Canadiens send Kapanen back to Europe and call up another forward
The Montreal Canadiens are undergoing a bit of a minor roster shakeup.
Today, the team announced that they loaned forward Oliver Kapanen to Timrå IK in the SHL, effectively ending his season in North America. In addition, they’ve recalled forward Lucas Condotta from the Laval Rocket, while forward Jacob Perreault has been reassigned to the Rocket.
Kapanen had an impressive preseason, but was unable to translate that to regular season success, putting up just two assists in 12 games to date.
Drafted by Montreal in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft, he’s coming off a productive season in Finland’s top league (Liiga), where he tallied 14 goals and 34 points in 51 games. His breakout performance came back in June at the World Championships, which saw him lead Team Finland in goals and rank among the tournament’s top scorers.
Despite a few early career hiccups, Kapanen does seem to have a fan in Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis.
“I tip my hat to our scouting staff,” remarked head coach Martin St. Louis during the preseason about Kapanen.
The other two moves seemed rather minor, as neither has had much impact on the organization this year. Perreault had mostly been in the ECHL with the Trois-Rivieres Lions this season, putting up five points in five games. He’s played just one NHL game in his career, suiting up for the Anaheim Ducks in the 2021-22 campaign.
Condotta, meanwhile, has also yet to play in the NHL this season, putting up four assists in nine games with the Rocket.
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