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Why qualify Kasperi Kapanen and not Danton Heinen? |
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The Pittsburgh Penguins had until today to qualify their restricted free agents. This included Kasperi Kapanen, Danton Heinen, and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, among others. Here are the choices that were made
No surprise about Pierre-Olivier Joseph he was always going to be qualified. I am also not surprised the team qualified Kasperi Kapanen, they aren’t the Chicago Blackhawks. Qualifying a player does not mean you are committed to the player it just means you hold their rights. Which means you can still trade them. This is the path I hope the team is taking. I’ve personally had my fill of Kasperi Kapanen. He is a very limited player who depends on very specific scenarios to be effective, namely shooting off of the rush. If the Penguins want a Kapanen-like player they just re-signed Alex Nylander to a two-way deal a few hours ago. You can give that a try. It is in the same neighborhood.
As for players they did not qualify
The player of note here is Danton Heinen. Why would they allow him to hit free agency? The simple answer is arbitration. They do not want financial terms dictated to them and it is precisely what arbitration would do. By allowing him to hit free agency it does not close the door on re-signing him. It certainly allows other teams to bid for his services openly. I understand the decision here. He is coming off of an 18-goal season. It was a career high. Arbitration muddies the waters. The Penguins need clarity. The “problem” with when you hit on a low-risk medium reward player is that they are due for a pay raise. Heinen earned a pay raise. He performed well above expectations. Sometimes both parties have to do what is best for them. This speeds the process up rather than dragging it out. The Penguins have to know what they are spending and on who. Can’t be at the whims of an arbitrator, not this offseason.
Thanks for reading!
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • 
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