Penguins forward Jared McCann was fined $10,000 by the NHL’s Department of Player Safety on Saturday for a hit he delivered with his elbow to the head of Philadelphia Flyers forward Travis Sanheim on Friday.

During a 5-2 road loss in Philadelphia, McCann was assessed a minor penalty at 14 minutes, 40 seconds of the second period after his left arm struck the right side of Sanheim’s head.

Sanheim appeared to escape injury and completed the game.

The fine is the maximum allowable per the terms of the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the NHL’s Players’ Association.

McCann was not made available for comment on Saturday.

The Penguins are scheduled to host the Washington Capitals in their home opener on Sunday.

Kapanen close to joining team

Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen remains on the NHL’s list of players being withheld form practices and games for coronavirus-related protocols.

A native of Finland, Kapanen failed to secure a work visa in a timely fashion and was unable to participate in the Penguins’ training camp. Arriving in Pittsburgh on Jan. 9, he entered an NHL-mandated seven-day quarantine period that involved multiple test.

Coach Mike Sullivan said Kapanen underwent his final test Saturday, and, presuming a negative result, he would be permitted to join the team in full.

Sullivan did not offer any insight as to whether Kapanen would participate in Sunday’s home opener against the Washington Capitals.

Considering the contest begins shortly after noon, Kapanen is unlikely to play without the benefit of even a morning skate.

“We’ll make decisions once we get that (testing) result, and we’ll get him involved as quickly as we can,” Sullivan said via video conference.

Kapanen is projected to play right wing on the team’s top line. In his absence, Evan Rodrigues has skated with Sidney Crosby at center and Jake Guentzel on the left wing.

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