Penguins to place Kasperi Kapanen on waivers: Why now, and what’s next for Pittsburgh?

The Penguins will place forward Kasperi Kapanen on waivers Friday, coach Mike Sullivan said. Here’s what you need to know:

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Backstory

Kapanen, 26, has seven goals and 13 assists in 43 games this season, his third in Pittsburgh. He played the first five seasons of his career with the Maple Leafs after the Penguins initially selected him with the No. 22 pick of the 2014 NHL Draft.

Pittsburgh is tenth in the Eastern Conference at 27-21-9 this season.

Why Kapanen is being placed on waivers

Kapanen going on waivers is the easiest move Hextall could make to clear cap space so that defenseman Jan Rutta can return to the lineup this weekend for the Penguins.

It’s also all but a public admission by Hextall that re-signing Kapanen to a two-year contract at $3.2 million annually was a glaring mistake last summer. That deal never seemed to make sense, seeing as Sullivan had struggled to get through to Kapanen in two previous seasons, and it was the first hint that Sullivan and Hextall weren’t on the same page.

Hextall had been trying to trade Kapanen since earlier this season, but he couldn’t find any takers to his liking. Hextall began looking to move Kapanen in November, right around when Sullivan benched Kapanen for nine out of 10 games. — Rossi

What it means for the Penguins

By sending Kapanen to the AHL, the Penguins will clear enough cap space for Rutta to return. The move will also allow them to keep forward Drew O’Connor in the NHL, something coaches favored as he has become one of their more noticeable bottom-six forwards.

Kapanen didn’t really have a role with the Penguins, other than to play in the bottom six. He proved ineffective as a penalty killer earlier this season, and what scoring he did provide was sporadic.

The Penguins probably aren’t any worse off for not having Kapanen in their lineup, but if he’s not claimed off waivers, his demotion to the AHL will count as another strike against Hextall in terms of asset management and player assessment.

If Kapanen is claimed off waivers, the Penguins project to shed $1.125 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. That means the Penguins would still need to make a corresponding move to get Rutta onto the active roster, and it’s likely that move could be waiving defenseman Mark Friedman, with the idea being Friedman would clear waivers and be re-assigned to the AHL. — Rossi

What’s next for Pittsburgh?

As reported Friday, Sullivan has been pushing Hextall to trade for Arizona Coyotes defenseman Jakob Chychrun. However, Hextall has been unwilling to pay the Coyotes’ asking price.

Upgrading on left defense and in the bottom six would serve the Penguins well, and it’s at least possible that Hextall can turn his attention to another potential trade now that Kapanen is no longer taking up a chunk of cap space and a roster spot.

To be clear, though, merely moving on from Kapanen and being able to return Rutta to the lineup will not solve too many of the problems facing the Penguins, who are 8-12-5 since late December and have fallen out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. — Rossi

Required reading

(Photo: Charles LeClaire / USA Today)