It may be time for the Montreal Canadiens to give Oliver Kapanen more responsibilities and lighten the workload of a veteran.
In the Montreal Canadiens’ defeat at the hands of the San Jose Sharks, rookie Oliver Kapanen only saw 9:55 of ice time. Despite scoring the first goal of the game, he was used sporadically because the Habs had five power play opportunities, meaning that his linemate Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky saw plenty of action. The former was on the ice for 15:43 while the latter skated for 18:31.
It used to be that Kapanen would see significant ice time on the penalty kill, but since Philip Danault was reacquired, that hasn’t been the case. Against the Sharks, he spent 1:08 on the penalty kill while Danault saw 3:49 of shorthanded action and Jake Evans 4:16.
Since his role on the PK has diminished, it would make sense to give him some power-play time. After all, in 60 games, the 22-year-old Finn has 19 goals, and he has scored on 17.9% of his shots.
Of course, there is no room for him on the first unit, where Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Slafkovsky, Demidov, and Lane Hutson are generally working like a well-oiled machine. However, the second unit currently features Brendan Gallagher, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Zach Bolduc, and Noah Dobson.
As good as Gallagher has been for the Canadiens in the past, he’s now 33 years old, and his age has caught up to him. He currently has 20 points in 60 games, including just six goals, and his shooting rate is 6.1%, down from 14.2% last season. Still, he averages 1:26 per game on the power play, and it certainly feels like the minutes would be best used by giving them to an energetic rookie who has proven he has a knack for scoring this season.
Martin St-Louis said himself after the Olympics bronze medal game that the Finns might have wished they played him more after seeing his performance in that game, the only one he saw action in, skating on their top line. The youngster seems to love a challenge and can rise up to the occasion; it’s time to see if he can do it in the NHL, and to give Gallagher a breather, time waits for no man, even if he bleeds red, white, and blue.
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