Oliver Kapanen’s Contract Situation Improves Roster Odds

The Montreal Canadiens have an interesting situation at play when it comes to prospect Oliver Kapanen.

With Patrik Laine’s injury, the team could use an influx of offensive talent to the mix, and while Kapanen doesn’t necessarily provide the same type of impact as his countryman, he is arguably the team’s most NHL-ready prospect, having played professional hockey since 2021.  Of course, the NHL is a different animal than Liiga, but you’d be hard-pressed to suggest Kapanen has looked out of place at training camp, not to mention during preseason games.

Finding Oliver Kapanen A Roster Spot

If the team is being run as a meritocracy, Kapanen likely has deserves an NHL job, especially once we take a look at an early projected lineup. In this scenario we put Kapanen as an extra forward to start, but you can clearly see there are ample opportunities to find ice time for him, both on the second and third lines.

The advantage of having Kapanen in the mix is that he can fill in on the wing and down the middle, the exact type of versatility you want to see from a newcomer. It would give head coach Martin St-Louis plenty of options should he want to modify his lineup, or if injuries start to pile up again.

And the Canadiens have an advantage when it comes to keeping Kapanen in the lineup to start the season.

Kapanen is 21 years old, this means his entry-level contract kicks in no matter where he plays in 2024-25.

Simply put, there’s no deadline to return hm to Timra IK, the team for which he’ll play if he’s not given an NHL job. In theory, the Canadiens could keep him in the lineup for as long as they’d like before returning him to the SHL, and it would not change anything from a contract standpoint. This sets up a perfect situation to offer Kapanen an extended audition that lasts more than 9 games, giving him a legitimate opportunity to find his rhythm in the NHL.

The team will want to maintain good relationships with European clubs, and therefore clear communication with Timra would have to be established before the team decides Kapanen’s fate, but other than advising his SHL team, there’s nothing stopping the Canadiens from holding onto Kapanen in the NHL for as long as they’d like.