Oliver Kapanen Discussion: Where Should The Habs Send Him?

Montreal Canadiens prospect Oliver Kapanen enjoyed quite a successful season in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

That’s not to say he played poorly in 2023-24 for Kalpa (Liiga), as he did manage to produce 14 points in 13 playoff games, but the SHL represents a significant uptick in quality of competition compared to Liiga.

With that in mind, Kapanen did not just maintain his elevated scoring rate, he improved his production by leaps and bounds if we consider the strength of the league.

In 36 SHL games, Kapanen managed to score 15 goals and 20 assists, falling just one goal or assist short of establishing a point-per-game pace.

Now that Timra has been eliminated from the playoffs, Kapanen is in play for the Canadiens. It’s important to remember the Habs loaned Kapanen to Timra to begin with, and his entry-level contract will not slide regardless of where he ends up playing.

Playing In Montreal Or Laval?

Kapanen can be assigned to the Laval Rocket, and he is eligible to play for the team in the Calder Cup playoffs.

If the Canadiens send him to Laval, and then proceed to recall him from the AHL, it will count against their limited call-ups between now and the end of the year.

But if the Canadiens immediately assign him to their NHL roster, he will not count as a call-up.

That being said, despite the excitement surrounding Kapanen, there are a few factors worth considering before immediately placing him in the NHL.

The first is that his impressive production rate was established while he was serving as a first-line centre for Timra IK. He was also given a healthy dose of ice time on the powerplay. Those are two situations that are unlikely to repeat if he plays for the Canadiens.

It’s also worth noting his 12-game audition with the Canadiens earlier this season was far from encouraging when we consider the results. The Habs were outplayed and outchanced by a wide margin whenever Kapanen was on the ice. He’s a new, shiny toy, which means many will be willing to give him a longer grace period, but the idea that Kapanen can immediately slot into the second-line centre position in Montreal isn’t necessarily based on statistics, but rather, hope.

The good news is that Kapanen’s usage to start the season was rather erratic, and that particularly situation is unlikely to repeat, unless the Habs decide to play Kapanen with Emil Heineman and Christian Dvorak, his two most common linemates in October.

We also have to consider Kapanen has improved during his SHL loan, making his early-season numbers far from reliable when projecting his potential NHL impact.

However, I’m not entirely certain it would be fair to thrust Kapanen into a top-six role while the team desperately battles to qualify for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. He’s not used to playing against NHL competition, and most of his opponents will be in mid-season form, while he’ll be playing catch-up.

There’s also the matter of learning and understanding the playbook, not to mention the importance of putting theory into practice once the puck drops.

Any way you cut it, pushing Kapanen into the NHL will come with a very steep learning curve, and that may not be a reasonable approach when discussing the prospect’s development.

ON TOPIC: Canadiens Playoff Race – The Eastern Conference Race Is Coming Down To The Wire

I’d argue his best destination would be Laval, where he could be given ample opportunities in situations that are conductive to thriving. Not only are the Laval Rocket the top team in the AHL, they’re getting ready for an important playoff run, with their eyes firmly set on securing a Calder Cup.

In addition, when Kent Hughes was asked why the Canadiens did not pick up a little more talent in the AHL at the trade deadline, he suggested Kapanen would be the ‘big’ name heading to Laval as a reinforcement.

This leads me to believe the Habs intend on loaning him to the Rocket.

Yes, sending Oliver Kapanen to Laval would complicate things if the Canadiens do eventually recall him to the NHL, but I’d guard against the temptation of throwing him to the wolves in the NHL.

All Montreal Canadiens and Oliver Kapanen NHL statistics via Natural Stat Trick.