Maple Leafs send Kapanen back to Penguins

Toronto gets first-round pick, quality prospect, and cap space in six-player deal

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins got started on the 2020 NHL offseason, with a six-player trade that saw the Leafs returning a former Penguin to the team that originally drafted him.

The Maple Leafs Get: LW/C Evan Rodrigues, LW Filip Hallander, D David Warsofsky, and a first-round pick.

Rodrigues, 27, was a solid depth forward in Buffalo for a couple of seasons before his game declined last season and he fell out of favour. He could certainly fill a bottom-six role in Toronto but he’s also a restricted free agent, with arbitration rights, who earned $2 million last season.

The Leafs surely wouldn’t qualify Rodrigues at that price so there will likely be some negotiation to see if there could be a deal worked out that is more palatable to the Leafs.

If you’re Rodrigues, would something between $2 million and $2.5 million over two years be more appealing than rolling the dice as an unrestricted free agent coming off a season in which you scored 10 points (6 G, 4 A) in 45 games? He’s a Toronto native (who played Minor Midget Triple-A with Ryan Strome, Brett Ritchie, and Malcolm Subban on the Toronto Marlboros), so maybe Rodrigues would be open to that opportunity.

Hallander was a second-round pick of the Penguins in 2018 and looks like a quality prospect. He has good size, soft hands, goes to the net, and has produced 35 points (12 G, 23 A) in 72 games in the SHL over the past two seasons. He’s only 20 so Hallander should have a shot to earn a spot with the Maple Leafs in the next couple of seasons.

Warsofsky is a 30-year-old blueliner who has appeared in 55 NHL games in his career but is primarily an AHL defenseman, earning $400,000 in the American Hockey League and $700,000 in the NHL on a contract that runs through next season.

The real prize for the Maple Leafs, though, is the first-round pick that they acquired. The 15th pick in the 2020 Draft is a solid asset. If the Maple Leafs keep the pick, they might reasonably hope that a right-shot defenseman like Braden Schneider (6’2”, 202 lbs; 7 G, 35 A, 60 GP for Brandon in the WHL) is still available. At the same time, the Maple Leafs need for improvement on the blueline is more urgent than what a 2020 draft pick can provide.

After the trade was done, Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas discussed the 15th pick. “We are open to keeping the pick, but in the spot we are in with our team right now, we are also open to moving it if the right deal came along for help now.”

Of course, it makes sense for the Maple Leafs to be aggressive in their attempts to improve defensively. They have spent big money to form an enviable offensive core but they still haven’t managed to get beyond the first round of the playoffs. Whether Toronto swings a deal or stands pat and picks the best player available, it’s a valuable asset either way.

The Penguins Get: RW Kasperi Kapanen, LW Pontus Aberg, and D Jesper Lindgren

Kapanen, 24, has blazing speed and, because of that, is an effective penalty killer. His speed can create chances and Kapanen isn’t afraid to get involved in the physical game, but he doesn’t appear to process the game as quickly as he’s moving on the ice so there is a limit to his offensive upside. He’s a good third-line winger who can kill penalties.

That said, Kapanen does have 70 even-strength points in the past two seasons, which is tied for 94th in the league and more than the likes of more noteworthy veteran scorers Eric Staal, Jamie Benn, and Phil Kessel.

Kapanen has two years left on his contract, with a cap hit of $3.2 million per season, after which he will still be a restricted free agent. The gift to the Penguins is that Kapanen’s contract was front-loaded and bonus-heavy, so Pittsburgh will pay $4.2 million, total, for two years of Kapanen at a $3.2 million cap hit.

Aberg turns 27 next month and spent most of the 2019-2020 season in the American Hockey League, putting up 44 points (20 G, 24 A) in 55 games for the Toronto Marlies. He saw action in a handful of games for the Leafs and has 44 points (17 G, 27 A) in 132 career NHL games. Aberg has enough talent that he can chip in offensively when given the chance but he’s always left battling for his spot in the NHL lineup. Often, it’s a battle he loses.

A restricted free agent with arbitration rights, Aberg made $700,00 last season, but the Penguins might like Aberg to provide organizational depth.

Lindgren was a fourth-round pick of the Maple Leafs in 2015 and has moved around a bit, playing in Sweden and Finland before coming to North America. He had 12 points (1 G, 11 A) in 39 regular-season plus playoff games for the Toronto Marlies in the AHL.

He’s 23-years-old, so maybe he’ll warrant a look at some point but it’s also possible that the AHL is as high as Lindgren will climb.

Verdict: Under the circumstances, this has to be seen as a win for Toronto. They gained financial flexibility, landed a good prospect, and a draft pick that could be a valuable trade chip. Furthermore, a third-line right wing spot in Toronto would seem to be a good spot for Nick Robertson, the 2019 second-round pick who saw action for Toronto against Columbus in the play-in series, scoring one goal in four games.

The Penguins get the best player in the deal right now and Kapanen can be a useful middle-six winger though he lands on a Penguins team that now has eight forwards signed to a cap hit of more than $3 million for multiple years. That’s a lot of financial commitment. The Penguins also have quality checking forwards and had a solid penalty kill during the 2019-2020 season so the marginal improvement offered by Kapanen may not be worth the cost.