The Toronto Maple Leafs hit the road tonight in Nashville, and it appears that Kapanen will be back in the lineup.
Kapanen, who had a concussion, was held out of all the games last week.
Despite the fact that the Leafs played three awful games and allowed six goals in the one decent game they did play, Kapanen’s absence led to the reunification of the Auston Matthews/ William Nylander combo, so ultimately, there was a bright side to the injury.
You never want someone to lose their job due to injury, but Kapanen is far more suited to a third line role than a first line role, and he isn’t the elite passer or puck carrier that Nylander is and that Matthews needs.