Penguins lose Kasperi Kapanen on waivers!

The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost one of their forwards for absolutely no return.

According to a report from National Hockey League insider Frank Seravalli, now former Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen has been claimed off of waivers by the St. Louis Blues on Saturday.

Kapanen was of course waived on Friday in what many considered to be a shocking move, although there was some debate about whether or not he would be claimed due to his significant cap hit. We now know that Blues general manager Doug Armstrong felt comfortable picking up Kapanen and his cap hit of $3.2 million for both this season and the next, which makes sense considering Armstrong has shipped out a number of big contracts already ahead  of the National Hockey League's trade deadline.

Although the Penguins lose a forward that appeared in 43 games for them this season and get nothing in return, they likely will welcome the cap relief that comes as a result of the Blues' decision to take Kapanen off their hands. It is unclear if Penguins general manager Ron Hextall intends to utilize that cap space ahead of the trade deadline, but it seems likely that he and the Penguins planned for this possibility ahead of waiving Kapanen on Friday.