Toronto beats the Predators - Kasperi Kapanen wants nothing to do with AHL

The Maple Leafs faced off with the Nashville Predators last night in a game that saw the Leafs come out ahead with a 3-2 result. The win was good news for Leafs fan as the team had a rough go before the break and now seem more focused on getting the job done.

For Kasperi Kapanen, he wants nothing to do with the AHL. Having played for the Toronto Marlies, he is young and wants to continue his role with the Leafs now that he has a permanent position on the team. Tonights win will give NHL sportsbettors confidence that things are looking up for the organisation.

After Wednesdays game, Coach Babcock commented on Kapanen contribution to the team saying,

“He looks like a good player to me, he’s come here, we win, he’s made a difference – flat-out made a difference. We can come at you faster with more people, he’s penalty killing every night and doing a good job for us.

The process of getting to the NHL and getting ice time has been a challenge for Kapanen. This is the eighth time he has been recalled since being drafted. One thing is certain, Kapanen is patient having waited for his chance to shine.

Any doubt that is remaining about Kapanen was removed from the minds of most after clearing the puck from the zone away from Subban and then was able to stop the puck at centre ice all while on an extended shift with heavy legs.

Kapanen scores shorthanded gaol

Kapanen shorthanded goal got underway from a stopped position as he made his way down the ice fighting off the Predators Craig Smith along the way before putting the puck past Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne and giving Toronto a 2-0 advantage.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Commenting on the play, Leo Komarov said,

“It was a good move, but a little bit of a lucky bounce.”

Mike Babcock has chosen to play Kapanen over the veteran Matt Martin and by the looks of things that will not change in the near future. Kapanen, who was given a shift during a three on three overtime period, and clearly earned Babcock’s trust

Said Babcock,

“He used to be a skinny little kid and now he’s got some meat on his bones and he has worked hard at it. Then, obviously, experience and experience makes you compete a little harder on a nightly basis because you don’t want to go back [to the AHL] anymore. That’s a great thing about earning your way and being in the minors and riding the bus and learning what it’s like.

“It makes you not want to go back there. I think that helps out. I also think getting here when you’re ready and not before you’re ready helps you stay and helps you keep your confidence.”

The one thing that changed the course for Kapanen was his ability to kill penalties while playing for the Marlies last season. This was a role he had not performed in the past, but with his speed and abilities on the offence, he gave the Leafs the added push to call him up and give him a spot on the roaster.

Currently, on a seven-game stretch with the Leafs, he has played a regular shift in each game and looking back, he laughs at how he felt when told he would be involved in four-on-five plays like the one he played last night.

“I’ve never done it before, right? I played back home [in Finland] for a bit and obviously, it’s a different league, but they didn’t want me killing penalties. My first year here I didn’t kill any penalties and then coming in [last] year they told me that they wanted me to start doing this. I think it’s a natural reaction to kind of not know what to expect, but it’s been lots of fun.”

As for the Leafs, Kapanen’s performance means the organisation will need to juggle, and that means those on loan to the Marlies to help with conditioning, Josh Leivo, Nikita Soshnikov or Matt Martin, will not see a spot opening up on the Leafs roster anytime soon.

But for an organisation, it is what the Leafs had hoped for. Kapanen also sees the point after being sent to the Toronto Marlies for conditioning as it helped improve his game and allowed him to score. That time in the AHL helping get him prepared for the NHL and his scoring in the Nashville game is proof of that.

Said Babcock,

“I just said, ‘That’s the way you’re going to play in the National Hockey League.”’ “You’re not playing on the power play, you better figure out how to make yourself important.”