment the play of Matthews.

Undoubtedly, the most notable aspect of Kapanen’s game is his explosive speed. In the 2018-19 season, Kapanen’s speed was a weapon on the penalty kill and earned him two short-handed goals and countless other scoring opportunities.

By season’s end, Kapanen had racked up a respectable 44 points and was among the seven Leafs to score 20 or more goals. Kapanen’s success is even more impressive in the light of his splitting time between the second and third lines, as well as missing four games to injury.

Following his regular season success, his contribution in the playoffs was significantly less positive – 1 goal and 1 assist in 7 games played – but the season still came to a close as a career-best for Kapanen, who had dressed for only 55 games over the past 3 years previously.

Kasperi Kapanen was an active contributor, a reliable winger on a turbulent second line, and an unbeatably fast skater. Although denied rookie eligibility, 2018-19 was, in essence, his rookie campaign, and he still has a lot of room to grow.

Kapanen stepped up when he was needed, became a regular on a special team, and despite somewhat streaky offensive success, had an impressive campaign for a first go around. A great start but room for improvement. Therefore, his grade for the season is an B.  He was easily going to get an A until in the final month of the season he scored only two goals in 22 games.

Whether he remains a Leaf for 2019-20 or not, this is a player you want to keep watching as he continues to mature.