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A decision by the end of the week regarding Oliver Kapanen
Kevin Vallée
A decision by the end of the week regarding Oliver Kapanen
Credit: No need to refresh your feed for news about Oliver Kapanen, whose agent met with the Canadiens today: confirmation of his return to Montreal or Laval is not expected today. Nicolas Cloutier, who had reported this morning that a meeting was scheduled for today, provided an update on the file, noting that the Kapanen clan […]
No need to refresh your feed for news about Oliver Kapanen, whose agent met with the Canadiens today: confirmation of his return to Montreal or Laval is not expected today.

Nicolas Cloutier, who had reported this morning that a meeting was scheduled for today, provided an update on the file, noting that the Kapanen clan “expects a decision by the end of the week”.

So, we understand that the Habs’ management team will have to agree on a game plan for the 21-year-old Swede.

Clearly, we’re not in a rush or decided, from the Habs’ side. Does this give an indication of the team’s position regarding his return to Montreal?

By the end of the week – we’re already Tuesday evening – Martin St-Louis’ men will have played two more games, and there will only be seven left until the end of the season. Assuming the team won’t throw the young man into the lion’s den (the powerful Flyers) as early as Saturday, considering the time difference, it’s likely he could come and offer support to the Habs for the last six games of the season.

The scenario is exactly the same for the Rocket, which will also play another game on Sunday afternoon, after which there will only be five games left on the schedule.

Everything depends, of course, on the intentions of the club’s management regarding him. Do we want to have him play in Montreal as soon as possible, considering the weakness at the 12th forward position in the big club?

After all, Kapanen recently played playoff hockey and scored 3 points in 6 playoff games in Sweden… as the number one center.

Perhaps that’s an important part of the reflection. Is he the guy we want on the bottom-6 in the playoff run?

In short, whether it’s in Montreal or Laval, the young man has a great opportunity to maintain his momentum and finish his 2024-2025 campaign well, which had started with the Canadiens.

From a logistical point of view, we should see him at the Centre Bell before the Place Bell, simply for the recall economy that Kent Hughes could make by recalling him from his loan rather than using a regular recall with the Rocket.

My colleague Charles-Alexis Brisebois has well summarized the situation this noon, if you’re looking for more details on the context. We remind you that the European clause in Kapanen’s contract, a second-round pick (and not a first-round pick), meant that his two options were Montreal or Timra, as long as his Swedish club was alive. With the elimination of the latter, he is eligible for a stint with the Rocket, which is the only team in the North Division to have confirmed its place in the playoffs.


In Overtime

– The Canadiens seem to have turned the corner, but beware, as the Sabres did it two years ago.

– Nice and pranskter, this Nick.

– Matthews on Ovy.

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