Analyst Made a Foolish Prediction on Oliver Kapanen That Has Completely Backfired

A second-round pick by the Canadiens in the 2021 draft, the Finnish forward is complementing the second line very well alongside Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook, and he is temporarily solving the second-line center position.

However, despite his excellent start to the season, a comment that is likely to displease Canadiens fans has been made about him by one of his former coaches.

In a recent episode of the podcast The Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro, Jack Han, who previously served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Marlies in the American Hockey League, mentioned that he does not believe Oliver Kapanen will finish the season with the Montreal Canadiens.

According to him, he will eventually be sent down to the Laval Rocket, notably because his advanced statistics are rather ordinary, despite his strong start to the season.

Jack Han, who coached against Oliver Kapanen in Finland last year, also believes that his offensive production is influenced by the fact that he is playing on the same line as a certain Ivan Demidov.

If Ivan Demidov ever changes lines and Oliver Kapanen begins to experience some offensive difficulties, he expects the Canadiens' general manager, Kent Hughes, to make the decision to send him to Laval so he can earn quality minutes with the Rocket.

For now, things are going quite well for Oliver Kapanen, he's leading all NHL rookies with 6 goals and already has 10 points in his first 15 games.

His effectiveness as the second-line center has given Kent Hughes a bit of breathing room so far, but it will certainly be a situation to watch throughout the season as trade rumours keep circulating.