On the eve of the beginning of training camps for the 24 playoff teams, most players have found their way back to their NHL cities. There are exceptions, however, such as newly-acquired Pittsburgh Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen, who is currently dealing with an immigration issue which has prevented him from entering the US.
With Kapanen stuck in Finland, it seems unlikely that he will be able to participate in Pens training camp, but more importantly, if Kapanen is expected to quarantine upon his return to the States, he may also miss the beginning of the regular season.
Kapanen was slated to start the season on Pittsburgh's top line, alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, but if he does not arrive in Pittsburgh by January 6th at the very latest, he will not be eligible to join the team on opening night when the Pens take on their most heated rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, when the season opens on January 13th.
If Kapanen is able to land in the US on the 6th, he could then begin his mandatory 7-day quarantine period, during which time he would be tested on the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th days. Should these 4 tests yield a negative result, the speedy winger would then become eligible to join the Pens.
Penguins GM Jim Rutherford has admitted that he does not yet know whether Kapanen's immigration issue will be resolved in time for the beginning of the regular season, but has confirmed that the 24-year-old is in the process of preparing for the season while stuck in Finland.
«He's skating and getting ready,» Rutherford said. «Hopefully we get him here sooner than later,» said Rutherford.
Kasperi is the son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen. He was originally drafted in the 1st round (22nd overall) back in 2014 by the Pittsburgh Penguins and was shipped off to Toronto as one of the main pieces in the Phil Kessel deal ahead of the 2015-16 season before ever having made his NHL debut.
Kapanen was re-acquired by the Pens from the Maple Leafs in a multi-player deal earlier this offseason, with prospect Filip Hallander and the 15th overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft (Rodion Amirov) being the main pieces headed the other way. Kapanen registered 90 points in 202 career NHL games during his time in Toronto.
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