Former Leaf placed on waivers
In what has been a rather quick descent from skating alongside the likes of Auston Matthews, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to being a healthy scratch, Kasperi Kapanen now finds himself on the way to the AHL, if unclaimed. The Penguins announced today that they have placed the 26-year-old on waivers.
Kapenen was absent from practice this morning and Penguins Head Coach Mike Sullivan stated that Ron Hextall told him that Kapanen was absent because he was going to be placed on waivers. The move was made official this afternoon. By sending Kapanen and his $3.2M cap hit on waivers, the Penguins free up $1.2M in cap space.
"When a team doesn't live up to expectations, change is inevitable - that's part of it. Kappy is a really talented player. To a certain extent, it's on all of us because we didn't find a way to maximize his potential," Sullivan said of the decision to waive Kapanen.
Kapanen was reacquired by the Penguins in 2020 from the Leafs for Filip Hallander and a 2020 first round pick in a multi-player deal and signed a 2-year extension this past off-season.
POLL |
FEVRIER 24 | 304 ANSWERS Former Leaf placed on waivers Will Kasperi Kapanen be claimed off of waivers? |
Yes | 232 | 76.3 % |
No | 72 | 23.7 % |
List of polls |
|
2 hours ago | By Mike Armenti Saturday's Goaltending Announcement for the Leafs Spells Trouble for Matt Murray |
|
5 hours ago | By Dean Chaudhry Craig Berube Admits to Taking Cautious Approach With Anthony Stolarz |
|
5 hours ago | By Ryan Smitheram Maple Leafs Place Forward on IR, Recall Popular Young Rookie From Marlies |
|
6 hours ago | By Nick Matthews Ex-NHLer Ray Ferraro Believes Leafs Fans Have Unrealistic Expectations of Morgan Rielly |
|
7 hours ago | By Mike Armenti Leafs Enforcer Ryan Reaves Shares Unexpected Reaction to Quiet Crowd at Scotiabank Arena |
|
7 hours ago | By Ryan Smitheram Insider Reporting a Blockbuster Larger Than the Mikko Rantanen Trade in the Works |
|
8 hours ago | By Nick Matthews Former Maple Leafs Defenseman Officially a Buyout Candidate Amid Rough Season |
|
20 hours ago | By Dean Chaudhry Blockbuster 3-Way Trade Struck Involving Mikko Rantanen, Taylor Hall, Martin Necas and More |
Previously on MapleLeafsDaily