The Pittsburgh Penguins are taking drastic measures to make sure their 16-year playoff streak remains intact. On Friday, the team announced that they had placed forward Kasperi Kapanen on waivers, with the intention of freeing up cap space and activating defenseman Jan Rutta off injured reserve.
Kapanen, in the first year of a two-year, $6.4 million contract, has seven goals and 13 assists, and is a minus-8 in 43 games so far this season. He is averaging just over 12 minutes of ice time per game, his lowest mark since the 2017-18 season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the 32 Thoughts podcast that at least one Eastern Conference team showed interest in trading for Kapanen earlier this season, but the Penguins’ general manager Ron Hextall preferred not to deal the forward to that team.
The move could prove to be a shrewd one for the Penguins, as they look to jumpstart their season. With the team sitting outside of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and having lost four games in a row, the Penguins front office is desperate to shake things up and give their team a kick in the backside. The move will allow Pittsburgh to activate Rutta off injured reserve as he prepares to return to play after missing 15 games with an upper-body injury.
Pittsburgh’s biggest issue this season — and a recurring weakness since their back-to-back Stanley Cups — is depth scoring. Predictably, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin lead the team with 69 and 58 points, respectively. But the bottom falls out after the top-six, with only one other forward registering at least 10 goals. Jeff Carter, fresh off a new two-year contract and a 45-point season, has struggled to keep up at age 38, scoring only eight goals and registering 20 points in 54 games in 2022-23.
Kapanen’s departure could be the spark the Penguins need to get back in the playoff hunt. With Rutta returning to the lineup, the Penguins could see an improved defensive performance, and if other depth players like Brock McGinn and Danton Heinen can step up, the Penguins could be in good shape to keep their playoff streak alive.
