The St. Louis Blues have re-signed Kasperi Kapanen to a new contract. The former first-round pick returns to the Blues on a deal for one year and $1 million.
Kasperi Kapanen's new deal in STL is one year, $1M
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2024
Kasperi Kapanen Contract Signed by Blues
Kapenan was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first-round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. Kapenan was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 2015 blockbuster trade. Phil Kessel went to Pittsburgh in the trade.
Aside from a 20-goal season in 2018-19 that earned him a new contract, The Finnish forward failed to play up to his first-round status with five seasons with the Maple Leafs.
Kapenan was traded back to Pittsburgh in August of 2020. Kapenan’s failure to produce continued. The most Kapenan scored in a season with the Penguins was 11 goals. However, accomplished this feat twice in 2021 and in 2021-22.
The Penguins would place Kapenan on waivers in February of 2023. The St. Louis Blues, a team in the middle of a retool would claim Kapenan.
Eight goals in 23 games with the Blues was a step in the right direction for Kapenan. However, he would only score six goals in seventy-three games the following season before free agency.
What the Kasperi Kapanen Contract Means
Kapenan has not played to the level of a first-round pick. While he may not reach that level, he has shown flashes of being a productive player. He can be an asset to the Blues once again. The team that could use some depth scoring.
St Louis seems to be in a no-man’s land between contender and a rebuilding team. Kapanen is a low-risk and low-cost option for Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong. Kapanen can still provide some use to this club. However, more scoring is needed out of him to make this deal a true bargain.
Main photo by: Jeff Le-USA TODAY Sports
