PITTSBURGH — The Penguins have traded for Kasperi Kapanen, bringing him back to the team from the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Pontus Aberg and defenseman Jesper Lindgren. Evan Rodrigues, David Warsofsky, Filip Hollander and a 2020 first-round draft pick are going to Toronto.
Kapanen was actually drafted by the Penguins in 2014, but was traded to the Maple Leafs in the next year. That trade deal brought Phil Kessel to the Penguins, and likely helped the team win back-to-back Stanley Cups.
According to TSN, 24-year-old Kapanen has 13 goals and 36 points in 69 games with the Maple Leafs during the regular season. He finished the postseason with three assists in five games.
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This trade comes just days after Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford announced that there was a good chance one of the team’s goalies would be traded away. Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray are both restricted free agents, and backup Case DeSmith’s contract is locked up for two more years. Murray, 26, led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins, however, he has struggled in net since those campaigns. Jarry, 24, had a breakout season, setting a franchise record for the longest shutout streak.
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