One of the biggest surprises of the Canadiens' training camp was undoubtedly Oliver Kapanen.
The Swedish forward surprised so much that many already saw him taking Christian Dvorak's spot on the third offensive unit.
For a long time, we thought the two options for the 64th overall pick of the 2021 draft were either with the Canadiens or with his team in the Swedish league. However, it now seems that the option to send him to the Laval Rocket is possible, but there is a condition.
Oliver Kapanen with the Laval Rocket?
As user Jean-Francois C. reports on the X platform, in order to assign Kapanen to the Laval Rocket, the Canadiens must keep him on their roster for 60 days, until December 7th.
The team's management now has a two-month window to better evaluate their young player. They will be able to see how he performs in meaningful games and against a full NHL lineup.
Again, according to user Jean-Francois C., the Canadiens could assign their prospect to the AHL right now. But before the 60 days are up, his Swedish team would have, according to IIHF transfer rules, priority and could bring him back to Europe to honor his contract.
According to many, the AHL is superior to the SHL. It would therefore be more advantageous to keep him within the team's organization and, in a few months, gain the option to assign him to Laval.
The season is still young, and Kapanen could very well prove that he belongs in the NHL and secure a permanent spot on the team. However, it seems he will need to take the place of either Emil Heineman or Alex Barré-Boulet.
This is a story to follow.
