Second-line center: Don’t overlook Oliver Kapanen

Jonathan Di Gregorio
Second-line center: Don’t overlook Oliver Kapanen
Credit: David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It's often talked about, but the Canadiens need to find a second center if they really want to be among the teams contending for the top honors.

Since the Habs' elimination—and for much of the season—several names of potential candidates have been linked to Montreal, including Nico Hischier, Vincent Trocheck, and even Connor McDavid.

What's more, the team has the assets needed to pull off a major trade.

However, Tony Marinaro and Jon Goyens discussed Oliver Kapanen's situation on The Sick Podcast, and they believe Habs fans are giving up on the 22-year-old as a second-line center too quickly.

According to them, many are quickly forgetting the excellent rookie season Kapanen had and are focusing too much on the end of his regular season and the playoffs.

The Swede surprised many by finishing third among rookies last year with 22 goals—just one fewer than Beckett Sennecke and Matthew Schaefer—while also adding 15 assists.

Kapanen formed an interesting pairing with Ivan Demidov, and the trio was particularly effective and dangerous when they were paired with Juraj Slafkovsky.

However—and this is possibly the problem with Kapanen—it's hard to gauge how much of his success is due to Demidov, as I don't think the center would have scored his 22 goals if he hadn't played alongside the young Russian this season.

Nevertheless, the two players have good chemistry together, and Kapanen could improve on that total if he starts next season with his usual partner.

What's perhaps more concerning for the 22-year-old is the way he finished his first season.

In seven playoff games—all played on a different line than Demidov's—Kapanen had zero points and a -2 plus/minus rating, with an average of just 8:20 minutes of ice time.

In fact, the young center failed to score a single point in the last ten regular-season games and seems to have truly hit a wall.

However, if he can regain his confidence at the start of next season and continue his development alongside Demidov, Kapanen might just be the solution at the second-line center position.


In Brief

– A heavy loss for the Jays.

– Must-read.

– Chicago scores first.

– Big money!

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