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How much do the Leafs miss Kapanen?

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ronduguayshair said:
I'm a Pens fan and come in peace. I usually watch 50% of the leafs games as they are fun to watch. This year, however I haven't gotten a chance to yet.

When I watched the Leafs in previous years I really liked the way Kapanen pushed the pace. Tonight is his debut in a Pens sweater. Its unsure to me whether he'll be miscast in Pittsburgh. I like what he brings but is he a top 6?

Not sure.
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Not at all, because as good as he was, and he was he got his opportunity to play with both Matthews and Tavares, it did not work and because of that I'm skeptical it will work with Crosby or Malkin.

He's a great 3rd liner but for the price you paid you need more.
 
I miss him a bit. For two reasons:
  • I like our team this year, but do think we could use more speed, which Kappy brings in spades
  • I think the reason Thornton/Vesey are playing in the top 6 over Hyman/Mikheyev is that otherwise our bottom 6 would be REAL weak. Can you imagine something like Thornton/Kerfoot/Vesey as our 3rd line? Yikes. But Thornton/Vesey in our top 6 does hurt our top 2 lines. Kappy is a quality 3rd liner, with Kappy I think we could roll a Vesey/Kerfoot/Kappy 3rd line, and have Hyman/Matthews/Marner and Mikheyev/Tavares/Nylander as our top 2 lines, which would give us a very strong top 3 lines overall
With that being said, I still do the trade in second. We needed cap space SO BAD, if we didn't move Kappy then we either:
  • Couldn't have signed Brodie, would have had to sign yet another cheap, terrible partner for Rielly. That sucks, I love finally having a really solid top 4 (Rielly/Brodie and Muzzin/Holl)
  • Or, traded Andersen. I like Jack Campbell, but wouldn't want to hang our whole season on him
  • Or, traded one of our top forwards - Marner or Nylander. These guys rock, trading them would be a real last resort
Trading Kappy to free up cap, while still getting back a mid 1st (Amirov) and another prospect who may become an NHLer (Hallander) was a no-brainer.
 
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He's an average player, with above average speed. Thats the easiest way to sum Kapanen up.

Hes not a true top 6 forward, he doesnt have the skills or hockey sense for that. I always liked the guy, but I dont miss him on our roster either.
 
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ToneDog said:
Kappy was a 15-20 goal man with great speed and good on the PK. Seriously who on our bottom 9 is going to get close to 15 goals, let alone bring what Kappy brought? Hyman has been a beast but he won't be as productive playing with Kerfoot as we was with Matty and JT.

Guess some Leaf fans don't miss Kadri and AJ either.

Kappy goona be great in Pittsburgh once he hits the ice.
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No, we definitely miss Kadri.

But Kapanen and Johnsson are not and will not be missed.
 
Hes got great speed but never really figured out how to translate it into production outside of the pk.

I liked him here and hope it clicks in
Pitt but Toronto couldn't wait anymore
 
I forgot about him and Johnsson. So not really.

From players that have left, I do miss Kadri. I think he brought a different element to the Leafs.
 
I'm probably his biggest cheerleader on here. But, he just never evolved. The guy always had the speed and the balls to throw hits and block shots but his legs were always a step ahead of his brain. That's pretty much how he's been since he was a teenager and it hasn't changed, unfortunately.
 
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Didn't even realise he was gone until you brought it up. He was one of the very hardworking Leafs for sure and was a delight on PK. Pitts should cherish this trade and should find some offensive and speedy flair in whatever line he plays on.
 
He will be missed! With him on the team, we had probably the best rightwing depth in the league. When Nylander was holding out, Kapanen good in the top 6 and he will do the same for Pittsburgh.
 
A little bit. He made the PK a threat to score too. Seemed like he was good for a breakaway every other game. He just didn’t think the game properly to be a fulltime top 6 forward but still a good player overall.
 
ronduguayshair said:
I'm a Pens fan and come in peace. I usually watch 50% of the leafs games as they are fun to watch. This year, however I haven't gotten a chance to yet.

When I watched the Leafs in previous years I really liked the way Kapanen pushed the pace. Tonight is his debut in a Pens sweater. Its unsure to me whether he'll be miscast in Pittsburgh. I like what he brings but is he a top 6?

Not sure.
Click to expand...


He's the kinda of guy that can be invisible or bring you out of your seat. The one thing that is consistent about him is he is inconsistent. McDavid like speed, he is a shoot first player, he can score some highlight reel goals but it's infrequent. Playing with Sid , if he does not score 20 , it would have to be a disappointment.
 
He had a few standout shifts last night but then disappeared for stretches.

I'm sure he'll get more looks with Sid as time goes on since he's definitely a better option than Rodrigues, and the points will follow.
 
I thought he had a good game. His energy and speed was a nice kickstart for an aging core.

I liked his shot first mentality. Pittsburgh over passes so much that any low percentage shot is a welcomed addition at this point.

I did see him do some stupid stuff the could have been called for and his lack of offensive awareness on a few opportunities.
 
Horrible moves by Leafs GMs prior to this made trading him necessary, for cap reasons. Satisfied with the return but didn't like losing him.
 
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