Toronto Maple Leafs: Kapanen Still Has A Lot To Prove
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Kasperi Kapanen is second on the Marlies in scoring, but he still has a lot to prove to the organization.
While Kapanen’s 33 points in 33 games is a great number to look at for the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans, only 11 of those points have come at even strength.
He’s made great strides in his game this year, but it’s hard to imagine that his 5v5 numbers will stand out to anyone in the Leafs front office. Assuming JVR is still around next season, we’re talking about a player (Kapanen) looking to bump one of Hyman, Brown or Komarov out of the top nine.
If we’re being honest, it’s not likely to happen – at least not if Kapanen’s 5v5 game is still being worked on.
Right now the Leafs have a powerful offense; an offense that has found a way to have success through the top three lines on any given night. Each player in the top nine is a part of that.
Bringing Kasperi Kapanen out of the American Hockey League to play on the fourth line with Matt Martin and whoever else happens to be in the lineup down the middle is a waste of Kapanen’s time. He’s an offensive player that needs to play with other offensive players to maximize the value of having him in the lineup.
If we look at even strength points from last year to this year, Kapanen has taken a step back. Last season he was at 0.41 ES points per game. This year he’s at 0.33.
His high point total overall is being heavily weighted by his increased powerplay time which can be attributed to several Marlies being with the big club this year.
The Leafs already have a high end powerplay specialist currently working out his even strength kinks right now in William Nylander.
As it stands now, Kapanen deserves a look in the NHL if there’s a subtraction via trade, but it should take a lot more than 11 even strength points in 33 games for him to earn a roster spot with the Leafs.
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