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Kapanen Reacts to Being Traded By the Maple Leafs

Kapanen took to Instagram following the news and thanked the Leafs his time there but said he was excited about the next chapter in his life.

On Tuesday morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins made the biggest trade of this year’s offseason when the Maple Leafs moved forward Kasperi Kapanen back to the team he was drafted by, the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The official trade was Kapanen, along with forward Pontus Aberg and prospect Jesper Lindgren heading to the Penguins in exchange for the Penguins’ first round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft (15th overall), forward Evan Rodrigues, prospect Filip Hallander and defenseman David Warsofsky.

The reaction to the trade has been mixed. Some are calling the deal a big win for Toronto because it helped them clear up cap space and land a first-round pick. Others are suggesting it’s a loss for the Leafs because Kapanen is the best player in the deal and had a lot of heart, arguing the Leafs should have tried to move someone else instead.

Kapanen Reacts to Trade News

Kapanen himself seems excited by the deal. He noted that he’d heard lots of rumors but also admitted that had been going on for some time and not just over the past day or two.

But, now that he’s finally been moved, he said, “I was super excited about that obviously. It’s where it all began for me, which is pretty cool.” He added, “I’m grateful that Jimmy (Rutherford) and Mike Sullivan want me to go there. It’s been an exciting day.”

In a Zoom call following the trade, he said that he’s comfortable going back even if he didn’t get a chance to play in the regular season with the Penguins during his first stint in the organization. He explained:

“I was lucky enough to be there for a short period of time when I got drafted. I was with Wilkes-Barre and some of the guys that are still playing with the Pens now. I’m familiar with pretty much the whole team, I know who everybody is. I have a lot of friends on that team. It makes it a whole lot easier going to a new team and a new city that I’m familiar with. I’m lucky, in a way I guess. I’m very excited. My family, my girlfriend, everybody here is excited for me.”

Kapanen also took to Instagram following the news and thanked the Leafs his time there but said he was excited about the next chapter in his life.

He wrote, “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to play for the Leafs. I will forever be grateful for the experience and for my teammates.” But he also noted how excited he is about joining the Penguins. He added, “That being said I could not be more excited and ready to be a Penguin again. I can’t wait to go back to where it all began. Cheers everyone, see you soon Pitt.”

Kapanen has two more years on his deal at a $3.2 million annual average salary.

What Are the Penguins Plans for Him?

“By adding him, it solidifies our top-six,” GM Jim Rutherford said. “It’s something I’ve been trying to do for a while. He’ll end up playing with either (Sidney Crosby) or (Evgeni Malkin).”

While there’s no guarantee Kapanen will rebound from a slightly less-productive season than in season’s past, he’ll be an inexpensive top-six forward for the Penguins and the Penguins top-six could look something like:

Guentzel-Crosby-Kapanen

Zucker-Malkin-Rust

That’s a pretty good looking and fast group. There will be more changes to the Penguins roster including moves in goal but if this is the forward group, it’s already an improvement over the squad that got booted early by the Montreal Canadiens in this year’s playoffs.

Kapanen knows now he needs to step up. “The fact that they think I could be in one of those two spots is just a huge honor for me, playing with one of the two better hockey players in the world. [laughs] It does mean that I’ve got to hit the gym soon and start working hard for the next year,” he said. He added, “I want to be great, I want to come into camp ready to go and show everyone that I’m not messing around. I’m very excited to be back in Pittsburgh and excited for this opportunity.”

Next: Boudreau Confirms Interest in Leafs Coaching Job, Hasn’t Heard From Team

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