Penguins restricted free agent forward Kasperi Kapanen filed for salary arbitration ahead of Sunday’s 5 p.m. deadline.
The winger just completed a three-year deal, which carried an average annual value of $3.2 million. Due to the front-loaded and incentive laden nature of the deal, the Penguins needed to submit a qualifying offer of just $840,000 to retain exclusive negotiating rights.
Kapanen, by his own admission, has underperformed. However, that dollar figure is still obviously less than market value.
How much less? That’s the big question.
The Penguins currently have $1,969,825 in salary cap space following their blueline shakeup, according to Cap Friendly. The club and Kapanen, who will turn 26 on July 23, are still free to continue to negotiate a new deal. On Wednesday, Hexall was optimistic when asked about Kapanen’s pending contract situation.
“I'm sure we'll get something done,” Hextall said Wednesday. “Typically, both sides have a range where you know you're going to be. So we're pretty comfortable with a range. I spoke with his agent [Markus Lehto] briefly at the draft, so I don't think Kappy is going to be a problem.”
The most ideal situation is for the sides to come together in the next few days or weeks. If they cannot come to an agreement independently or if the Penguins do not trade Kapanen’s rights, an arbitrator will make a determination after both sides lay out their arguments.
Arbitration hearings are currently scheduled to be held between July 27 and Aug. 11. Sometimes, that date on the calendar alone is enough of a deadline to bring the two sides together, as was the case when in 2019 when Zach Aston-Reese and the Penguins found middle ground just before his hearting was set to begin.
The Penguins had high hopes for Kapanen when they gave up a package that included a first-round pick in August of 2020 to acquire him. The team figured coach Mike Sullivan could unlock the young winger’s potential by showcasing Kapanen’s elite skating in his speed-oriented system.
During his first year in Pittsburgh, Kapanen started slowly after a visa issue delayed his debut. But then, he took off, discovering real chemistry alongside Evgeni Malkin. He finished the shortened 2020-21 season netting 11 goals and 19 points in 40 games. That would have been a career-high in goals if you extrapolate it over an 82-game stretch.
Last season? Kapanen’s performance was up-and-down. He was half as productive in twice as many games, registering 11 goals and 21 assists in 79 games. As a result, Kapanen slid from a top-six role into the bottom six. Twice he was demoted to the press box as a healthy scratch.
In the postseason, Kapanen played some of his best hockey of the season. When Rickard Rakell’s concussion opened a void on Malkin’s wing, Kapanen stepped in to show some of the same attributes that made him look like a fit there in the first place.
While Kapanen didn’t score a goal, he assisted on three and produced many quality chances to make his line a threat. The underlying numbers support the eye test. The Penguins generated 57% of the expected goals and 65% of the high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, when Kapanen was on the ice.
Compare that to the regular season, when the Penguins produced just 52% of the expected goals and 53% of the high-danger chances when Kapanen was on the ice.
“I'm happy I showed up at some point this season,” Kapanen said at the time. “Better late than never, I guess.”
Finding reliable, top-six wingers has been a challenge for the Penguins for some time. Dating back to Jim Rutherford’s tenure, some of the most significant moves have been aimed at this goal, including the additions of Jason Zucker, Kapanen and Rickard Rakell.
When the Penguins acquired Rakell, they envisioned a possible line that featured Malkin skating between Rakell and Kapanen. Due to Kapanen’s inconsistent play, that only showed itself one time – in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.
Now, time will tell if the two sides can come together and if Kapanen can get one more shot in the Penguins top six.
Mike DeFabo: mdeabo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @MikeDeFabo.
First Published: July 17, 2022, 7:18 p.m.
