Prospect Info: Why the love affair with Kappy?

[ponder]

Elite speed, good all around skillset, solid hockey IQ, quite good defensively. What's not to like?

Absolute floor is a good 3rd liner, likely a good 2nd liner, ceiling is a 1st liner. Also, while our young NHLers are amazing, our prospects are on the weaker side, so he really stands out. Easily our best forward prospect IMO (I like Grundstrom too, but for me Kapanen is a clear notch above), and arguably our top prospect period (coin flip between him and Liljegren).

 

[LeafingTheWay]

It's between him or Brown for a long-term spot as a Top 6 RW. Each have their strengths and could make a case for the spot, but the other should be traded imo. Both are very likely t be perennial 50+ point 2-way wingers. Very valuable and can be the main piece to bring in a very solid defender.

Top-9 RW you mean. With Matthews-Nylander-Kadri down the middle, both Brown and Kapanen are perfect additons to any of those lones. If Bracco/Korkshov/Timashov impress a lot and come up as RW, I was hoping one would change wings so that we don't have to losee our future Patrick Sharp. If one does get traded it'll be for cap space imo.

 

[Warden of the North]

How arrogant weve become about the quality of our prospects.

First it was Brown and now its Kapanen.

Didnt score 60 points yet? Bust.

Hes a guy who should fit as a complimentary scoring winger, at a price point we will need.

 

[Leafs24Seven*]

It has to be his cool first name, i mean other than that the guys a bum

When we first got him in the trade, for whatever reason i just did not like him. He has won me over and i am excited to watch him hopefully as a Leaf for a long time. He has all the tools to be in our top 6 at the beginning of the season. Kinda crowded right now though.

 

[Gary Nylund]

It has to be his cool first name, i mean other than that the guys a bum

When we first got him in the trade, for whatever reason i just did not like him. He has won me over and i am excited to watch him hopefully as a Leaf for a long time. He has all the tools to be in our top 6 at the beginning of the season. Kinda crowded right now though.

Yup. I'm still hoping for the same thing - out with JVR, in with Kapanen. Problem solved.

 

[fahad203]

I've followed him since he was drafted and put him under a microscope when they traded for him. He's the real deal. Saying he's just an elite skater is underselling him and quite frankly, ignorant. I've been pumping his tires for a while now. I said it when I first saw him with the Marlies that in the game i saw him, he seemed a bit lazy or bored. He wants the puck. He exploded past everyone and scored without trying...as a teenager against men. He made it look easy. Explosive skater, good defensively, good hands, a decent decision maker. You could see he was going to be special. People thought i was crazy then and crazy now but i honestly think hes a 30/30 forward. He has the tools. I rarely ever make that prediction for Leafs prospects outside the obvious ones.

I have no doubt he'll be an NHLer. He has the tools and he's surrounded by good people. I have absolute faith in this management and Babcock. He also happens to have a dad who was a very responsible and reliable NHL player

It's more like is it going to be this year or next year. That's a luxury we now have. We don't have to rush him. For me he adds very little value on the 4th line. Leave that for the plumbers like Sosh and Rychel

I would not be against sending him back to the A for another year. He gets to build chemistry and work on consistency.

 

[Joey Hoser]

I have no doubt he'll be an NHLer. He has the tools and he's surrounded by good people. I have absolute faith in this management and Babcock. He also happens to have a dad who was a very responsible and reliable NHL player

It's more like is it going to be this year or next year. That's a luxury we now have. We don't have to rush him. For me he adds very little value on the 4th line. Leave that for the plumbers like Sosh and Rychel

I would not be against sending him back to the A for another year. He gets to build chemistry and work on consistency.

He was pretty overpowered on the fourth line when he played last year. He gave that line a ton of speed and ability to pressure and he even scored a handful of big goals.

 

[Sypher04]

As do I with the exception of the point totals.
I think 45-55 is a little high.
I put Kapanen in the 30 some point range while providing the rest.
His 2-way game will be very good, he will provide points at the right times, not all the time.

If he's playing in a top 9, offensive role, I think guessing his production at 30 points is low.

 

[Ash35]

He is essentially the main return from Kessel and how that trade will be judged.

After giving up #2OA and #9OA in back to back drafts it basically
Kappy now who is the return.

Harrington became Rychel who has no impact.

Freddy Andersen is partially involved but Leafs had to toss in a 2nd round pick also and pick up Kessel's bonus & retain $1.2mil X 7 years.

So if Kappy doesn't hit big and become a player, then the Kessel trade will be a disaster coming and going.

Kessel needed to go that summer for free if need be. Everything we got was just a bonus. We finished with less points his last season than we did when we tanked. If he stayed and we got better then 69 points we wouldn't of gotten Matthews. If he stayed and we got less less or equal to 69 points then he would of proven himself to have zero or negative value to our team so no loss there. So the question is would you rather have Kessel or Matthews? that's an easy answer.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

He is essentially the main return from Kessel and how that trade will be judged.

After giving up #2OA and #9OA in back to back drafts it basically
Kappy now who is the return.

Harrington became Rychel who has no impact.

Freddy Andersen is partially involved but Leafs had to toss in a 2nd round pick also and pick up Kessel's bonus & retain $1.2mil X 7 years.

So if Kappy doesn't hit big and become a player, then the Kessel trade will be a disaster coming and going.

Or you know, that he is a good prospect and deserves to get as much praise as anybody else with his toolset and performances does, regardless of who he was traded for.

I get both sides of the argument, but I must admit, Kap does have this unique identifier or tag as the guy (the decent asset) we got back from the Kessel trade. I may forget other details when it comes to other prospects, but I'll remember that one for sure for that very reason.

 

[bobermay]

I get both sides of the argument, but I must admit, Kap does have this unique identifier or tag as the guy (the decent asset) we got back from the Kessel trade. I may forget other details when it comes to other prospects, but I'll remember that one for sure for that very reason.

Even bigger than Kapanen was the 6.8 x 6 million in cap that we gained...

 

[HoweHullOrr]

I get both sides of the argument, but I must admit, Kap does have this unique identifier or tag as the guy (the decent asset) we got back from the Kessel trade. I may forget other details when it comes to other prospects, but I'll remember that one for sure for that very reason.

Even bigger than Kapanen was the 6.8 x 6 million in cap that we gained...

OK? But, I wasn't even trying to comment, hint or suggest that the Kessel trade wasn't good or wasn't necessary.

Is this an indication of how insecure we are that there's always this need to defend something when it isn't even being discussed?

 

[bobermay]

OK? But, I wasn't even trying to comment, hint or suggest that the Kessel trade wasn't good or wasn't necessary.

Is this an indication of how insecure we are that there's always this need to defend something when it isn't even being discussed?

I wasn't quoteing you per-se or trying to indicate that you thought the trade was bad...

I was simply bringing forth another aspect of the trade that some/many overlook...

At the end of the day, I think the trade is complicated enough that one player does not symbolize the Kessel return... there were many aspects to consider.

 

[BayStreetBully]

While I might have at one point associated Kapanen with Kessel, that all went out the window once we won the lottery to draft Matthews. Trading Kessel is a huge reason why we now have Matthews. That's a win, no matter how Kapanen turns out.

 

[Bluelines]

Even bigger than Kapanen was the 6.8 x 6 million in cap that we gained...

orrrrrrrr we payed $1.2 million (retained) + kappy salary ($863k) = 2.1mil to play 4th line minutes.

Martin at $2.5 mil + kappy at 2.1 mil + Moore at 1mil = $5.6 mil for a 4th line... that is a pricey meatball!

 

[HoweHullOrr]

OK? But, I wasn't even trying to comment, hint or suggest that the Kessel trade wasn't good or wasn't necessary.

Is this an indication of how insecure we are that there's always this need to defend something when it isn't even being discussed?

I wasn't quoteing you per-se or trying to indicate that you thought the trade was bad...

I was simply bringing forth another aspect of the trade that some/many overlook...

At the end of the day, I think the trade is complicated enough that one player does not symbolize the Kessel return... there were many aspects to consider.

OK. Didn't know that.

Not sure stuff is being overlooked. It just wasn't being discussed because the specific focus here is Kapanen.

Kapanen was still the main asset that came out of the Kessel trade though. People will tend to remember that.

 

[HoweHullOrr]

While I might have at one point associated Kapanen with Kessel, that all went out the window once we won the lottery to draft Matthews. Trading Kessel is a huge reason why we now have Matthews. That's a win, no matter how Kapanen turns out.

Okay and fine. But, why are we so preoccupied by turning the Kessel trade into a win for us? It seems like we are desperate to do this, instead of just talking about Kapanen here which is the subject at hand.

I doubt we can hide or ignore the fact that Kapanen is linked to the Kessel trade no matter how artfull we are at dodging this.

 

[Menzinger]

Kessel needed to go that summer for free if need be. Everything we got was just a bonus. We finished with less points his last season than we did when we tanked. If he stayed and we got better then 69 points we wouldn't of gotten Matthews. If he stayed and we got less less or equal to 69 points then he would of proven himself to have zero or negative value to our team so no loss there. So the question is would you rather have Kessel or Matthews? that's an easy answer.

The trade was a necessary evil to ensure the tank for Matthews and push the organization towards a rebuild.

In terms of abstract trade value (assets in vs assets out) the Leafs did poorly.


That's how I stand on things. Ancient history now though, I suppose

 

[Duke Silver]

Okay and fine. But, why are we so preoccupied by turning the Kessel trade into a win for us? It seems like we are desperate to do this, instead of just talking about Kapanen here which is the subject at hand.

I doubt we can hide or ignore the fact that Kapanen is linked to the Kessel trade no matter how artfull we are at dodging this.

The thing is, people will allow that to affect how they evaluate Kapanen, which isn't only unfair to Kapanen but just plain stupid.

The only people who should be evaluated for the Kessel trade are management.

 

[BayStreetBully]

Okay and fine. But, why are we so preoccupied by turning the Kessel trade into a win for us? It seems like we are desperate to do this, instead of just talking about Kapanen here which is the subject at hand.

I doubt we can hide or ignore the fact that Kapanen is linked to the Kessel trade no matter how artfull we are at dodging this.

It may be irrational but that's just the way it is. Doesn't matter now, the point is moot.

 

[LeafSteel]

I have no issues with Kapenen starting the season as a Marlie until injury or smart trades open up a roster spot for him.

I like Kapenen, but I want what is best for the Leafs long term and I don't want to lose Rychel or Leivo for nothing just to hand Kapenen a spot.

 

[Dog]

We got a good problem of alot players fighting it out for spots. Whatever happens the Marlies should ice a very good team. Leafs should improve and see a better finish than 8th in east last season.

 

[A1LeafNation]

Kapanen has all the tools. Speed skill forechecking defence. He is the equivalent to baseballs 5-tool player. He has put it together at all levels except the NHL...and everyone can see that he will get there. Not a question of if...but when.

 

[TootooTrain]

Love affair? Reason to be excited? Optimistic?
All pieces of the same cloth.

He's got two really good tools. And when put into a 4th line hybrid role, he didn't falter to the level that some expected. Which means he can adapt. (albiet small sample size)

So sure, it's fine to be excited. Especially since for years the leafs had guys like Tim Brent, Luke Schenn, Viktor Stalberg.

 

[Dog]

Kappy is a finisher and has to his credit 2 big goals. One big goal for World Juniors Finland and one playoff nhl overtime goal. I dont see him as greatest or bad he is about to turn 21. His potential is uncertain.