wNV4PkMD9r- Micah Blake McCurdy August 25, 2020 Kasperi Kapanen (traded to Pittsburgh) is a good third-liner. Perhaps playing with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin could help unlock some potential - Rutherford is betting on it - but the analytics suggest he's best-suited for a third-line role. He possesses elite speed, but the 24-year-old isn't a proven finisher and he lacks vision. However, Kapanen didn't take advantage of the top-six opportunities he received in Toronto. Penguins GM Jim Rutherford said Kapanen can improve Pittsburgh's top-six forward group. Did they overpay to make it happen? Also yes. Grade: A Penguins overpay for Kapanen Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / GettyĪre the Penguins a better team today than they were yesterday? Yes. While this swap will ultimately be graded on what the executive does with the cap space and pick, it's a very promising deal. It boils down to a third-line winger for a mid-first-round pick and a solid prospect, making the trade a win for Dubas. The same can be said for Rodrigues, a fourth-line caliber player, and Warsofsky, a 30-year-old with just 55 career NHL games played. Meanwhile, there's no guarantee Lindgren, a fourth-round pick in 2014, or Aberg ever suit up for the Penguins. 'Hallander isn’t a flashy player, with average foot speed and slightly above-average puck skills, but what drives his value is his high hockey IQ and compete level,' Pronman wrote. The Penguins' second-round pick in 2018, The Athletic's Corey Pronman ranked the 20-year-old as Pittsburgh's fourth-best prospect, labeling him a legitimate future NHLer. The 2020 draft is also considered to be deep.īeyond the first-round pick, the Leafs also get a useful prospect in Hallander. Now, the Leafs get back into the first round with the 15th overall selection - just two spots below where Toronto would've originally drafted had the team kept its pick. He started by sacrificing a 2020 first-round pick to get Patrick Marleau's contract off the books, and then Dubas used the cap space to sign Kapanen and Johnsson. Last offseason, Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas was tasked with cleaning up the mess Lou Lamoriello left behind. Plus, there are cheaper options - such as Nick Robertson - who can take Kapanen's top-nine role.

And while he's a good third-line player, a team with roughly $40-million tied up in four forwards can't afford to pay three third-liners north of $3 million. The former 20-goal scorer wasn't able to mesh with Toronto's top-six forwards when given the opportunity. The Pens clearly value Kapanen more than the Leafs.

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