ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Blues claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the Penguins, just hours before the two teams met Saturday at Enterprise Center.
Pittsburgh placed Kapanen on waivers Friday. The 26-year-old forward did not make the trip to St. Louis ahead of the game, so is not available for Saturday’s game.
Kapanen could make his Blues debut as soon as Tuesday. A Finland native, Kapanen has played eight seasons between the Pittsburgh and Toronto Maple Leafs. He has 70 goals, 102 assists and 102 points over 364 career games.
For St. Louis, the move gives some depth at forward before the NHL trade deadline, following the trades of veterans Vladimir Tarsenko, Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari. The Blues will inherit the remainder of Kapanen’s contract, which will pay him around $3.2 million next year.
The Blues and Penguins are underway Saturday as part of NHL’s on ABC coverage. The Blues have lost four consecutive contests.