The Edmonton Oilers have claimed winger Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the St. Louis Blues to help shore up their forward ranks and possibly give their offense a jolt.
The Oilers were carrying 12 healthy forwards until an injury last week to Viktor Arvidsson left Edmonton needing to play with seven defensemen in its last three games. The Oilers take a 9-8-2 record into Ottawa to face the Senators on Tuesday.
Uncharacteristically, the Oilers have struggled to score this season. They have just 38 goals from their forwards in 19 games – and 20 of those tallies are courtesy of Leon Draisaitl (13) and Connor McDavid (seven). They’ve scored 50 goals overall, leaving them 25th in the NHL at 2.63 goals per game.
One of the glaring issues has been a dearth of speed behind McDavid. The Oilers notably moved on from three of their fastest forwards in Ryan McLeod, Dylan Holloway and Warren Foegele in the offseason. Kapanen, known for his skating ability, should help there.
Kapanen was used in a depth role with the Blues and recorded a goal in 10 games. The 28-year-old has 85 goals and 209 points in 470 NHL games with Toronto, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. He was drafted 22nd by Pittsburgh in 2014.
Adding Kapanen and his $1 million salary cap hit to the roster means the Oilers are no longer accruing cap space – an organizational goal in the leadup to the trade deadline. Injured winger Evander Kane goes back on long-term injured reserve, and the Oilers are now carrying a full 23-man roster consisting of 13 forwards (including Arvidsson), eight blueliners and two goaltenders.
Second-pairing defenseman Darnell Nurse is also on the active roster but injured. He’s expected to be sidelined a few more days after being on the receiving end of a head hit from Toronto winger Ryan Reaves, a check that resulted in a five-game suspension.
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(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
