Tepid Take: Kapanen's Tale of Two Seasons
In the frenized hours post-Kapanen trade, I've heard a lot of different takes on Kapanen and the trade. He's physical and has a mean streak - he's a perimeter player. He's a goalscorer - he's got a muffin. He's got great hands - he's Hagelin/Dupuis. He's defensively responsible - no he's not. However the big one is that a lot of people regard Kapanen as a top sixer, a good piece to compete the jigsaw in Pittsburgh where it was three good top six wingers and AN Other. And a lot of people regard him as a third liner, one who's rarely been above average for the position. If the former is correct, then Rutherford's deal will probably end up looking good. If the latter is correct, then the deal is probably bad. Which group is correct here? The answer is that it depends which of Kasperi Kapanen's two seasons you look at. In 2018-19, Kapanen had his first full NHL season. He wasn't quite a rookie as he'd got 38 games last season in his b