The Montreal Canadiens could soon be adding another name to their deep pool of prospects.
According to a new report from Scandinavian publication Sportbladet, SHL club Timrå IK has signed Finnish forward Oliver Kapanen to a new contract. However, once the offseason arrives, the Canadiens, who selected Kapanen in the second round of the 2021 draft, are expected to sign the player to a deal of their own.
After that, a loan agreement with Timrå, whose general manager is Kapanen’s father Kimmo, will reportedly be negotiated for the 20-year-old to develop further in Sweden rather than the AHL.
As pointed out in an X post by Marco D’Amico of Montreal Hockey Now, the Habs still have the option of offering Kapanen an entry-level deal that would see him report to the Laval Rocket.
This isn’t a done deal; as the Habs could offer an ELC straight up and have him go to Laval.
But, consider that Heineman, Farrell, Beck, Mesar, Simoneau, Gignac, Kidney, Davidson, Condotta, Perreault and Xhekaj are all there as well…
And that’s not including any vets.
— Marco D’Amico (@mndamico) April 11, 2024
However, their limited roster space at the AHL level increases the likelihood of a loan if the 6-foot-tall winger doesn’t crack the Canadiens’ lineup out of training camp.
Kapanen is coming off a productive season in Finland’s pro league (Liiga), which saw him net 14 goals and 34 points over 51 games.
The 20-year-old, who captained Finland at the 2022 World Juniors, has looked even better in the playoffs, topping the league’s postseason leaderboard with seven goals and 14 points over a 10-game span.
Follow Channels and Categories