NHL Rumors: Penguins Considering Placing Winger On Waivers

The Pittsburgh Penguins might make a drastic move with their forwards in the near future. Dave Molinari of Pittsburgh Hockey Now suggests placing Kasperi Kapanen on waivers may be something that the Penguins are considering.

This isn't by any means out of the realm of possibilities. Kapanen has not had a strong season and has been demoted to the fourth line where he is averaging the third-fewest minutes per game among forwards. He has recorded just one goal and five assists and was a healthy scratch for two consecutive games recently.

Kapanen is being paid $3.2 million AAV for this season and next while the Penguins have a number of younger players pushing for NHL jobs including Filip Hallander, Drew O'Connor, and Samuel Poulin. The Penguins have long been a team that can develop talent well and have them enter the lineup to produce. It appears as though the next batch is ready and they must clear a roster spot as well as eventually free up some cap.

The Penguins may be considering sending Kapanen down because his contract is too tough to move right now and they need the most effective players in their lineup to push themselves into the playoff picture. Kapanen isn't helping them win so either a cap dump or buyout could be on the horizon.