The Edmonton Oilers announce a major acquisition from the St.Louis Blues
Photo credit: Sportsnet
Breaking news in Oil Country as the Edmonton Oilers have claimed former St. Louis Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers.
As per TSN, The Edmonton Oilers have claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.
Kapanen has one goal in 10 games this season with the Blues. He is a pending unrestricted free agent, carrying a cap hit of $1 million.
According to Liam McCormick of Oilers Daily, Kasperi Kapanen is a 28 year old Finnish right winger who was drafted 22nd overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014. He's gone on to play 470 career games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, and St. Louis Blues.
Kapanen will bring one stand-out skill that the Oilers desperately need in their bottom six: speed. Without the puck, Kapanen is in the top 5% of fastest skaters in the NHL, which can really be an asset on the forecheck.
-Liam McCormick
Kapanen will bring one stand-out skill that the Oilers desperately need in their bottom six: speed. Without the puck, Kapanen is in the top 5% of fastest skaters in the NHL, which can really be an asset on the forecheck.
-Liam McCormick
All in all, i'd say this is a pretty sound play from Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman. The team was recently shut-out by the Montreal Canadiens by a score of 3-0, and it's clear the team needs a little bit more firepower added to their roster.
Kapanen is one of those players who found success early on in their career, but has slowly started to see a decrease in production as time went on.
Edmonton Oilers insider Mark Spector suggests that this is a tactical move in order to generate more offence from the wing, indicating that Derek Ryan and Corey Perry are looking "tired"
It will be interesting to see where head coach Kris Knoblauch utilizes his new asset on the Oilers depth chart.
Kapanen is a proven 20+ goal scorer, but hasn't reached those numbers in quite some time. Perhaps a change of scenery will be beneficial for the young forward as he joins the fighting effort with the Oilers.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 19 | 217 ANSWERS The Edmonton Oilers announce a major acquisition from the St.Louis Blues Was this a good move by Bowman? | ||
| Yes | 170 | 78.3 % |
| No | 47 | 21.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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