Penguins place winger Kasperi Kapanen on waivers

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen was absent from Friday afternoon’s practice at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry and, following the team’s on-ice activities, coach Mike Sullivan revealed general manager Ron Hextall was placing Kapanen on waivers.

All NHL clubs will have an opportunity to claim Kapanen, who has seven goals and 13 assists through 43 games.

“When a team doesn’t live up to expectations as ours hasn’t as of late, I think change is inevitable,” Sullivan said. “(Kapanen) is a really talented player. To a certain extent it’s on all of us, because we didn’t find a way to maximize his potential.”

In the summer of 2022, Kapanen signed a two-year, $6.4 million contract with the Penguins with a $3.2 million annual cap hit, per CapFriendly.

Were he to be claimed on waivers, that team would be responsible for the entirety of his remaining contract.

If Kapanen, 26, is not claimed by Saturday afternoon, the Penguins will send him to their American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and gain $1.125 million in cap relief while continuing to absorb the remaining $2.075 million of his annual hit.

That salary split exists via the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement with the Players’ Association.

Kapanen had an efficient start to the season, posting a goal and five assists through the Penguins’ first five games back in October.

But the month of November saw Kapanen’s tangible offensive contributions drop off, and in the middle of the month, he was designated as a healthy scratch.

After returning to the lineup in early December, Kapanen produced arguably his most memorable moment of the year, notching a hat trick against the St. Louis Blues two nights after a goal and an assist Dec. 1 against Vegas.

But streakiness continued to dog Kapanen as the season progressed. Dating to Jan. 1, over 16 games, he had two goals and three assists.

“I think he brings a ton of speed, he has the ability to shoot the puck, he has good offensive instincts and brings a lot of size — there’s so many attributes to (Kapanen’s) game that are really attractive,” Sullivan said. “For whatever reason, we couldn’t find a way to get his potential out of him and that falls on all of us.”

Kapanen was the Penguins’ first-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.

In 2015, he was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for winger Phil Kessel, a deal orchestrated by former Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford.

Kapanen played parts of five seasons with Toronto from 2015-20 before Rutherford traded for him in August of 2020.

In 2020-21, his first year in Pittsburgh, Kapanen put up 11 goals and 19 assists in 40 games, impressing Hextall, who took over as general manager of the Penguins in February of 2021.

Throughout the course of the following season, Kapanen’s health remained solid and he played in 79 games, but his numbers tailed off (11 goals, 21 assists).

“(It) was looking like he was a pretty good player,” Hextall said. “The feeling was that last year was a bit of a down year and that he would bounce back. … I think he can be a productive player. Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked here.”

Cap space has proven to be a major obstacle for Hextall as the Penguins’ second-year general manager has navigated the trade waters ahead of the March 3 deadline.

Not factoring Kapanen into the equation, the Penguins have just $18,430 available.

The immediate effect of Kapanen’s departure is freeing cap space necessary to activate defenseman Jan Rutta, who carries a $2.75-million hit, from long-term injured reserve (LTIR).

“As far as (Kapanen), that was part of the thought process,” said Hextall, who spoke with members of the media Friday afternoon in Cranberry. “We had to make a hard decision to get (Rutta) back, and that was the one that we made. It wasn’t easy.”

Sullivan listed Rutta as a “game-time decision” ahead of Saturday’s game at St. Louis.

Rutta, who has been on LTIR retroactive to Jan. 24, last suited up Jan. 14.

The 32-year-old blueliner has seen action in 42 games this season, posting three goals and five assists.

Speaking with reporters following Friday’s practice, Rutta indicated he’s hopeful of playing against the Blues.

“That’s probably a question for the coaches, but I think I’m ready to play,” Rutta said.

Without Kapanen, who had spent the majority of the year skating on Jeff Carter’s third line, Sullivan likely will turn to Danton Heinen, who practiced Friday alongside Carter and Brock McGinn.

Heinen, 27, like Kapanen, has navigated through being a healthy scratch for multiple stretches this season.

He last played Jan. 28 in the Penguins’ final pre-All-Star break game against San Jose.

Per Sullivan, Heinen has not hung his head or otherwise complained about his lack of playing time.

“He’s a really good pro. It’s not an easy circumstance when players are in those kinds of situations, and I think Danton’s handled it extremely well. He’s a good pro, he has a great attitude, he works hard, he comes to the rink every day and controls what he can.”

In 42 appearances, Heinen has five goals and 10 assists.