the montreal canadiens have acquired a top-tier center with the selection of swedish player oliver kapanen

By All Habs

March 3, 2024

1 min read

This move dates back to the Bergevin/Timmins era, but it has aged very well for the organization. Even though the first-round picks weren’t very shining for the duo, it must be admitted that the prospect pool was better stocked when they left than when Bergevin arrived.

In 2021, the two men selected Oliver Kapanen in the 2nd round. He is the cousin of Kasperi Kapanen and is expected to be even better. According to former Canadiens scout Grant McCagg, he has the potential to become a top-six center, a key player.

McCagg adds that he is the most underestimated prospect in the Canadiens’ system. With the current prospect pool, that’s quite a statement!

Kapanen currently has 23 points in 38 games in the top Finnish league. At 20 years old, he could come to North America directly after his season in Europe.

To give you an idea, his production is almost equivalent to Elias Lindholm’s since the start of the season in terms of points per game.

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The Montreal Canadiens have acquired a top-tier center with the selection of Swedish player Oliver Kapanen