The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking to move Kasperi Kapanen before the trade deadline.
PITTSBURGH - With the NHL trade deadline fast approaching, fans are still waiting on Ron Hextall to make a move with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Fans might be close to getting their wish as a new report has stated that Hextall has made a certain Penguins forward available.
According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, Hextall sent a note to general managers across the NHL that Kasperi Kapanen is open for a move before the deadline.
Seravalli says he heard from multiple teams that Hextall threw Kapanen’s name out there and are actively pursuing a deal.
In an updated trade targets list from Seravalli, Kapanen ranks 18 in his top-50 trade targets.
Kapanen has had an up and down year this season after signing a questionable two-year contract extension over the summer.
In 42 games this season, Kapanen has hit seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points and has spent time in the press box as a healthy scratch.
After recording only 32 points (11G-21A) last year, Hextall gave Kapanen a two-year deal worth $3.2 million per season and many people where left wondering why that deal was made.
If Hextall is actively shopping Kapanen, this is a quick course correction for a clear mistake that he made.
Kapanen can still bring exponential speed and has a good shot, it’s just a matter of putting everything together to work properly.
Maybe a change of scenery would put some juice into Kapanen’s game; he’s 26-years-old and still has the potential to be a solid depth option in the NHL.
Things just haven’t worked for Kapanen in his second tenure with the Penguins, if they’re able to get value back that would be a bonus.
Shipping out Kapanen would also ideally open up cap space for the Penguins, which they can utilize to bring Jan Rutta back from injured reserve, or open up the space for another deal.
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