Official: Leafs and Penguins pull of blockbuster deal for Kapanen

Full details including picks and prospects.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
Official: Leafs and Penguins pull of blockbuster deal for Kapanen
Zuma Press

Alright hockey fans, you can thank Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas and Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford for pulling off the first big trade of the NHL offseason.

Earlier today the Leafs traded forward Kasperi Kapanen, forward Pontus Aberg and prospect Jesper Lindgren to the Penguins in exchange for the Penguins' first round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft (15th overall), forward Evan Rodrigues, prospect Filip Hallander and defenseman David Warsofsky.

The full details of the trade from both teams' social media accounts:



This is obviously a MAJOR deal with a ton of names, but the biggest name that stands out is obviously Kapanen. Kapanen, of course, was originally acquired by the Leafs from the Penguins in the Phil Kessel trade back in 2015. Kapanen was acquired along with forward Nick Spaling, defenseman Scott Harrington, a 1st round pick and a 3rd round pick for Kessel, forward Tyler Biggs, defenseman Tim Erixon and a 2nd round pick. The 24 year old Finn put up 13 goals and 36 oints in 69 games with the Leafs this past season, but managed 20 goals and 44 points in 78 games a season prior. There's reason to believe that he'll be given more offensive opportunity in Pittsburgh than he did in Toronto.

Aberg is a pending free agent and Lindgren is a 23 year old prospect with just 30 games of AHL experience under his belt. Neither player seems like a future NHLer at this point. Ditto for Rodrigues and Warsofsky. Rodrigues is a pending free agent and Warsofsky is a 30 year journeyman with just 55 games of NHL experience in his decade long career. The real meat of this deal is Kapanen for Hallander and the 15th overall pick. 

The 15th overall pick is what it is, a decent pick in a very deep draft. We won't know for years what the ultimate value of that pick is, but this trade is already earning rave reviews from Leafs fans given Hallander's potential. The 20 year old Swedish forward is described by scouting resource Elite Prospects as a:

Two-way forward with a strong skating ability. Works hard and forechecks and backchecks impressively. Shoots and passes the puck equally well. Smart in all three zones and a good team player."

Honestly... doesn't that sound a bit like Kapanen himself? If this kid can bring some of Kapanen's energy and production to the lineup and the Leafs manage to score a top end prospect in the draft, then this is an absolute steal of a deal for the Leafs. Only time will tell though.