Montreal Canadiens: What the Kasperi Kapanen trade does for the market

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a splash trading Kasperi Kapanen but the return they were able to get should be of interest to the Montreal Canadiens.

The playoffs are going, but the Toronto Maple Leafs decided to get the trade market going. The Leafs disappointed their fans and the organization by being eliminated from the Stanley Cup Qualifier by the Columbus Blue Jackets failing to make the playoffs. Despite being on a high after defeating the Montreal Canadiens in their exhibition game, their stars didn’t do enough to get the job done. Changes were coming, and it started with Kasperi Kapanen.

Now, in hindsight, this doesn’t have anything to do with the Habs. Perhaps this makes their team better, or it may even set the Leafs up for a bigger deal down the line. But what this trade does do is set the trade market, and that’s something Marc Bergevin should be deeply keen on.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were able to turn Kasperi Kapanen, Pontus Aberg and prospect Jesper Lindgren into Evan Rodrigues, prospect Filip Hallander, David Warsofsky and a 2020 first-round pick.

Lindgren was a player who was never going to see NHL time with the Leafs, while Aberg was an AHL body which was on his way out. Hallander, a player who was an option for the Montreal Canadiens during the 2018 NHL Draft, was a top-five prospect in the Penguins’ organization. Warsofsky is an AHL throw-in while Rodrigues is a gritty bottom-six RFA player who may be left unqualified.

In hindsight, it’s Kasperi Kapanen and Lindgren for a first-round pick and Hallander. That’s a Class-Five fleecing, especially considering Pittsburgh’s pick is 15th overall.

Kapanen isn’t a terrible player by any means. He’s a third-line player who brings a lot of speed and some scoring to a lineup while also killing penalties. It’ll be interesting to see if he sees ice time with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin so you can rationalize the deal. But that’s a steep price to pay, which brings us back to the Montreal Canadiens.

If it was on the fence as to whether Max Domi was going to be traded, it should be a lot more likely after this. Marc Bergevin has done wonders with trades as of late, and the Max Pacioretty for Tomas Tatar and Nick Suzuki deal is a good example. But if Kapanen can warrant a first-round pick and a prospect, Domi should definitely be able to as well.

Not everyone in the league is going to openly agree to that kind of trade, especially with how poorly received this deal looks right now. However, the J.T. Miller trade was heavily criticized and look at it now.

It’s not often a divisional rival helps you out, but if the Habs wind up trading Max Domi and it’s a decent haul, Bergevin may want to raise a wine glass at Kyle Dubas for setting the market.