Kasperi Kapanen getting claimed opened up new possibilities for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Penugins general manager Ron Hextall should consider himself lucky that the St. Louis Blues decided to claim Kasperi Kapanen and his contract off of waivers.
This doesn’t mean Hextall is on good terms with Penguins fans, as the deal never should have been signed in the first place, but it’s a step in the right direction.
The NHL trade deadline is within a week and now Hextall’s biggest road block has been alleviated to a degree.
With Kapanen’s $3.2 million off of the books, the Penguins have some breathing room in regards to the salary cap.
Not having much cap space was something Hextall saw as a crutch and that’s why he couldn’t make a move.
While that’s no excuse in the first place, with Kapanen gone, Hextall now has $1.8 million in cap space to be flexible with.
Now the question is what will he do with is? Are the Penguins in the market for a third line center? Is it possible to fulfill Mike Sullivan’s wishes and go after Jakob Chychrun?
According to Hextall, whoever he gets, they will likely bring some term; Hextall stated that he doesn’t have interest in giving up a lot for a rental player.
“We’re going to everything we can to improve the team,” Hextall said. “We’re not looking to spend big assets on rentals. If we’re going to spend a big asset, it’s going to help us this year and years to come.”
While a player like Chychrun still has two years left on his contract after this season and could be an immediate boost to the blue line, the Penguins are in desperate need for depth forwards.
A new third line center has been the Penguins biggest need all season as Jeff Carter is no longer the player he once was.
Guys like Adam Henrique, Max Domi, and Ivan Barbashev come to mind right away; yes, Barbashev is more of a winger, but any bottom six forward can help.
Regardless of who Hextall goes and gets, it needs to be a deal the fans approve of.
The recent ‘fire Hextall’ chants didn’t come from sarcasm; the Penguins fan base might be spoiled, but they’re smart and know what a winning team looks like.
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