The Edmonton Oilers made an interesting move on Tuesday when, as confirmed on social media, they claimed Kasperi Kapanen via waivers from the St. Louis Blues. For some context, he was available due to the Blues needing to open up a roster spot for Robert Thomas’ return from injury.
Further, Kapanen was a healthy scratch in three of the Blues' past five games and just hasn't had a good season so far in general. In 10 games, he has produced just one point (a goal), a -6 rating, one block and no takeaways, while averaging 11:19 of ice time.
If nothing else, the forward doesn't come at much financial risk, with a one-year deal worth $1 million. Here are five things to know about the Oilers' new acquisition:
Father and son duo
1) Kapanen is the son of Sami Kapanen, who played 12 seasons in the NHL, with the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers. As per Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo Sports, they actually played a game together KalPa Kuopio in the Finnish Elite League in Jan. 2013, when the younger Kapanen was just 16.
2) Kapanen made a name for himself during his time with KalPa Kuopio, and became one of hockey's top European prospects by the time of his draft year. As a result, he was selected 22nd overall in the 2014 NHL entry draft, by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
3) A year later the 28-year-old was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, with him going on to make his NHL debut in Feb. 2016. His most productive offensive season with the Leafs came in 2018-19, when he set personal single-season highs of 20 goals, 24 assists and 44 overall points.
Offensively talented but erratic
4) For his NHL career as a whole, Kapanen has produced 209 points (85 goals and 124 points) in 470 games, along with a +4 rating, 567 hits, 123 blocks, 208 takeaways and 112 penalty minutes. It's worth noting that as recently as 2022-23, he recorded 34 points (15 goals and 19 assists) in 66 combined games for the Penguins and Blues, while also producing 99 hits, 20 blocks and 17 takeaways.
5) In respect of his scouting report, the winger's number one asset is his speed, something with the Oilers need. He's an excellent skater all around and has the skills to be a regular 20+ goal/40+ point scorer in the bottom six, but he has suffered with inconsistently throughout his time in the NHL.
With Viktor Arvidsson still out injured, Zach Hyman day-to-day and Evander Kane on the shelf for however much longer, the Oilers really had nothing to lose by bringing Kapanen in. How much he can actually help the team remains to be seen, but we support the acquisition and will certainly be keeping an eye on him.