Kapanen Hoping to Bounce Back

Having a productive training camp is the first step towards a bounce-back season for Kasperi Kapanen.
"It's always good to come back to camp and see everybody. See all the guys and get into the groups," Kapanen said. "I feel good right now."

One teammate that Kapanen was especially looking forward to seeing was Jeff Carter. They have a really good relationship that started back when Carter was teammates with Kapanen's dad Sami on the Philadelphia Flyers.
Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan feels like Kapanen has gravitated towards Carter's veteran leadership, and has been playing them on a line together because of the chemistry they showed towards the end of last season that stems from their dynamic.
"I know he really looks up to Carts," Sullivan said. "Carts has done a good job trying to mentor Kappy and trying to help him along the way and share his experiences."
Like how to respond from a bit of a down year, where Kapanen finished with 11 goals and 32 points in 79 games while experiencing a few lengthy slumps. That lack of production had a snowball effect, affecting Kapanen mentally and taking the joy out of the game. So Kapanen said his approach this summer was to try and get his mind off of hockey, and focus instead on positive things that make him happy.
"I'm just trying to get back to my roots, and just being the player that I used to be," he said.
The Penguins know that the winger, who turned 26 two days after signing a two-year contract extension in July, is capable of more. They believe in him, and know he can play the type of game that the Penguins are trying to play, as they've seen glimpses of it since acquiring him from Toronto in the summer of 2020.
"Kappy has done some good things for us. I think if you look two years ago, he had 30 points in 40 games," Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said. "A little bit of a down year, certainly, last year. We wanted more from him, and I think he'd tell you the same thing. So, we expect Kappy to bounce back and be a productive player for us."
Kapanen, who scored a career-high 20 goals in the 2018-19 season with Toronto, also saw a decent amount of shorthanded time during his tenure with the Maple Leafs organization. The Penguins are going to try and get him more involved in that area of the game this year, having him kill penalties during the preseason.
"With my speed, I can be a threat out there and help the team with PKs. I did in Toronto for four or five years," Kapanen said. "It's good to get back out there. I'm a little rusty still, but it's coming along well."
It's an example of the versatility that Kapanen brings, and the Penguins are hoping that they can figure out the sweet spot in terms of where he can contribute the most.
"We can move him up and down the lineup depending on what the needs of the team are," Sullivan said. "He's capable of playing in a top-six role, he can play with Sid or Geno, he can play with Carts. So he's a versatile player, brings a ton of speed, can really shoot the puck.
"There are some areas of his game that we're trying to encourage him to engage a little more in. He can get better in the offensive zone just in creating offense different ways, not just utilizing his speed off the rush, but also getting in the grind game a little bit and embracing the traffic game, because we think he's capable. He's big and strong. I think in today's game, it's an important part of creating offense. So we're trying to help Kappy in that capacity."