Good News: Oliver Kapanen signed three-year contract with Canadiens

A young, talented player has agreed to his first NHL deal.

The Montreal Canadiens announced on Saturday that they and forward Oliver Kapanen have reached an agreement on a three-year, entry-level contract.

The Canadiens picked Kapanen 64th overall in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft.

The game of the Finnish center has several positive aspects. In the offensive zone, he possesses exceptional awareness and can finish both close to the goal and from a distance. In addition to his skill at finishing shots, Kapanen excels at setting up opportunities and locating teammates in high-scoring situations.

The 20-year-old has thrived in Finland’s premier division, Liiga, after being selected by Montreal. He plays for KalPa, the same team that his father Kimmo spent several seasons on. In 51 games this past season, Kapanen had a career-high 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points.

In 124 Liiga games, which included two on loan to Kärpät, Kapanen scored 27 goals and 38 assists, including 15 points in 20 playoff games.

He has also represented Suomi a number of times in his career. Kapanen played for the Finnish Junior National Team at the 2022 and 2023 IIHF World Junior Championships, before making his debut with the senior national team this past spring in Czechia. In eight games at the IIHF Men’s World Championship, Kapanen scored six goals, tied for fifth most in the tournament. He ended up being named one of Finland’s top three players.

Kapanen already has plenty of ties to the NHL. His uncle, Sami, was a longtime NHLer, while his cousin, Kasperi, is currently with the St. Louis Blues.

As a result of the signing, the Canadiens have 42 standard player contracts signed for next season. According to CapFriendly, Montreal has around $8.5 million of projected cap space.

It was time for his follow-up interview at the NHL Draft Combine in June 2023. He had given each other motivational words and urged each other to be yourself while sharing a room at the event in Buffalo with his close buddy and Michigan teammate Gavin Brindley. However, that was prior to Fantilli entering an interview space with a group of perhaps 12 to 15 individuals. He was unaware that he would be addressing such a sizable audience at once. His pulse quickened.

In 2020, Seth Jarvis also did so. He didn’t anticipate facing up against Martin Brodeur, one of his all-time favorite players, on the Zoom call because it was a COVID-19 year. The throat felt a little dry. Jarvis