Confirmed with Link: Kapanen re-signs for 2 years at $3.2 million AAV

[jmelm]

Could've easily been replaced with Zohorna for approximately 2.5M less. Unless Kappy gets traded, this makes absolutely no sense.

Preach brother!!

 

[HuskerTornado]

Yuck. He hasn't brought anything close to that price tag.

 

[jmelm]

We should have a charity auction for who gets to drive Kapanen to the airport.

We could raise a lot of money for a good cause, like the Post Kasperi Kapanen Traumatic Stress Disorder Society.

 

[Victor Z]

Somewhat tongue-in-cheek here, but those who say Kapanen brings nothing of value aside from scoring may not realize that he was third on the team last year in hits/60 (that's hits thrown, not hits taken) among players with 1,000+ minutes of ice time:

1. Ruhwedel (how sad is that?) 7.47 hits/60
2. Pettersson 6.50 hits/60
3. Kapanen 5.75 hits/60

Source: hockey-reference.com

I guess what this really shows are two things: the Penguins have no actual physical players; and hit stats are not really worth much. Even if the stats were reliable, they're still not too meaningful when you consider the average pillow-soft hit a Penguin throws vs. the attempted-homicide type hits Penguins so often receive. Not all "hits" have remotely similar impacts.

Several guys who played less than 1,000 minutes for the Pens had higher hit rates, but most of these played < 100 minutes.

Angello (28.89 hits/60), Lafferty (23.44), ZAR (16.70), Riikola (11.64), Bjorkqvist (10.80), Boyle (8.01), Zohorna (7.84). Allegedly physical players like Friedman and DOC are much farther down the list, but Sully probably warned them to tone it down.

 

[Pens x]

I was really happy with all Hextall's moves, but this one bugs me. Kap isn't worth half that.

McGinn, Archibald and Kap are eating up almost $7 mill of cap.

Hextall is special.

Seriously, a third line player doesn’t deserve $3.2 mil when the cap continues to stay the same.

 

[Pengu]

If he sticks around for the starting roster he better be gone by the trade deadline...

 

[jmelm]

Somewhat tongue-in-cheek here, but those who say Kapanen brings nothing of value aside from scoring may not realize that he was third on the team last year in hits/60 (that's hits thrown, not hits taken) among players with 1,000+ minutes of ice time:

1. Ruhwedel (how sad is that?) 7.47 hits/60
2. Pettersson 6.50 hits/60
3. Kapanen 5.75 hits/60

Source: hockey-reference.com

A perfect reminder of how advanced stats can be absolutely useless

 

[Pens x]

I like it.He should put points up in a bottom 6 role and can fill in the top 6 if need be with injuries. Good depth signing

Depth players don’t make $3.2 mil when they don’t even play meaningful special teams minutes.

You don't sign a guy and then trade him right after, and anyways, his upside is far greater than a guy like, McGinn.

McGinn was a dumbass signing, soooo.

 

[jmelm]

If he sticks around for the starting roster he better be gone by the trade deadline...

WAY harder to trade someone in a flat cap world when they have 2 years remaining on their contract.

That's why the 2nd year makes absolutely zero sense unless there's a trade in the works.

 

[Pens x]

WAY harder to trade someone in a flat cap world when they have 2 years remaining on their contract.

That's why the 2nd year makes absolutely zero sense unless there's a trade in the works.

Can I have a list of 34 year old and older players on the trading block?

 

[Power Surge]

Depth players don’t make $3.2 mil when they don’t even play meaningful special teams minutes.


McGinn was a dumbass signing, soooo.

Depth meaning he is talented enough where can move to the top 6 if he needs too. I think with less pressure on him this year playing a lesser role, he might put up some numbers this year.

We'll see if I'm right.

 

[jmelm]

Can I have a list of 34 year old and older players on the trading block?

That I don't know. But what I do know is that we should trade Owen Pickering for Marc-Eduard Vlasic.

 

[Pens x]

Depth meaning he is talented enough where can move to the top 6 if he needs too. I think with less pressure on him this year playing a lesser role, he might put up some numbers this year.

We'll see if I'm right.

Maybe, I think you might be trying to polish a turd here, but who knows?

That I don't know. But what I do know is that we should trade Owen Pickering for Marc-Eduard Vlasic.

The move would be praised here.

 

[Pens x]

Good thing our guys took discounts for dumbass moves like this.

 

[CascadiaPenguin]

For all the endless gnashing of teeth in here over Brandon Tanev's contract (granted, term was f***ed), I'd take Turbo over Kappy every day of the week and twice on Sunday. Not even close.

 

[IcedCapp]

Probably fair value for him, but he’s the last dude on the team I wanna give fair value fo

 

[ncm7772]

Yeah, I hate this.

 

[Sidgeni Malkby]

This is mismanagement.

Hextall should have tried negotiating an offer BEFORE all this went down (ie. qualifying offer + arbitration). I'm sure the upcoming arbitration (ie. must have been internally comped out to $3.5M-$3.8M) increased the final number.

Paying Kap $3.2M on a cash strapped team based on hope isn't a great deal, especially considering now we need to clear cap space, and bringing Smith down isn't enough.

I would have preferred if he got a $2M 1-year prove it deal. Then he can make up for it next year.

 

[Gary Roberts]

What Faustian bargain did this man strike in his youth?

 

[Empoleon8771]

This is mismanagement.

Hextall should have tried negotiating an offer BEFORE all this went down (ie. qualifying offer + arbitration). I'm sure the upcoming arbitration (ie. must have been internally comped out to $3.5M-$3.8M) increased the final number.

Paying Kap $3.2M on a cash strapped team based on hope isn't a great deal, especially considering now we need to clear cap space, and bringing Smith down isn't enough.

I would have preferred if he got a $2M 1-year prove it deal. Then he can make up for it next year.

There was zero way you were going to get Kapanen on a 1 year, $2 million deal. Even if you didn't qualify him and he went to UFA, he would have gotten at least $2.5 million a year on a multi-year deal.

If you don't want to pay him this, it just means you don't want him because you wouldn't get him for much less than this. Which I think is a totally fair take to have.

 

[Turin]

There was zero way you were going to get Kapanen on a 1 year, $2 million deal. Even if you didn't qualify him and he went to UFA, he would have gotten at least $2.5 million a year on a multi-year deal.

If you don't want to pay him this, it just means you don't want him because you wouldn't get him for much less than this. Which I think is a totally fair take to have.

It was either this or don’t have the player. Which I agree is a reasonable opinion. Having the other opinion isn’t completely bananas either, though. If Kapanen plays like he did in 2021 nobody hates this.

 

[SomeOldDude]

Kap has had his issues, but I'm willing to bet he has a bounce-back year. When he first joined the team he looked good, but last year he struggled. He wasn't scoring and was up and down the line-up so that has to mess with a guy's head. But, now he is secure with a new contract he will loosen up and play better.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

While paying Kap 3.2 mil isn't great, it sure puts Zucker's contract in perspective.

They produced at the same rate this year, except Kap was in the lineup twice as often, much more productive the previous year, and is young enough that a return to form is a reasonable expectation. And he's paid 2.3 mil less a season.

 

[Turin]

It’s basically Kapanen or Heinen or simply cap space which means Archibald starts the season on the third line, which is barf. Or, you can say they should have traded for a forward: Which forward? And why can that still not happen if it was ever on the table? There really is very little reason to complain about this unless you absolutely LOVE Danton Heinen.

 

[3ladesof5teel]

Overaction from the board. Not surprising, we get a few of these every year or 2.

70% chance he outperforms the contract. He can move up and down the lineup much like Erod last season but is a much better player