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Oilers claim speedy winger Kasperi Kapanen off waivers

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Nov 19 2024, 7:08 pm
Oilers claim speedy winger Kasperi Kapanen off waivers
Caean Couto/Imagn Images

The Edmonton Oilers have turned to the waiver wire in an attempt to solve their scoring issues.

The Oilers took to X this afternoon to announce that they have claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.

Kapanen, who primarily plays right wing, has one goal through 10 games this season. He is on a one-year deal with a cap hit of just $1 million.

Though Kapanen has been frustratingly inconsistent throughout his 470-game career, he has proven at times to be a solid offensive contributor. His biggest asset is his speed, which will be very beneficial to an Oilers team that has arguably the game’s fastest skater in Connor McDavid.

Kapanen also has experience playing in a Canadian market, having spent the first 202 games of his career in a Toronto Maple Leafs sweater. He set career highs in 2018-19 with the Leafs, scoring 20 goals and 44 points in 78 games. It’s worth noting, however, that he was on pace to break those totals in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign, where he had 11 goals and 30 points in just 40 games.

Though Kapanen is far from a sure thing, it’s easy to understand why Oilers general manager Stan Bowman chose to make this claim. The Oilers, despite having a ton of firepower, have struggled immensely to score this season, averaging just 2.63 goals per game. That ranks 24 amongst all 32 NHL teams.

It’s unlikely that Kapanen will get much power play opportunity in Edmonton, but he may very well immediately slide into a top-six role. The Oilers have often relied on Vasily Podkolzin to play top-six minutes this season and were forced to also use Corey Perry in a similar role last night versus the Montreal Canadiens due to the injury to Viktor Arvidsson.

As hard as it is to imagine, Kapanen may even get a look over Zach Hyman on McDavid’s right wing. Hyman has struggled immensely this season, registering just three goals through 19 games.

The Oilers are back in action tonight, though it’s unlikely that we will see Kapanen suit up due to the quick turnaround. He should be in the lineup on Thursday versus the Minnesota Wild, however, and you can bet Oilers fans will eagerly await to see which line he’s placed on by head coach Kris Knoblauch.

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