Oliver Kapanen: among the best second centers in the East

Maxime Truman
Oliver Kapanen: among the best second centers in the East
Credit: Getty Images

Juraj Slafkovsky and Ivan Demidov are enjoying arguably the best streaks of their NHL careers at the moment.

Slafkovsky has eight points (including four goals) in his last four games, while Demidov has six points (including three goals) over the same period. The Russian is shooting more than before, and it's paying off.

Slaf is blossoming as the #1 or #2 player on his line, having become accustomed to playing third wheel behind the prolific Nick Suzuki-Cole Caufield duo. We feel he's more liberated on the kid line (with two players his own age, with less show experience than him).

Except that, according to the experts, Slafkovsky and Demidov are the only two “good players” on their young line; Oliver Kapanen is rarely praised.

Yet Kapanen has collected four points in his last four games, completing each of them at +1 or +2. He has also taken no fewer than 14 shots in the team's last three games. All this without playing on the power play, unlike Slafkovsky and Demidov.

So far this season, Kapanen has 11 goals and nine assists in 38 games, a +2 rating and has won nearly 50% of his face-offs. Last year, he won only two of five.

This morning, Kapanen is not only the top scorer among all NHL rookies, but also the fourth-highest scorer among them. I repeat: all without playing on the powerplay!

But that doesn't stop the hockey world from constantly suggesting to Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton 1001 players capable of playing at center on the second line. However, the adage that when we compare, we comfort ourselves is applicable to the Canadiens' hockey this morning.

No, we're not comparing ourselves to the league's newest clubs as a consolation prize, unlike in recent years.

Let's take a look at the Canadiens' best opponents in the East. The Habs are fourth in the Eastern Conference, so let's take the other top five teams and compare the production of their respective second centers.

1. Carolina Hurricanes
Second center: Jesperi Kotkaniemi (two goals and four assists in 22 games)

2. Detroit Red Wings
Second center: Andrew Copp (four goals and 17 assists in 40 games)

3. Tampa BayLightning
Second center: Anthony Cirelli (10 goals and 12 assists in 34 games)

4. New York Islanders
Second center: Mathew Barzal (10 goals and 19 assists in 38 games)

5. Philadelphia Flyers
Second center: Sean Couturier (five goals and 16 assists in 36 games)

With 11 goals and nine assists in just 14:24 of average playing time per game, Olivier Kapanen has no reason to be ashamed of the second centers of the East's top teams. Only Mathew Barzal REALLY has more points than Kapanen.

Yes, Cirelli has two more points and four fewer games than Kapanen in 2025-26, but Cirelli also plays more than 18 minutes per game, many of them with the man advantage.

In short, when you compare Oliver Kapanen to the second centers of the other top teams in the East, the Swede more than holds his own . Kapanen also has no reason to be ashamed of Pavel Zacha, Marco Rossi, Mason McTavish, and Mikael Granlund, all quality second centers elsewhere in the circuit.

Of course, Kapanen lacks experience and still has some growing to do before he can be as productive as the second centers of the Avalanche (Brock Nelson) and the Stars (Roope Hintz), but maybe he will be, given time to develop.

Let's be patient
No, the Canadiens won't win the Stanley Cup in 2025-26. So it might make sense to leave Kapanen at center between Demidov and Slafkovsky to allow the three youngsters to “grow up” well together. Could be in two years' time!

A wise man once said: “Never fix something that isn't broken. The Habs' second line is anything but broken right now. So let's not touch anything!

Think about it: is it really worth thinking about trading Michael Hage or David Reinbacher to try and get your hands on an aging, expensive second center? I'm not sure…


Extension

The idea for this text came to me on Sunday during the Armada game. I ran into my former technical director Jean-Yves Bergeron. He put me on the trail and piqued my curiosity. I then put Google to work for me.

Of course, you could also look at it the other way around: replacing Oliver Kapanen with a Sidney Crosby, a Roope Hintz or a Mathew Barzal could take the Canadiens to the next level.

But that's also my point: if Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton decide to go for a second center with more experience than Kapanen, they'll have to get their hands on an elite player. Not a guy of Kapanen's caliber…

And that's going to be expensive!

And it may have to wait until next summer, at best.

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