The Toronto Maple Leafs extended Kasperi Kapanen to a 3-year extension on June 28th.
Regardless of the outcome of the pending Mitch Marner contract standoff, the Kapanen extension is by far the best move by Dubas this summer.
The skillset that Kapanen brings to the team is the complementary piece that builds towards a cup-contending team.
Untapped potential
There’s still an untapped well of potential when it comes to Kapanen, despite showing a glimpse of this potential, Babcock has yet to give him a permanently bigger role on the team.
With his speed alone Kapanen provides Babcock a weapon he can utilize to kill penalties, prevent icing and breakouts to go 1 on 1 with the opposing team’s goaltender.