Kasperi Kapanen

[Stephen]

KK will definitely have a permanent role in the NHL...not 2016 season...although I could see him being a call up in 2016...

2017 he'll be a fixture on the team....

Nylander centering Kaspari and Komarov...awesome second line.

Second line? Who's our number one center, McDavid?

 

[AuraSphere]

Second line? Who's our number one center, McDavid?

Stamkos or Marner, you choose

 

[Mikeyg]

If you have Marner and Nylander ... you need some shooters!

yes.

 

[BigWilly]

yes.

Nylander IS a shooter though.

 

[Joonas]

Is he scratched from a roster or suffering a minor injury. He hasn't played lately for some reason.

 

[Leafsbeast*]

I question KK's work ethic. He has the tools and the vision, I would like to see that killer instinct that Marner and Nylander have.

All I have for KK is hope.

 

[mattihp]

I question KK's work ethic. He has the tools and the vision, I would like to see that killer instinct that Marner and Nylander have.

All I have for KK is hope.

Considering hus father it would be some kind of miracle if he wasn't a model professional with amazing work ethic..

 

[Leafsbeast*]

Considering hus father it would be some kind of miracle if he wasn't a model professional with amazing work ethic..

I agree, but have you watched him so far this season? Just Meh.

I hope he turns it around though. Perhaps it is because of his weight loss when he was sick. I know I don't have much energy for a few days after I have the flu.

But so far, I am not impressed. Harrington so far, has been the best piece of that trade IMHO.

 

[Stringer Bell]

I agree, but have you watched him so far this season? Just Meh.

I hope he turns it around though. Perhaps it is because of his weight loss when he was sick. I know I don't have much energy for a few days after I have the flu.

But so far, I am not impressed. Harrington so far, has been the best piece of that trade IMHO.

Kapanen is at an age where he would still be in Major Junior had he been drafted out of junior. He was drafted 22nd overall I believe not 5th overall. You absolutely should be impressed with him.

 

[Joey Hoser]

I agree, but have you watched him so far this season? Just Meh.

I hope he turns it around though. Perhaps it is because of his weight loss when he was sick. I know I don't have much energy for a few days after I have the flu.

But so far, I am not impressed. Harrington so far, has been the best piece of that trade IMHO.

Harrington is like 3 years older though. Kapanen is still a teenager.

 

[burpsalot]

I agree, but have you watched him so far this season? Just Meh.

I hope he turns it around though. Perhaps it is because of his weight loss when he was sick. I know I don't have much energy for a few days after I have the flu.

But so far, I am not impressed. Harrington so far, has been the best piece of that trade IMHO.

7 pts in his last 9 games for a 19 year old, battling for icetime with an overstocked team.

Is he scratched from a roster or suffering a minor injury. He hasn't played lately for some reason.

He played this past Friday & Saturday.

 

[SprDaVE]

I agree, but have you watched him so far this season? Just Meh.

I hope he turns it around though. Perhaps it is because of his weight loss when he was sick. I know I don't have much energy for a few days after I have the flu.

But so far, I am not impressed. Harrington so far, has been the best piece of that trade IMHO.

... Are you serious?

 

[showtime8]

Kapanen has looked more and more comfortable as the season has gone on.

You can see he's getting more comfortable with the puck and creates a lot more than he did when he first got here. And that's understandable to come into a new system and organization and not want to look out of place.

He'll need another full year in the AHL after this year, but you can see the talent level is there.

 

[TopProspect91]

Don't know what games some of you are seeing. His skills are evident and he's slowly been getting better and better since getting over the flu. I'd say he's been one of our best players in the past three games he's played.

 

[ULF_55]

Don't know what games some of you are seeing. His skills are evident and he's slowly been getting better and better since getting over the flu. I'd say he's been one of our best players in the past three games he's played.

Maybe he'd be better in junior facing mostly players who'll never play above junior in any league of substance.

 

[Joey Hoser]

He'll need another full year in the AHL after this year

Those are quite the fortune-telling skills you have. Do you use Tarot Cards or a crystal ball?

 

[X66]

Kapanen is also a prime example of a player where the stat-line doesn't do him justice. There is so much more to his game than just points. Although, having high-end talent makes him that much more interesting.

If he can project into a 20/30 to 25/25 guy, I'd be thrilled considering how much else he brings to the table.

 

[thewave]

Kapanen is also a prime example of a player where the stat-line doesn't do him justice. There is so much more to his game than just points. Although, having high-end talent makes him that much more interesting.

If he can project into a 20/30 to 25/25 guy, I'd be thrilled considering how much else he brings to the table.

He kind of looks like he may be a 25/25 guy. That's pretty good news.

 

[Knies iT]

I question KK's work ethic. He has the tools and the vision, I would like to see that killer instinct that Marner and Nylander have.

All I have for KK is hope.

Work ethic? Kapanen is a way harder worker than Nylander, but consistency is his biggest issue.

Kapa is a pretty wicked puck hound, and he back-checks like a bat out of hell. That aspect of his game reminds me a lot of Marian Hossa. He has a willingness to get physical and put the burners on to recover from a mistake, something Will does not seem to care for.

You're right about his tools. He has all of the tools to be a very impactful player, and when he's on his game, he's absolutely dominant offensively. It's a matter of bringing out the consistency in him, because he often goes long stretches where he looks invisible offensively and seems to be following the puck way too much.

Love this prospect. Only 19 and he's on pace for about 27 goals or so in the AHL. The WJC should give him some added confidence in a leadership role for a team he sort of missed out on a year ago due to injury.

 

[Knies iT]

Not to mention he made a strong push for the Penguins opening day roster in 2014-15, and looked physically ready this year for the Leafs.

He just needs a little bit more seasoning. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the AHL again next year as the defacto #1 go-to forward with Nylander in the NHL. There's no rush, he's only 19.

 

[showtime8]

Those are quite the fortune-telling skills you have. Do you use Tarot Cards or a crystal ball?

I'm a big fan of the Tarot Cards. haha

Just my opinion, but I don't think that he would be ready for full-time duty and the way that the Detroit model has developed players, it would seem like they like him to be fully ready before he's brought up.

Do you think that he has a legit shot at making the team out of camp next year?

 

[Pholus]

Do you think that he has a legit shot at making the team out of camp next year?

A shot? Yes, I think he might have a shot. But I would be very surprised if he made the team. Leivo, Soshnikov and Brown (depending on his return from injury) would be the 3 rookie wingers making the team ahead of him imo. I agree that another year with the Marlies could be in his best interest.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Not to mention he made a strong push for the Penguins opening day roster in 2014-15, and looked physically ready this year for the Leafs.

He just needs a little bit more seasoning. I wouldn't mind seeing him in the AHL again next year as the defacto #1 go-to forward with Nylander in the NHL. There's no rush, he's only 19.

I'm a fan of Kapanen, but from what I've learned the bolded isn't exactly true. While he was one of the last cuts, that was more due to learning experience and roster politics. He was never actually close.

 

[Rielly4]

I'm a fan of Kapanen, but from what I've learned the bolded isn't exactly true. While he was one of the last cuts, that was more due to learning experience and roster politics. He was never actually close.

i dont know....Sprong made it this year out of camp.

 

[Nithoniniel]

i dont know....Sprong made it this year out of camp.

I wasn't saying that there were not opportunities, just that the idea that Kapanen was close to taking them seems wrong. The reports have been that they were never considering keeping him up. Roster politics is what I heard.