Can Oliver Kapanen steal a roster spot at Montreal Canadiens Training Camp?
Don't forget about Oliver Kapanen when the Canadiens' main training camp opens on September 18.
Oliver Kapanen not being on the Rookie Camp roster likely raised some eyebrows amongst Montreal Canadiens supporters. He starred at the 2024 World Championship, leading Finland with six goals and finishing tied for fifth in the tournament. Kapanen showed he could compete with some of the world's best players, giving fans hope that he would soon show that in North America.
The fans shouldn't worry about Kapanen's absence. He isn't at Rookie Camp because the Canadiens asked him to skip it to focus on the main training camp. It's important not to look too much into it, but this gives a lot of reason to believe the Canadiens think he could make the roster this season. It would be a quick turnaround from where we stood on Kapanen before the World Championship, but it shouldn't be surprising for anyone who watched him at that tournament.
If you need anyone else to confirm this, just listen to Florida Panthers legend Olli Jokinen, who shared the same sentiment in a recent interview with Marco D'Amico and Responsible Gambling. Jokinen is also his current head coach with Timra and plans to use him as a first-line center with powerplay and penalty kill time. Kapanen coming to Montreal would be a massive loss for Jokinen and his team, but the former NHL All-Star doesn't plan to block Kapanen's path if the Canadiens want him.
And for those that don't think Kapanen has a shot at a roster spot.
— Marco D'Amico (@mndamico) September 6, 2024
I know it's not a high probability at the moment, but the Canadiens saw fit to have Kapanen skip rookie camp to prepare for the main camp.
Emil Heineman was made to attend rookie camp in the same situation.
Connecting the dots for Oliver Kapanen to Montreal
A clause in Kapanen's contract says that he can't go to North America unless it is for a roster spot in Montreal. The Canadiens can't persuade him to stay to play in Laval, so it's Montreal or bust this season. If he doesn't make the roster, Kapanen will head back to finish the season in Timra.
“We have a plan in place in case Oliver doesn’t return to Timra. We’ll likely have to look to make a move on our end to replace him. In my mind, he’s got a great opportunity to steal a spot at the Montreal Canadiens’ camp. He’s got an advantage that he’s already been training seriously for six weeks with us and playing six preseason games.”
The Canadiens will need to make room for Kapanen if he does steal a roster spot. Jake Evans or Christian Dvorak are the obvious choices to trade, but I wouldn't be too hasty in trading Evans. The Canadiens might find a team willing to take on Dvorak's contract, which would also help Montreal's salary cap situation. The Canadiens had no worries about the salary cap until the acquisition of Patrik Laine put them up against it. Carey Price's contract going on LTIR will clear some of that room, but if the Canadiens become contenders this season, the extra space won't hurt.
The acquisition of Laine also brings up an interesting question. Could Laine and Kapanen form a Finnish connection in the training camp that helps Kapanen with his move to North America? Laine commented in his introductory press conference about helping the younger prospects in the organization. Did we overlook a hint from Laine that he knows Kapanen has a chance to be in Montreal this season?
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