Oilers claim F Kapanen off waivers from Blues
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The Edmonton Oilers have claimed forward Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from the St. Louis Blues.
Kapanen has one goal in 10 games this season with the Blues. He is a pending unrestricted free agent, carrying a cap hit of $1 million.
Kapanen had six goals and 22 points in 73 games with the Blues last season.
The 28-year-old winger has 85 goals and 209 points in 470 career games with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins and Blues.
He was selected 22nd overall by the Penguins in the 2014 draft.
Oilers look for spark
The Oilers are off to an uneven 9-8-2 start and enter Tuesday's game against the Ottawa Senators coming off an overtime loss in Toronto on Saturday and a 3-0 shutout at the hands of the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
Finding offence has become a concern for the Oilers so far this season.
“We’re obviously not scoring at the rate that we usually do now,” defenceman Mattias Ekholm said after Monday's loss. “And when you don’t, and things aren’t going your way, that’s when you’ve got to go back to your fundamentals and just play it simple.”
“I thought we played hard, I thought we controlled a lot of the puck,” forward Derek Ryan added. “We had some time in the offensive zone but maybe a little bit too much perimeter. We’ve got to find some ways to get on the interior parts of the ice. Battles in front of the net, some second and thirds, that’s where you score goals when you’re struggling to score."
The Oilers will return home after Tuesday's game, hosting the Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers later this week.