Kasperi Kapanen won’t get caught sleeping again.
That’s the hope of the Maple Leafs, who are hedging their bets that a one-game benching of the winger brings to an end a disregard for team rules.
“I think we’re a pretty forgiving place,” Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said on Monday. “Things happen all the time … but when there is a pattern of things that have not corrected themselves, you have to do something a little bit outside what you normally might do.”
So it was that Kapanen watched the Leafs’ 2-1 overtime win versus the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night from the press box with injured teammates Morgan Rielly and Ilya Mikheyev.
Rather than have Kapanen address the benching that night, the Leafs let him stew for another 24 hours.
Kapanen, in talking to media on Monday morning before getting back into the lineup against the Florida Panthers, acknowledged careless behaviour on his part.
But after having some time to think about what he might say, there was some confusion from Kapanen regarding the situation. Kapanen copped to sleeping in on Friday causing him to be late for practice, and then said similar occurrences happened when he played for the Toronto Marlies. Keefe didn’t have a recollection of anything happening with Kapanen in the minors, but alluded to earlier incidents with the Leafs.
“It’s all to do with here, both in previous to my time coming and since arriving here (on Nov. 20 when he replaced Mike Babcock),” Keefe said. “This is not a punishment or anything like that. It’s about trying to reset the player and trying to help him grow and get better.
“Especially in this case, it was innocent, (but) it just gets to the point where you have to respond for the sake of the player and for the sake of the team.”
For his part, Kapanen was contrite, but lost some patience when questions persisted.
“They felt like sitting me out was something I deserved, and I agree,” Kapanen said. “I have to take responsibility for that.
“It’s not me not caring, it’s an honest mistake. I overslept. I don’t want my teammates to think I’m not serious about this. They sat me out and that’s it.”
Kapanen answered with a curt “no” when asked whether the thought it would hurt his standing in the organization.
Why not?
“Listen guys, if you want to talk about hockey, I’m all for it,” Kapanen said. “So talk about today or the future, that’s fine, but I overslept.”
To what extent did Kapanen seek the advice of his dad, Sami, a former NHLer?
“Nothing,” Kapanen said. “I’m a grown man and know I did wrong and just have to live up to it and just forget about it.”
As it is, the benching came in the midst of trade speculation involving the 23-year-old, the belief being that if Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas is able to acquire a defenceman of repute prior to the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 24, a player of Kapanen’s stature would have to be moved.
“It’s always going to be there,” Kapanen said of the trade chatter. “It’s no surprise. I don’t really read into that stuff. Just focusing on being with the guys here. We have a great group.”
Kapanen, who last off-season signed a three-year contract with an annual average value of $3.2 million US, has been battling on-ice inconsistency in 2019-20, scoring 10 goals in 51 games prior to Monday after he had 20 last season.
Keefe said his first inclination was to protect the player, but Kapanen wanted to speak publicly.
What’s clear is there is no appetite from the coach’s office for another off-ice misstep on Kapanen’s part.
“Anytime you get called out like that, and held accountable, it gives you an opportunity to reflect and grow from it and that’s really what we were looking for,” Keefe said. “We want him to be the player he is capable of being. We need him to be great and I fully expect he will be.”
TEAMMATES GET BENCHING
Not that the rest of the Maple Leafs needed to get the message sent to Kasperi Kapanen, but it found a mark in the dressing room anyway.
“It just shows there has to be accountability for actions,” veteran centre Jason Spezza said on Monday. “For the player (involved), it’s more personal, but for the team, it shows there is a standard that has to be met.
“It’s what the coaching staff expects, and we all take notice of it.”
Kapanen didn’t address the Leafs as a whole, instead talking to some of his teammates about his one-game benching on an individual basis.
Captain John Tavares, who sets a fine example each time he walks into the room, naturally concurred with Spezza.
“There is a certain expectation and a standard, especially with what we are trying to accomplish,” Tavares said. “That accountability we need, we talk a lot about it on the ice, but (it applies) off the ice as well.
“I think sometimes a situation like this can get blown out of proportion. I think it was an honest mistake. I don’t think (Kapanen) is trying to come in and be unprofessional. No one is perfect. We support Kappy.”
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