CRANBERRY, Pa. -- It was a frustrating few months for Kasperi Kapanen.
Kapanen, with his visa issues settled and COVID protocol finally over, joined the Penguins for practice for the first time on Monday at the Lemieux Complex and spoke afterward about his struggle in getting back into the country in the period leading up to camp.
"Around October, they told me I had to apply for my visa, and we sent it in to the embassy," Kapanen said of the process. "Didn't see it 'til January. That kind of sucked, but I've got to thank everyone in the organization that helped me get it faster and do everything they can do get me here. It's unfortunate that I missed camp, but I'm just happy to be here now."
It doesn't sound like there was anything Kapanen could have done to get here any sooner. A P-1A visa, the classification for professional athletes coming to the United States, requires "the beginning and ending dates for the events or activities, and a copy of any itinerary for the events or activities" as part of the application process. The NHL didn't even have a target date for the start of the season until early October, which is why Kapanen and several other European players -- such as Anton Khudobin, Mikael Granlund, and Carl Soderberg, to name a few -- missed either all or part of their team's training camp. The plans for the 2020-21 season came together quickly, and the short timeframe coupled with immigration offices not working at full capacity due to COVID-19 caused applications to get backed up and delayed.
Once Kapanen arrived in Pittsburgh in Jan. 9, he still wasn't free to join the team. Players who traveled for camp had to fulfill a seven-day quarantine before joining team, being tested for coronavirus on the first, third, fifth, and seventh days. During that period, players aren't allowed to skate, be in the gym, or do anything else outside of their hotel room.
"I was trying to watch the games as much as I can," Kapanen said of the down time. "They brought me gym equipment, so I was able to do some workouts at home. Then it was just sleeping, trying to recover, trying to keep busy, talking to people to back home, family and friends. It was a long week for sure, but I'm just happy that it's over with now."
Kapanen was also able to have virtual meetings with the Penguins' coaching staff during his quarantine, going over video and learning the system.
Sunday was the first day Kapanen was cleared to be around the team, but since the Penguins had a 12 p.m. start against the Capitals for the home opener, there was no opportunity for a team game-day skate and the coaching staff didn't want his first experience back on the ice to be being thrown into the middle of a game. He was able to skate in Sunday morning separate from the rest of the team, but Monday was the first full day of practice for Kapanen.
I asked Kapanen how he felt physically on Monday after essentially going from a week in his hotel room right into a full NHL practice.
"I guess I feel a little sluggish," Kapanen said. "But that's to be expected after quarantining and staying inside for a week. But I'm just happy to be here, happy to be with the guys and get a good skate in. Everything considered, I feel okay."
The first drill of practice saw Kapanen skating with Evgeni Malkin and Jason Zucker, with Bryan Rust moving up to the top line alongside Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby. But for the drills after that, including the regular line rushes, Kapanen was skating right where many had him penciled in prior to the start of training camp: On the right side of the first line, playing with Crosby and Guentzel.
How quickly can those three develop chemistry, after Kapanen wasn't available for training camp?
"I think it always takes a little bit of time whenever you come to a new team or even play with new players," he said. "But they know what they're doing, they've played together for awhile now. I'm just going to try to fit in the best I can, bring out the best in me and use my best qualities to help that line out. I think once we get a couple of games in, practices, maybe even some video, I think it could be a really good line."
His speed and doing a lot of the little things to support that line and help with puck possession are some of those qualities he can bring to the line.
"Obviously it's a couple of very talented players," he said with a smile when asked about Crosby and Guentzel. "They play with the puck a lot and know how to make plays. Looking at both of their track records, it shows what kind of players they are. I think I can bring a little bit of speed to that line, hunt down pucks, get the pucks back to them. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do."
Even coming off of a week-plus off the ice, that speed that Kapanen has was evident in his first practice. The video package from the Penguins that day captured some of it:
Kapanen said that he didn't think it'll be an issue getting back up to speed after being off the ice as long as he was.
"I don't think speed-wise, that's ever really been an issue for me," he said.
Kapanen worked on the penalty kill during the special teams portion of practice, going back-and-forth between the first and second units, facing off against both the first and second power play units.
"I think the penalty kill is a big part of my game," Kapanen said. "I just use my speed and tenacity to put pressure on their players. Whenever there's a chance, I'll go on the forecheck or the offense. That's what I'm going to try to do. I think it's also a good chance to try to make plays and catch them off guard. I've been playing on the penalty kill maybe four years now, and I feel like every year I'm just trying to get better and better. Once I get the systems down here too, I think I'll be a good PK player for us."
Mike Sullivan said that he anticipates Kapanen being "a big part of the penalty kill."
"He's got a ton of speed, he has good size, he has a long reach," Sullivan said. "He was a good penalty killer in Toronto. I know he has penalty kill acumen, so to speak. We'll try to get him more familiar with how we're trying to kill and the details associated with our concept here."
Kapanen is still working on fitting in on the ice, but if you ask his fellow countryman Juuso Riikola, Kapanen is already a good fit in the locker room and brings a pretty big intangible to the team: He doubles the number of Finnish players to two.
"He's a funny guy," Riikola said of Kapanen. "I've known him, pfft, maybe 10 years now? He's a really easy guy to get along (with). He's here a couple of days and he's friends with everybody. He's an easy guy to get close (with). Him being here, it's awesome. Last year I was kind of alone without any Finns, but now I have one. I think it helps when you can talk in your own language sometimes in the day."
Sullivan said that it hasn't yet been decided if Kapanen will be in the lineup Tuesday evening for the second game against the Capitals, using the phrase "game-day decision" for the first time this season. But first impressions were good.
"I thought he had a good practice," Sullivan said. "It's never easy trying to jump right in to a team practice like that when we've had as many days as we've had together. He's trying to jump n a moving train, so to speak. But I thought he did a pretty good job. His mobility, his skating is very evident. He has good size, he's strong on the puck. I'm sure with each day that he gets under his belt, he's going to feel better physically and he'll also be more familiar with how we're trying to play."
Kapanen says he's ready.
"That's something that we still have to talk about with the staff, it was my first skate with the team," he said. "It's obviously not an easy situation, but I feel fine out there. If I am going to play tomorrow, then I'm up for it. ... Whenever they want to put me in, I'm ready to go. I feel good. The more games I get, the more comfortable I'm going to be."

EVAN SCHALL / PENGUINS
Kasperi Kapanen in Monday's practice at the Lemieux Complex.
MORE FROM PRACTICE
• Mike Matheson was the only player missing from practice. Sullivan said yesterday that he was out "longer-term" with an upper-body injury. No taxi squad players joined the main group to replace him.
• The line combinations were as follows:
Jake Guentzel-Sidney Crosby-Kasperi Kapanen
Jason Zucker-Evgeni Malkin-Bryan Rust
Jared McCann-Mark Jankowski-Brandon Tanev
Evan Rodrigues/Sam Lafferty-Teddy Blueger-Colton Sceviour
• The defense pairings all rotated, even right-handed players taking rushes with other right-handed players, and lefties skating with lefties at times.
• The top power play remained Crosby, Guentzel, Rust, Malkin, and Kris Letang.
• The second power play was Riikola, John Marino, Jason Zucker, Jared McCann, and Evan Rodrigues
• Riikola got a little philosophical when asked if his offseason contract extension helps his confidence.
"It helps when you know they want you," he said. "For human beings, if there's a place where other people want you to be, it's always more comfortable to be there."
He added that he'll play forward again this season if that's where the team needs him.
• After practice the Penguins assigned Sam Lafferty from the active roster to the taxi squad and recalled defenseman Kevin Czuczman from Wilkes-Barre and added him to the taxi squad.
Forwards Anthony Angello and Frederick Gaudreau were sent from the taxi squad to Wilkes-Barre, where informal skates began Monday morning to prepare for training camp.
The changes leave the taxi squad as goaltenders Max Lagace and Alex D'Orio, defensemen Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Czuczman, and forwards Drew O'Connor and Lafferty