The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired Kasperi Kapanen in a multiplayer trade on Tuesday with the Toronto Maple Leafs, reuniting the 24-year-old forward with the general manager who drafted him.
The Penguins sent center Evan Rodrigues, defenseman David Warsofsky, forward Filip Hallander and their 2020 first-round draft pick (15th overall) to Toronto for Kapanen, the rights to KHL forward Pontus Aberg and defenseman Jesper Lindgren.
How did the GMs do in the deal? We grade the two sides.
Maple Leafs grade: A
With this trade, GM Kyle Dubas indicated that the Maple Leafs know who Kasperi Kapanen is and what they believe he'll end up becoming. Which is to say that a first-round pick -- 15th overall -- and the $3.2 million in cap savings through 2021-22 that the Leafs get through this trade are worth flipping a good young forward to Pittsburgh for.
The fact is that when Kapanen was moved up to play with Auston Matthews or John Tavares, the lines didn't pop this season. In 80 minutes with Tavares and Mitch Marner, the trio had a minus-1.14 expected goals per 60 minutes at 5-on-5; with Matthews and William Nylander, it was just plus-0.03. He was a depth player but one that Dubas clearly felt had enough value to trade for a good return.
Getting the 15th overall pick for a player drafted 22nd overall in 2014 ... well, that's something.
Also something: Getting Hallander in the deal. From ESPN prospect guru Chris Peters:
"Filip Hallander, 58th overall pick in 2018, is a good two-way forward with solid puck skills. He missed a chunk of last season with injury but still looks to be on track to compete for an NHL job in the next few years. He could fit in to a team's middle-six long term. Assuming the AHL is able to get rolling at some point this season, he'd be a good fit with the Marlies, which has become a reliable development arm for the Leafs. He's a good pickup, but the crown jewel of the deal is that No. 15 pick."
Rodrigues is a restricted free agent and an interesting asset. He had some good underlying numbers in previous seasons with Buffalo, but they fell off a cliff in 2019-20. He's a restricted free agent that made $2 million this season against the cap. Both Hallander and Warsofsky are on rookie deals.
From a financial standpoint, and given the work ahead for Dubas, this was an absolutely coup, considering they also snagged a first-round pick. The wheels are starting to turn for the Leafs -- could they actually lead to a free-agent prize like Alex Pietrangelo coming to Toronto to dramatically upgrade that blue line?
One hesitates to call a trade lopsided before seeing how it eventually shakes out. But at first glance, this is Kyle Dubas fleecing a desperate compatriot.
Penguins grade: D
GM Jim Rutherford is in the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder, having constructed Stanley Cup-winning teams in Carolina and Pittsburgh. But he's not without his flaws. One of them, historically, has been a peculiar obsession with reacquiring assets. This was a hallmark of his latter years in Carolina, leading to his eventual dismissal as general manager. Like when he acquired defenseman Joe Corvo in a 2008 trade, sent him to Washington in a 2010 trade, signed him in Carolina again that summer, traded him to Boston in 2011, and then signed him again in Carolina in 2012.
Last season saw Rutherford reacquire Conor Sheary after having traded him to Buffalo. Now it's Kasperi Kapanen coming home. Rutherford selected Kapanen with the 22nd overall pick in 2014 before trading him to the Leafs in the blockbuster Phil Kessel trade of July 2015. Rutherford also drafted Kapanen's father, Sami, in 1995 while general manager of the Hartford Whalers.
There's something to be said for familiarity. There's also something to be said for being too infatuated with your own affinities.
Kapanen is a good third-line player. The problem is that Rutherford believes he's a top-six player. "Kasperi is a good, young player that brings speed to our lineup and plays the way we want to play," said Rutherford. "Having previously drafted him, we know him as a player and feel he can improve our top six."
Herein lies the problem: Rutherford traded a top-15 pick and a prospect with upside for a player who has yet to consistently show he's a top-six forward. They'll try to make him one, to be sure -- this bounty isn't being paid to have him skate with Teddy Blueger -- but whether he'll actually be one is another story.
Lindgren is on loan to MODO in Sweden but can return to the NHL next season, according to Rutherford. Aberg is signed to play in the KHL next season.
The Penguins needed to get younger and get faster at the forward position. Kapanen helps them do both. That's what keeps this grade from being even lower. But for a pick in the middle of the first round, a prospect that projects to play in the NHL and cap space -- perhaps the most precious of commodities in today's NHL -- they acquired a player who hasn't earned that return, no matter how Rutherford projects him to perform with the Penguins, and certainly no matter what Rutherford thought of him when he was drafted.