Kapanen gets beat down by a lot of posters. Can someone explain how a player with little “hockey IQ” makes a play like that tonight?
Doing that one off is skills. Having the awareness to consistently know where guys are or make the right read. I don't think Kapanen is Hockey dumb, but he can't process the game the speed he plays it at sometimes and it can lead to issues. Sometimes, the game eventually slows down such as Nathan MacKinnon, and Larkin has had issues with it. But, Kapanen seems at his best when he's atleast second fiddle or the primary offensive threat on a line, due to his style of play, which doesn't blend well with either of the top 4 forwards on our team. He makes too many one and out plays, which doesn't mesh with the cycle game the others prefer because he has issues slowing the game down. He's great in his current role, and is good as that option.