Toronto Maple Leafs: Exactly How Good Is Kasperi Kapanen?

The Toronto Maple Leafs locked up Kasperi Kapanen for another three years, signing him up to a deal with $3.2M AAV.

Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs were able to get a deal sorted to keep one of the speediest players in the NHL, Kasperi Kapanen, around for the near future. Another huge bonus on the deal is that come expiry in 2022, Kapanen will remain an RFA.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have tied up two other players this offseason to very similar deals to Kapanen, Johnsson and Kerfoot.

There has been a number of deals come in for similar players at a similar value in the past month. When looking at the comparable deals, Kapanen is the youngest and one of the best producing of the group, making this deal look like a very positive one for Dubas.

Toronto Maple Leafs and Kasperi Kapanen

This deal was very important, not only because it ensured Kapanen would remain a Leaf besides the rumours. With Nylander and Marner ahead of him, had he priced himself out of a third-line forwards range, he likely wouldn’t have remained here.

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His comments which followed regarding him “not pulling a Willie” were further proof that he is a low maintenance player who clearly wants to remain in this city.

Heading into next season it’s certain that Kapanen will find himself with a new centre. Having lost Kadri, the third line will be gaining a faster, yet less offensively talented player in Kerfoot. The Leafs ultimately lose in a Kadri-Kerfoot trade-off.

However, Kadri was the scorer for the third line, yet last season Kapanen shot at a greater rate than all Leafs bar Matthews, Nylander and Tavares. This could allow Kapanen a greater scorers role, which should allow for better numbers considering he produced at a first-line rate whilst playing third-line minutes last year.

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In preparation for this article, I looked back over all of Kasperi Kapanen’s career NHL goals and assists. In re-watching a number of games over the years, there were a few glaring positives behind Kasperi Kapanen’s game:

Other than Morgan Reilly, Kasperi Kapanen may be the most athletic individual in the Toronto Maple Leafs organisation. His ability to accelerate and use his strength to beat players and score goals as he did against Marchand and Boston in game 7 in 2018 is extremely impressive.

Just like that goal, there are a number of occasions where Kapanen single-handedly is able to create offence all on his own. I remember my father telling me when I was young that the ability for an athlete, in any sport, to create their own opportunities, is what discerns the good from the great. That skill is one that is abundantly evident in Kapanen’s game.

The final thing that stood out in Kapanen’s game that in Toronto we lack, Kasperi Kapanen has a nasty streak. While he isn’t a huge hitter or an overly physical player, Kapanen has shown a willingness to follow teammates into scrums and stick up for himself as he did against Evan Rodrigues of Buffalo the past season.

In Kasperi Kapanen the Toronto Maple Leafs have a player they correctly developed. They allowed him time to almost overripen in the AHL before earning his role with the Leafs. Kapanen is now a legitimate Top-9 scoring winger at just 22. He boasts incredible athletic attributes and the ability to play a more important role if called upon.

On almost any other NHL team, Kasperi Kapanen is a top-6 winger. I know Kapanen is no Pavel Bure, however, they are similar in the way that their speed separates them from the majority of the league. I wonder, if Kapanen continues to grow, earning himself more ice time, if an opportunity presented itself, would Kapanen play his off-wing.

Kapanen’s speed could allow him to open up his forehand even on his off-wing, all whilst giving him, and the Leafs, another option down the left side.