Penguins forward Kasperi Kapanen will not be present for the start of the team’s training camp Sunday because of his immigration status.
“He has an immigration timing issue, so he will get here partway through camp,” general manager Jim Rutherford said by phone on Friday.
A native of Finland, Kapanen is seen as a candidate to play on the right wing on the top line centered by Sidney Crosby this upcoming season.
Rutherford was hesitant to say if Kapanen would be available by the start of the regular season. The Penguins are scheduled to open the 2020-21 campaign on Jan. 13 with a road game against the rival Philadelphia Flyers.
“This is an immigration issue, so I don’t have a timeline on it,” Rutherford said.
Given the coronavirus pandemic, Kapanen’s delay in joining the team is expected to be amplified by a quarantine protocol.
The Penguins reacquired Kapanen in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Aug. 25, 2020. A first-round pick of the Penguins in 2014, Kapanen was dealt to Toronto in July 2015 as part of the blockbuster trade that brought star forward Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh.
Training camp for the Penguins is scheduled to take place at PPG Paints Arena.
