Kapanen making most of opportunity as win streak continues

When he started this season's training camp, winger Kasperi Kapanen wasn't assured of anything. But the 22-year-old has made the most of the opportunities Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock has extended to him - posting four goals and eight points in Toronto's seven games this year - and although he's happy for his individual success, he's most pleased to play a role in the team's strong start to the campaign.

"It's nice to score some goals and be a factor in the games and play a lot," Kapanen said after the Leafs' practice Tuesday. "The best part about playing (good) hockey is you get to play a lot, you get a bigger role, and bigger responsibilities. So I've been enjoying that for sure."

BABCOCK BELIEVES IN 'KIDS EARN THEIR WAY' PHILOSOPHY

Since he was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins in the summer of 2015, Kapanen had short stints with the Leafs in the three seasons that followed, earning 55 games of NHL regular-season experience while spending most of those years honing his game with the American League's Marlies.
That journey took him from the Leafs' fourth line to start this season to playing with winger Patrick Marleau and centre Auston Matthews. And that change in linemates has put Kapanen on a roll on offense: he's amassed three goals and four points in his past two games, and four goals and eight points in his past five games. That production has earned him the confidence of his teammates and the coaching staff.
Slowly but surely, he's worked on all elements of his approach, and he's been patient while following the mantra Babcock first learned as a bench boss with the Detroit Red Wings.
"The way we do it, the way I do it - and I learned from (Wings GM) Ken Holland - basically is 'kids earn their way,' " Babcock said Tuesday. "So when you come here and you're a kid, whether you like it or not, you start on the fourth line, whether you think or whether other people think you should be ahead, and then you earn your way. And when you earn your way, then you can play anywhere.
"But (Kapanen) started the year…on that fourth line, and he's found a way through his play to get an opportunity, and then what he's done with the opportunity is he's taken advantage of the opportunity. So now he's got some swagger, feels good about himself, and they like playing with him. So, good for him and good for the line."

SPEED ALWAYS A WEAPON FOR KAPANEN, REGARDLESS OF THE SPORT HE'S PLAYED

An obvious strength of Kapanen's is his speed, which the Finnish native has used as a weapon at all levels. And not just in hockey, either. Whether it's helping him skate with Matthews on a 2-on-1 rush as he did in Monday's 4-1 win over Los Angeles or playing a different sport, his speed has been an asset wherever Kapanen has chosen to participate.
"I've always been fast," Kapanen said. "Whether it's soccer, lacrosse or hockey, I felt like I've always been one of the fastest ones on the team. It's something I just focus on a lot during the summers. I focus on some things I'm not really good at, but i focus a lot on my speed too, because that's the reason why I'm in the league. Skating's a thing I need to use as much as I can when I'm on the ice, and I think it's been improving every summer."
As the Leafs hunker down for a stretch that includes home games against Pittsburgh and St. Louis, followed by back-to-back games against Winnipeg, they'll need Kapanen and all his teammates, young and old, to continue to focus on buffering their all-around games. Whether you're an NHL player who's been around for only a few months or eight or nine years, you have to realize improvement is happening all around you.
And taking your foot off the gas when you think you've 'arrived' is the last thing you should be doing.
"The biggest thing is when you're a young player and you first arrive in the league, sometimes you think you've got it made," Babcock said. "You've got to realize how hard you've got to work every day, and continue to get better, because the players around you are doing that."