When forward Kasperi Kapanen got the call from Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas on Tuesday morning informing him that he had been traded, he wasn't entirely surprised.
"You hear lots of rumors, especially for me it's been that way for quite some time," he said in a video call with reporters after the trade.
Kapanen said that when he woke up on Tuesday, he first saw some reports online that the Leafs were nearing a trade before he got the call from Dubas confirming the news. He had been traded back to Pittsburgh, the team that drafted him six years ago.
"I was super excited about that obviously," Kapanen said. "It's where it all began for me, which is pretty cool. I'm grateful that Jimmy (Rutherford) and Mike Sullivan want me to go there. It's been an exciting day."
Kapanen, 24, never got to play for the Penguins in the regular season during his first stint in the organization. He attended training camp and played in the preseason in 2014, but returned to Finland for the 2014-15 season for one last year. He joined Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for its 2015 playoff run after KalPa was eliminated from the Liiga playoffs, and was then traded to Toronto that offseason in the Phil Kessel deal.
His first stint in the organization was brief, but that familiarity he does have makes him feel more comfortable with the trade.
"I was lucky enough to be there for a short period of time when I got drafted," he said. "I was with Wilkes-Barre and some of the guys that are still playing with the Pens now. I'm familiar with pretty much the whole team, I know who everybody is. I have a lot of friends on that team. It makes it a whole lot easier going to a new team and a new city that I'm familiar with. I'm lucky, in a way I guess. I'm very excited. My family, my girlfriend, everybody here is excited for me."
Kapanen is a right-handed shot but can play either wing. He plays a two-way game that had him playing a big role on the Leafs' top penalty killing unit and playing on the Leafs' second power play unit. Kapanen said that he's more well-rounded a a player now than he was when he was last a member of the organization.
"When I was drafted I was kind of one-dimensional," he said. "I loved to play on offense, with the puck. Everything else was kind of lacking for me, especially to make that hop to the NHL."
Kapanen played in Toronto's top six, and skated on the right side of the second line alongside Zach Hyman and William Nylander these playoffs. When Dave Molinari spoke to Rutherford after the trade was complete, Rutherford made it clear that they envision Kapanen taking on a similar role in Pittsburgh.
“By adding him, it solidifies our top-six,” Rutherford said. “It’s something I’ve been trying to do for a while. He’ll end up playing with either (Sidney Crosby) or (Evgeni Malkin).”
Kapanen is looking forward to the assignment.
"It's a very positive thing," he said. "The fact that they think I could be in one of those two spots is just a huge honor for me, playing with one of the two better hockey players in the world. [laughs] It does mean that I've got to hit the gym soon and start working hard for the next year. I want to be great, I want to come into camp ready to go and show everyone that I'm not messing around. I'm very excited to be back in Pittsburgh and excited for this opportunity."
MORE ON THE TRADE:
• Rutherford: ‘Solidifies our top-six’
• Kovacevic: Rutherford's eye always on the prize
• Defense prospect Lindgren 'really smart, consistent'
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