In an attempt to regain some of the speed that helped the franchise win back-to-back in Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017, the Pittsburgh Penguins swung a six-player trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.
The highlight of the package is right winger Kasperi Kapanen, still just 24 years old, who was dealt from Toronto to Pittsburgh.
Kapanen was selected by the Penguins in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft. Before ever playing in an NHL game, Kapanen was dealt to the Maple Leafs as part of the trade that brought Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh in July of 2015.
Kapanen made his NHL debut in 2015-2016, playing in nine games for Toronto. In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, Kasperi Kapanen scored a game-winning overtime goal against the Washington Capitals, in a series that the young Maple Leafs would ultimately lose in six games.
Kaspanen's career year came in 2018-2019, when he scored 20 goals, added 24 assists, and posted a +12 +/- rating. In 2019-2020, Kapanen scored 13 goals and recorded 23 assists while playing in 69 of the team's 70 regular season games.
As part of the trade, Pittsburgh also added left winger Pontus Aberg and defensive prospect Jesper Lindgren. Aberg, who appeared in five games this season for the Maple Leafs and who has also played for the Nashville Predators, Edmonton Oilers, Anaheim Ducks and Minnesota Wild, is currently under contract in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.
In return, the Maple Leafs received left winger Evan Rodrigues, defenseman David Warsofsky, forward prospect Filip Hallander and the 15th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Rodrigues, 27, appeared in seven games for the Penguins following a February 24 trade from the Buffalo Sabres, scoring one goal in the process. Rodrigues posted a career-high 29 points (9 G, 20 A) during the Sabres' 2018-2019 campaign.
Warsofsky, who has not made an NHL appearance since 2017-2018 with the Colorado Avalanche, was a member of the Penguins' 2016-2017 Stanley Cup championship team. He spent his entire 2019-2020 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), where he served as the team's captain.
Both the Penguins and Maple Leafs are beginning to build for next season, as each team was eliminated in this season's Eastern Conference Qualifiers round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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