Kapanen relishing chance with Oilers: 'These are the best days of my life'

Kasperi Kapanen is appreciative to be playing a pivotal role in the Edmonton Oilers' Stanley Cup Final run after his NHL future was in jeopardy as recently as late last year.

"I've bounced around," Kapanen said after Wednesday's Game 1 win, per Sportsnet's Luke Fox. "And there's no point in getting into the why it wasn't working out ... but I knew that, potentially, this might be my last chance, and I'm grateful they gave me the opportunity."

The Oilers claimed Kapanen off waivers from the St. Louis Blues in November. It was the second time he'd been waived in just under two years. Edmonton also represented his third stop over the past three seasons.

Kapanen, 28, registered a modest 13 points in 57 games after arriving in Edmonton, and he was a scratch for all of the Oilers' first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings. However, he's stepped up since, scoring the series-clinching goal in Round 2 before contributing two assists in a 4-3 overtime win to start the Cup Final. He's also earned a bigger role after Zach Hyman's injury and is currently slotted beside Leon Draisaitl on the second line.

"These are the best days of my life right now, just coming to the rink and playing these games," Kapanen said. "Listen, my blood pressure is really high, and it is nerve-wracking. But I'm just enjoying this. I mean, everybody is nervous at this time. Playoff hockey is the best."

Kapanen was a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014 but began his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto dealt him back to Pittsburgh after the 2019-2020 campaign. He then spent parts of three seasons with the Penguins before ending up in St. Louis via waivers.

Kapanen has totaled 227 points in 527 career games. He's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent July 1.