The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded winger Kasperi Kapanen to the Pittsburgh Penguins for someone, we just don’t know who.

Kapanen, 24, was originally acquired by the Leafs from Pittsburgh in the 2015 trade that sent Phil Kessel to Pennsylvania. Kapanen had some terrific moments in Toronto with his elite speed and breakaway skills, and he developed into a dangerous penalty killer. On the other hand, he seemed to bump into a specific ceiling as an overqualified third-liner who never quite delivered when given chances in the top six. He had a disappointing season, but still ranked 6th in our Top 25 Under 25 series for the organization. He has two years left on his deal at a reasonable $3.2M cap hit. Best of luck to Kappy with his new, old franchise.

UPDATES:

Here it is:

Some additional thoughts off the cuff:

That’s going to be a decent first rounder this year if the Leafs keep it.

Evan Rodrigues is easily a decent NHL forward who can take up the Kapanen slack

Jesper Lindgren is unlikely to make the NHL in a meaningful way, but he has got skills and he’ll be a loss to the Marllies.

Pontus Aberg has signed a one-year deal in the KHL, and to my knowledge was not intending to come back to the NHL this year. He’s still an RFA, but is unsigned.

Filip Hallander is:

David Warsofsky is a good AHL defender from one of the best AHL systems there is. He’s 30, on a two-way contract, so he doesn’t impact cap space in the offseason, and will be a good addition to the Marlies whose defence is a touch too young.

Maple Leafs Trades