Penguins RFA Plans: Qualify Kapanen, Nix Heinen

According to a report that broke first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now, the Penguins are expected to extend a qualifying offer to restricted free agent forward Kasperi Kapanen. Not so with fellow RFA forward Danton Heinen.

Thanks to the way Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas structured his contract, Kapanen’s offer will be for $840,000. Heinen’s would’ve been for $1.1 million…his 2021-22 cap hit.

Personally, I would’ve prioritized Heinen over Kapanen. The former Bruin and Duck was in my humble opinion a pleasant surprise, tallying a career-best 18 goals while averaging a relatively modest 12:43 of ice time per game. The stealthy forward was good enough to place fifth among black-and-gold skaters in…