Just a few days ago, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan struck a positive tone when asked about Kasperi Kapanen, easily the most maddening player on his roster.
"He's gaining some traction," Sullivan said Sunday. "If he keeps using his speed the way he's capable of — he's got to shoot the puck and go to the net when he does that — I think he's going to help us. I think he's going to score some goals."
Those good vibes lasted about two periods during Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Florida Panthers. As the Penguins pushed to try to tie the score, Kapanen got planted on the bench. Sullivan sent him out for just two shifts, only one at 5-on-5.
It was at least the fourth time in two months Sullivan had seen enough of Kapanen on Evgeni Malkin's right wing and knocked him down the depth chart.
After the loss, Sullivan was bluntly asked what is left for the coach to do with the 25-year-old at this point to try to get what the Penguins need out of him.
"I don't know if I have an answer for you. I'm trying to make decisions behind the bench here, game to game, that's going to give our team the best chance to win," he said. "We needed to get more throughout our lineup, just as far as more threats from different lines. ... We'll see where it goes moving forward."
Needless to say, Sullivan is both frustrated and disappointed with how the season has gone for Kapanen. Six months ago, when the Penguins arrived in Cranberry for training camp, Sullivan pumped him up as a potential "elite" player, though it was curious that he asked Kapanen to skate in five preseason games.
Kapanen did not score in his first nine games, recorded a hat trick in the 10th then chipped in with just five more over the next 23 games. The Penguins could excuse away his struggles to a degree by pointing to the fact that Malkin was still sidelined. They hoped those two would again click when Malkin returned.
Indeed, Kapanen picked up a pair of assists in Malkin's first game back on Jan. 11. But in the 23 games since, he has just one goal, five assists and a minus-7 rating. He got a haircut somewhere in there, but even that did not change his luck.
"I'm going to say this until I'm done playing hockey: If you're not getting chances, then that's a problem. But I'm getting chances," he said Sunday. "They're just not going in. It's something I've got to work on. After practice, I've probably got to stay on the ice more and work on some things and just get some reps."
The chances have not really been there for him, though, at least not at the rate one would expect given the caliber of his teammates and his top-six ice time.
He has just nine shots from the inner slot in 24 games since Malkin returned with zero rebound chances, according to Sportlogiq. He has only 13 individual high-danger chances, per Natural Hat Trick. Nine Penguins forwards, including Brian Boyle and Dominik Simon, have had more. He's had one shot or fewer 15 times.
Even more confounding is that he has become a non-factor on the counterattack. Last season, it seemed like he busted free for a breakaway every other game. But the last two months, he has just 14 chances off the rush, per Sportlogiq.
And whenever it appears Kapanen might finally be making that leap forward with his all-around play, he takes three or four little steps back into obscurity.
This past week was the latest example. Kapanen was buzzing alongside Malkin in last Thursday's win at Tampa Bay. He helped make Pittsburgh's first goal happen by firing a shot from the right flank that Danton Heinen followed up for a score.
The next night in Carolina, he had two miscues that directly led to goals. Then he was benched, along with Simon and Evan Rodrigues, in Tuesday's loss.
On Sunday, Kapanen said the team playing well is "the most important thing."
"Obviously, I want to contribute and score goals and be a factor out there," he said. "Listen, if I don't score another goal this season and the team keeps winning and we make the playoffs and we have a good run, that's what I'm here for."
But will he be? That is fair to wonder as the March 21 trade deadline looms.
In a recent interview with the Post-Gazette, president of hockey operations Brian Burke said the Penguins, with little salary cap space and few highly-coveted future assets, probably will not do "something big or noisy at the deadline." He dismissed the notion that Jason Zucker or Mike Matheson might get dealt.
He did not, however, go out of his way to voice his support for Kapanen, who has a $3.2 million salary cap hit and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
If general manager Ron Hextall does make a rare player-for-player trade in-season with a different middle-six forward coming back, Kapanen is one to watch.
In the short term, what can Sullivan do with Kapanen to try to light a spark?
The Penguins have never made the winger a healthy scratch in his Penguins tenure. That will not help his trade value, but it certainly merits consideration.
It would be a stretch to slot Brian Boyle into Kapanen's spot. The top fill-in options are on their American Hockey League team. Sullivan raved about Valtteri Puustinen last month and top forward prospect Sam Poulin has made strides in 2022. Drew O'Connor and Radim Zohorna are always in the call-up conversation.
The Penguins have an open roster spot after sending Kasperi Bjorkqvist back to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Wednesday.
But Sullivan and the Penguins must do something here to stop the madness.
