Maple Leafs trade Kasperi Kapanen back to Penguins in lopsided deal

Five years after being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kasperi Kapanen is being traded back to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a lopsided trade.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are only in the second round, but the offseason is officially getting underway with the first NHL trade in over six months between two teams trying to revamp their rosters after disappointing early playoff exits.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded Kasperi Kapenen to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a six player trade, with the Maple Leafs getting the Penguins 15th-overall pick in the upcoming draft.

in 69 games this season, the 24-year-old Kapenen scored 13 goals and put up 36 points, along with two assists in five playoff games. Kapanen was drafted 22nd-overall by the Penguins in 2014 before being traded to the Maple Leafs in ’15 as part of the Phil Kessel trade.

Now he’ll be heading back to the team who drafted him. Here’s how both the Maple Leafs and Penguins did in the trade.

Maple Leafs Trade Grade: A

What a phenomenal deal by general manager Kyle Dubas. It was obvious Kapanen had to moved in order clear cap space this offseason, and to get the return they did is nothing short of fantastic.

After trading their own first round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes last offseason, the Maple Leafs being able to get a first-round pick back here is huge. This upcoming draft is supposed to be one of the deepest in some time, and having the 15th-overall pick this year would be like picking 10th in other years.

Outside of the first-round pick, the Maple Leafs are still getting a tremendous haul. A second-round pick in 2018, 20-year-old Filip Hallander was one of the Penguins better prospects and described as a “true power forward.” He could be exactly the kind of prospect Toronto needed.

Evan Rodrigues could turn out to be a strong acquisition as well. He’s an effective defensive fourth liner at even strength, and could be a welcome depth player should they choose to sign him, as he is an RFA.

Also, the Maple Leafs are clearing cap space in order to make more moves this offseason as well. Kapanen was in the first year of a three-year deal worth $3,200,000 a season, and now Toronto has $7,791,467 in cap space to make improvements. Not enough to get what they truly need, which is a solid defenseman, but it’s a good start.

If you’re being picky, the downside in this trade for the Maple Leafs is that they didn’t get an defenseman in return, but come on. This is a highway robbery and a fantastic start for a critical offseason for Toronto.

Penguins Trade Grade: D

This is not a good deal for the Penguins. Frankly, it doesn’t make any sense, and it makes you wonder what general manager Jim Rutherford is trying to do here.

Kapanen is young and fast,  but he’s not at all worth the price paid to get him. He’s been inconsistent at best throughout his NHL career, and has only really been suited as a third line winger while with the Maple Leafs.

Because the Penguins technically didn’t make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, they elected to keep this year’s first-round pick and send next season’s first to the Minnesota Wild as part of the Jason Zucker trade, but now they don’t have either one. Since Rutherford took over as general manager, the Penguins have only picked in the first round twice, one of those picks ironically being Kapanen.

Even more confusing is Pittsburgh also gave up Hallander in this trade, who was arguably its second or third-best prospect. Now the Penguins’ already barren prospect pool is even more gutted, and they don’t have any high end picks to re-fill it.

After giving up those two, was throwing in Rodrigues necessary? Again, poor asset management.

The other assets the Penguins received from Toronto, Pontus Aberg and Jesper Lindgren, are fringe NHL players at best and will likely be spending most of their time in the American Hockey League.

This trade does not make any sense for the Penguins, and it’s an awful start to an offseason which could determine the fate of the franchise for several years to come.