A Winning Habit
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Five Prospects The Montreal Canadiens Need To Get Signed ASAP

By Ken MacMillan

UVM's goalie, Gabe Carriere makes a blocker save on Boston University's Lane Hutson during the
UVM's goalie, Gabe Carriere makes a blocker save on Boston University's Lane Hutson during the / AL FREY/for the Free Press / USA TODAY
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Oliver Kapanen

Oliver Kapanen was a second round draft pick of the Canadiens in 2020. He has been playing in Finland ever since he was picked by the Habs and is starting to show signs of a strong two-way game in Liiga, the top pro league in Finland.

He represented Finland twice at the World Juniors, scoring three points in five games and wearing the captain's C on his sweater in the 2023 tournament and he earned a silver medal for his country as well.

In Liiga this season, a traditionally lower scoring league, Kapanen scored 14 goals and 34 points in 51 games which was an increase of seven points in four less games compared to the previous season. He has been even better in the postseason, helping Kalpa win the qualification round as they were the seventh seed in their conference, and he now has seven points in just five postseason games.

He is still just 20 years old and is having great success in Liiga. The Canadiens hold his rights for another year after this, but he could become an NHL free agent on June 1, 2025 (according to capfriendly.com) and that is a situation the team needs to avoid.

Kapanen is a decent sized, 6'1" right shooting center with two-way capabilities. He is developing fine in Finland, but the quicker the team can get him to North America the better for his long term potential at the NHL level and they should be trying to do that immediately.

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