The Edmonton Oilers claimed Kasperi Kapanen off of waivers from the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday, in what feels like an odd move to add depth to the forward corps with a player who doesn’t score and hasn’t played well in the past few seasons. In a decision some are joking might be a “revenge move” against the Blues over offer sheets to Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway, if that’s what Edmonton is doing here, this move is likely going to do the opposite of what was intended.
Oilers Add Depth With an Unproductive Kapanen
The Blues wanted cap space. As such, they waived the $1 million Kapanen in the hopes that someone would claim him or they could put him in the minors. The Oilers bit, adding a forward who has one goal in 10 games this season and 32 goals in his past four seasons (this season still ongoing).
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There was a time when Kapanen looked like he might be a solid top-six forward. In 2018-19, he scored 20 goals in 78 games while part of the Toronto Maple Leafs roster. Since then, his production has steadily declined, dropping to 13 goals the next season, 11 in the two after. He jumped slightly last season when he split time between the Penguins and Blues, but he’s not off to an auspicious start this year.
A No-Risk Situation for the Oilers?
To be fair, Kapanen is a low-cost gamble by the Oilers at $1 million. He’s pending UFA, and therefore, not much more than a long-term rental that can be waived again if this doesn’t pan out. Bob Stauffer notes: “Kapanen has some pace to his game and has seen PK minutes in Toronto and St. Louis.” Stauffer might be being generous when he talks about Kapanens’ penalty-killing proficiency. He’s played all of 49 seconds in that role this season, averaging five seconds per game.
It’s not his penalty-killing that the Oilers are looking for with this acquisition. The hope is that he can find some level of offense on a team stacked with elite stars, get a few goals, and potentially trigger some of the underperforming stars to find their stride. It’s a lot to ask and the Oilers shouldn’t hold their breath that he finds another gear and starts to look like a 20-goal guy again.
The Oilers Helped the Blues
The idea that Edmonton was trying to get one back on St. Louis is far-fetched. If the Oilers were going to try and stick it to the Blues after the offer sheets, there was a better way to do it than taking on a depth player who the Blues didn’t want and alleviating them of the salary cap responsibility by taking the player for free.
Instead, Oilers fans should believe that GM Stan Bowman actually thinks this is a player who can help. Whether it’s speed or youth, or whatever they see in Kapanen, Edmonton felt they needed something and chose him over players in the AHL like Matt Savoie, Noah Philp, among others.
It’s a bit of a head-scratcher to be sure. Time will tell if it pays off and the Oilers see something no one else did.