After being healthy scratched in nine of the last 10 games, Kasperi Kapanen has slotted back into the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup.
Ever since joining the Pittsburgh Penguins prior to the start of the 2021-22 season, Danton Heinen has had a wild ride.
At multiple points, Heinen has looked like he could be a steady contributor as a depth forward, but has also been in the dog house.
After again hitting a tough stretch, it looks like Heinen has been demoted from the lineup.
In a practice taking place at Hunt Armory, Kasperi Kapanen found himself taking normal line rushes in place of Heinen.
Kapanen has been healthy scratched from the lineup in nine of the last 10 games; during that span, Heinen has recorded only three assists.
While the rest of the Penguins forward lines have found ground and are producing at great rates, the third line has struggled.
Brock McGinn had a hot streak by scoring five goals in seven games, but it was clear that streak wouldn’t last, especially if he wasn’t getting any help from his linemates.
Is Kapanen the answer though? He’s again been unable to produce offensively and has already found himself tied up in trade rumors.
Regardless, neither Heinen or Kapanen have looked good in their recent games; both had fair starts to the season, but have fallen off hard.
This is, once again, a new opportunity for Kapanen to find what he had in 2020-21.
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