Penguins provide troublesome update on Kapanen days ahead of season

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been trying to reassure their fans after it was revealed last week that Kasperi Kapanen will not be present for the start of the team’s training camp on Sunday due to his immigration status.

“He has an immigration timing issue so he will get here partway through camp,” general manager Jim Rutherford had explained last Friday. 

However today, head coach Mike Sullivan was asked about his new forearm, who was acquired this past summer, and his answers were comforting at all despite the fact that Kapanen will be arriving in Pittsburgh tomorrow. That’s because he needs to follow COVID-19 protocols and quarantine rules.

“Kappy’s arriving tomorrow, and then he’ll have to go through the COVID protocol, which is about an eight-day process.”

Things weren’t as reassuring as fans as hoped since Sullivan couldn’t say when Kapanen would suit up for a game. 

“That’s a tough one to answer, because until we get him here and we can have a conversation with Kasperi on his fitness level and his comfort level with how we’re trying to play, it’s hard for me to answer that question…

…I’ll have a lot of interaction with him via WebEx or phone calls while he’s going through that quarantine period. We’re gonna introduce our team concept to him through that process as well so that he has the ability to make sure he’s learning the Penguins way here.”

The clock is ticking, especially now that we know, per head coach Mike Sullivan, that Kapanen is likely to play on the right wing of the top line that is centered by Sidney Crosby this upcoming season. We bet the Pens would have like to see their chemistry ahead of the campaign during camp… 
Fans in Pittsburgh cannot wait to see Kapanen in a Pens’ uniform and play games for the club who selected in the first round back in 2014. He was however moved to Toronto in July of 2015 as part of the blockbuster trade that brought star forward Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh.

 The Penguins are scheduled to open the 2020-21 campaign on Jan. 13 with a road game against the rival Philadelphia Flyers.