Getting Kasperi Kapanen cost the Penguins the 22nd pick in the 2014 NHL draft.
Getting him back cost them the 15th choice in 2020 and a pretty fair prospect.
Oh, there were some other pieces involved in the deal Jim Rutherford struck Tuesday to acquire Kapanen from Toronto -- the Penguins also got defense prospect Jesper Lindgren and journeyman forward Pontus Aberg, while forward Evan Rodrigues and defenseman David Warsofsky also are going to the Maple Leafs -- but Kapanen and what the Penguins gave up for him were the centerpiece.
And make no mistake: The trade allowed both clubs to address what they deemed pressing needs: The Penguins, proving that they remain fully engaged in win-now mode, got younger and faster, bringing back a right winger who looks to be a potential fit alongside Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel on the No. 1 line.
"By adding him, it solidifies our top-six," Rutherford said. "It's something I've been trying to do for a while. He'll end up playing with either Sid or (Evgeni Malkin)."
The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, took advantage of an opportunity to begin replenishing a prospect pipeline that had been nearly as devoid of quality prospects as that of the Penguins.
Toronto got a first-rounder to replace the one it gave to Carolina (along with soon-to-be-former Penguin Patrick Marleau) to open some salary-cap space in 2019, as well as versatile forward Filip Hallander, a second-round draft choice in 2018 who has shown two-way potential and figures to have a solid NHL career when he comes to North America.
"Hallander is a good prospect," Rutherford said. "We don't see him at the level of Kapanen and we don't see that he can come in and make an impact in the next few years, when we're still in our window of contending.
"When you talk about draft picks or young prospects who are going to play down the road, that's not going to accomplish what we're trying to accomplish. We got a player who can come in now and play within this window of us contending, and that's our goal."
There was, of course, a time when Kapanen was the Penguins' most prized prospect, but they sent him to Toronto as part of the deal that allowed them to add Phil Kessel.
"You've got to give up something good to get a guy like Kessel," Rutherford said.
Parting with a No. 1 pick and one of the Penguins' few promising prospects underscores just how focused Rutherford is on putting together a team that can contend for another Stanley Cup before Crosby and Malkin are fully out of their prime years.
Kapanen skates well, has a good shot and has been an effective penalty-killer -- five of his 41 career goals have been scored while shorthanded -- but has been prone to inconsistent stretches.
"He's got good experience in the league," Rutherford said, adding that "he's team-controlled (before qualifying for unrestricted free agency) for four years."
Kapanen's most productive season in the NHL was 2018-19, when he put up 20 goals and 24 assists in 78 games.
There's nothing wrong with those numbers, but if Kapanen is going to make Rutherford's gamble on him worthwhile -- even if it's only for the next few years -- he's going to have to improve on them.
Regardless of whether Kapanen is deployed with Malkin instead of Crosby, Mike Sullivan has to be able to pencil him in for at least 25 goals, especially when Kapanen doesn't figure to hold down a prominent spot in Selke Trophy balloting anytime soon.
Rutherford suggested that having a spot on one of the top two lines should enhance Kapanen's goal production.
"Here, he's going to play in the top-six on a regular basis," he said. "In Toronto, he didn't. You had (William) Nylander and you had (Mitch) Marner there, so the opportunity for him should be greater here."
There's no guarantee either of the other players the Penguins added ever will play a game for them. Lindgren is currently with MODO in Sweden, although the Penguins can bring him to training camp in 2020 and send him to their farm team in Wilkes-Barre, while Aberg is committed to spend the 2020-21 season in Russia.
"Lindgren is a young defenseman," Rutherford said. "He's a little on the lighter side (6 feet 1, 176 pounds). If he gets stronger ... he's a prospect."
Because Aberg is a restricted free agent, Rutherford must decide whether to extend him a qualifying offer that would allow the Penguins to retain his rights, or simply allow him to walk.
Keeping him figures to be far from a priority, as Rutherford acknowledged that his inclusion "was kind of to round off the number of contracts" exchanged in the deal.
The contracts Rutherford added -- and shedded -- Tuesday probably aren't the only ones that will be on the move before the 2020-21 season.
Rutherford has made it clear he wants to enhance the Penguins' depth at center behind Crosby and Malkin, and to improve their No. 3 defense pairing. And with Kapanen's $3.2 million salary-cap hit squeezed onto an already-tight payroll, it's safe to assume that some guys who filled significant roles here last season will be working elsewhere in the not-too-distant future.
MORE ON THE TRADE
• Kapanen: ‘Super-excited’ to be back
• Kovacevic: Rutherford's eye always on the prize
• Defense prospect Lindgren 'really smart, consistent'
