Kapanen expected to be 'perfect fit' for Crosby, Guentzel line
Jim Rutherford has been looking for the perfect fit on the right wing for the Crosby and Guentzel line for quite a while now. After acquiring Kasperi Kapanen back in August, Rutherford believes that he will be playing on the top line for the entirety of the 2020-21 season.
The 24-year-old scored 36 points (13 goals, 23 assists) in 69 games last season, while playing mostly on the second or third line for the Maple Leafs.
"Even the fact that they think I can be in one of those two spots is a huge honor for me, obviously playing with one of the two better hockey players in the world," Kapanen said then of possibly playing on a line with Crosby or center Evgeni Malkin. "I want to be great. I want to come into camp ready to go, show everyone I'm not messing around."
Last season, Crosby was great with 47 points (16 goals, 31 assists) in 41 games, but he missed 28 games due to a core muscle injury. Guentzel had 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 39 games, and he missed the remainder of the season after he had shoulder surgery on December 31.
"We really hope that we've got the right chemistry for a line for Sid," Rutherford told SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. "He has had really good chemistry with Guentzel here for a while, which will continue, but getting that right winger that works, and we're hoping that Kapanen is the guy that can do that.”
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Tom Wilson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alexander Ovechkin | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Josh Doan | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Victor Hedman | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack McBain | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dylan Strome | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Christian Dvorak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zemgus Girgensons | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Paul | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brayden Point | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cam Atkinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John Carlson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Desimone | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 56 | 39 | 14 | 3 | 81 | |
Capitals | 55 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 80 | |
Oilers | 55 | 34 | 17 | 4 | 72 | |
Stars | 55 | 35 | 18 | 2 | 72 | |
Golden Knights | 56 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 72 | |
Panthers | 57 | 34 | 20 | 3 | 71 | |
Hurricanes | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Wild | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Maple Leafs | 55 | 33 | 20 | 2 | 68 | |
Avalanche | 57 | 33 | 22 | 2 | 68 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||