No points in six games: Oliver Kapanen in the midst of his worst slump of the season

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
No points in six games: Oliver Kapanen in the midst of his worst slump of the season
Credit: Getty Images

Oliver Kapanen is having a superb rookie season. Nobody's taking that away from him.

In reality, did you think the guy was going to be so good that, at mid-season, the Canadiens' GM was going to say he had the tools to stay in his second-center chair for the long term?

I didn't think so either.

But even if Kent Hughes threw him some flowers, it was always clear that the Finn was prone to slowing down. A bit like Jake Evans last year: a guy who plays above his head often tends to get back to normal.

And right now, Kapanen isn't driving at the same pace as before.

We don't know if it's a harbinger of things to come or if it's just an ugly streak, but he has just one point in his last eight games (which is a 10% sample of the season) and no points in his last six games. #WorstPassOfTheSeason

The Finn's playing time has been below his season average recently (three times in his last four games, he's played less than 15 minutes) and his differential has never been in the green in six games.

(Credit: ESPN)

No one's saying it's the end of the world, since it may just be temporary. However, we wonder if this is the beginning of the end of his dream sequence.

Does it have anything to do with the fact that Juraj Slafkovsky has no points in four of his last six games? In fact, is it the chicken or the egg: who's not producing whom?

We don't say this to denigrate Kapanen, but to remind us that there's a world out there in which Kent Hughes must continue to look for a top-6 center who fits into the Canadiens' rebuilding process.

That's not to say the prospect bank should be emptied, but at the right price, it could be done.


overtime

– The coach has made his choice.

– Makes sense.

– The snow is having an effect.

– Cute.

– Really?

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