Kasperi Kapanen has signed a new contract. The Pittsburgh Penguins winger is staying put. The pending RFA has signed an agreement with the Penguins and is for two years and is worth up to $6.4 million dollars. The winger has a lot of upside to his game and Pittsburgh found a way to keep him.
The #LetsGoPens have re-signed forward Kasperi Kapanen to a two-year deal with an AAV of $3.2M.
— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) July 21, 2022
Kasperi Kapanen Stays with Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins have only so much money to give out, but found a way to make it work. They already inked Bryan Rust to a new extension. Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin were both UFA and new ownership and management found a way to keep them both.
Kapanen was a former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. His first three seasons did not go as planned, but his last four is where he made his mark.
In the 2021-22 season, the young winger scored 11 goals, 21 assists and 32 points. He has hit double-digit goals the last four years but no more than 20. He finished in the top 10 in points and spent most of his time on a line with Jeff Carter and then Evgeni Malkin. While playing with Malkin and winger Danton Heinen, the line averaged 2.88 goals for per 60 minutes. It was one of the better lines for Pittsburgh and he did his fair share. He had strong possession numbers with a Corsi For Percentage at 56% and an on ice goals percentage at 55.6%.
Why Kapanen Is Worth Paying For
Kapanen is a good player worth having in your lineup. Granted he’s been blessed playing alongside star centres in Auston Matthews and Malkin, but the winger has upside. Kapanen is a speedy winger who has play-making ability and can put the puck in the net. In the last four seasons he has surpassed the 30 point mark and a career high 44 points in 2018-19. The winger will benefit the team with his production and his ability to slot up and down the lineup and play alongside anyone.
What It Means For The Player
The forward will look to justify his new deal in order to get a bigger payday. The veteran winger, while still being young has produced enough to earn his pay. He’ll look to help the Penguins stay a factor in the Metropolitan Division.
For those wondering, Jared McCann passed the player of the game helmet to Kasperi Kapanen. pic.twitter.com/bMWXzgmfSh
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) March 8, 2021
