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The news of Rasmus Kupari’s departure for Switzerland on Tuesday likely didn’t send a shock wave through the top of the Winnipeg Jets organization.
It did have some of the executives inside the team’s hockey operations department scratching their heads, but their reaction was assuredly far from a “what are we going to do now?” moment.
For his part, we can only assume the 25-year-old Kupari was frustrated with his usage the last two years – particularly this Jets season – where he did show promise of moving up on the team’s depth chart, only to get hurt in early March on Long Island and then appear in just one of the team’s 33 games from that point on.
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When you pull that kind of press box duty, there is little doubt frustration envelops you, and your search for career options elsewhere becomes a priority, especially if you’re European.
Of course, Kupari always appeared to have more upside to his game than what he actually delivered, producing just five goals and nine points in 87 career games with Winnipeg, even though the young Finn had size and was one of the fastest skaters on the team.
His absence next season will leave a right-shot hole on the fourth line — not a large one, to be sure, but a gap that presumably will be filled by any number of candidates, such as Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibrikov, Brayden Yager, Parker Ford or even a free agent acquisition later this summer.
In other words, Kupari’s departure is not catastrophic, but it will have the Jets brass likely restructuring their forward lineup to address vacancies in both the top and now bottom six ranks.
For context, if you’re a player like Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Morgan Barron or David Gustafsson, the window of opportunity just slid a little more to the left.
After all, the news of Kupari’s departure might not have shocked anyone in the Jets’ administrative offices, but it will undoubtedly send a wave through those on the team looking to fill the hole that he leaves behind.
