Toronto Maple Leafs forward Kasperi Kapanen on Monday said that he was scratched from Saturday's game against the Ottawa Senators after he overslept and arrived late to team practice the day before.
His absence from the Leafs' lineup drew attention during Toronto's 2-1 win; head coach Sheldon Keefe initially labeled the situation as a one-time "internal accountability" issue and had said Kapanen himself would explain what happened on Monday.
“They felt like sitting me out was something I deserved, and I agree," Kapanen told reporters on Monday. "So I have to take responsibility for that. That’s that.”
The team announced that Kapanen's absence was not injury-related as Saturday's game began; he was replaced by forward Dmitro Timashov in Toronto's lineup. Kapanen sat with the other Toronto scratches in the press box during the game, confirming his absence wasn't related to any potential trade or roster transaction.
"I'm ready to prove to the guys that it's not going to happen again."
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Kasperi Kapanen met the media after being a healthy scratch on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/fO6BfSAm7z
Kapanen told reporters on Monday that he has overslept and arrived late for practices "a couple times" in the past when he played for Toronto's AHL team: now-Leafs head coach Keefe was Kapanen's head coach with the Marlies then, too.
"It’s not me not caring, it’s an honest mistake. It happens, and I just have to own up to it," Kapanen said.
Keefe told reporters that he tries to be sympathetic to players' situations when it comes to discipline and noted that innocent mistakes happen, especially in major cities like Toronto.
"It’s a balance there for sure," Keefe said. "If it’s a one-off thing and the player goes about it in the right way, or the staff member goes about it the right way in terms of how they handle it then you approach it differently. Over time, you may have to do a little bit more, and that’s the case here."
Overall, the coach said he wasn't concerned the issue will linger.
“I’m not making a big deal out of this," Keefe said. "Today’s a big day, Kappy’s going to play a lot and he’s going to play great. He’s a big part of our team."
Discipline by way of players missing a game after arriving late to a practice or team meeting isn't uncommon in the NHL — in 2011, the Boston Bruins notably scratched Tyler Seguin for missing a team meeting after oversleeping in Seguin's second season. The same situation arose with Seguin four years later after he had joined the Dallas Stars; at the time, then-Dallas head coach Lindy Ruff noted he had scratched two other players for arriving late to practice during the 2014-15 season.
Kapanen, who slotted back in on the Leafs' third line in Monday's morning skate, has 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) through 51 games this season. The Maple Leafs host the Florida Panthers on Monday.