It is an understatement to say that forward Kasperi Kapanen is taking advantage of his role with the Toronto Maple Leafs while teammate and free agent William Nylander is nowhere in sight. Kapanen started off the season on the fourth line for the first two games, however, he was promoted to the top-6 forward group alongside star centre Auston Matthews and veteran winger Patrick Marleau in Chicago on Oct. 7.
The spot, occupied by Tyler Ennis at the time, was initially going to be Nylander’s before negotiations on a new deal have become an impasse. Now Kapanen is taking full advantage of it.
While the Maple Leafs fan base might be eager about the success Kapanen is having on the top line, NHL insider Darren Dreger pointed out a major issue for Toronto on Tuesday night during a segment of Insider Trading on TSN. It is unfortunately becoming quite a cap concern for the Maple Leafs and Dreger is wondering if this will push the Leafs to either trade Nylander or Kapanen down the line.
Kapanen is due to become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2019, and if he can put up a lot of points, it might be impossible for general manager Kyle Dubas to keep him, Nylander, and let's not forget, the GM is also working on extensions for stars Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner...
"If he is a 40-50- or even a 60-point player guy at the end of the season, he could be looking for upwards to $5 million. We are not at that stage yet, but what it means though is that somebody will have to go. If it's not William Nylander, assuming he comes in, he signs a bridge deal or otherwise, if it's not Kasperi Kapanen because they find a way to keep him, somebody will have to go from a cap perspective," explained Dreger on TSN.
It seems that Kapanen, despite being a late-bloomer, has shown that he can put out the goals and points and could be quite the asset for the Leafs. Whether it be on their roster or... on the trade market.
