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Head coach Mike Babcock has praised the play of Nylander of late, but he is clear there is no rush to crack the big club.

“You see if they’re ready. You see if they’re ready defensively, see if they’re ready offensively — just watch to see if they are ready. We want our guys over-ready,” Babcock said.

But the play of some of the team’s youngsters has caught the eye of veterans, including centre Tyler Bozak.

“When he has the puck, it’s exciting to watch,” he said of Nylander. “There’s always an opportunity for him to make a great pass or score a goal. I’ve been impressed with Kapanen. Didn’t know much about him — he just seems like a really smart player.”

In two pre-season games, Nylander has a goal and an assist while Kapanen did not get on the score sheet in the one game he played. Both survived this week’s cut to 46 players, so they hope to get more chances to play, perhaps Friday against Buffalo or Saturday versus Montreal. Marlies camp does not begin until Monday, but other young players with NHL experience from last season, such as Casey Bailey and Josh Leivo, have already been trimmed from the main camp roster.

“I’m still not as good as I should be,” said Kapanen, who said he still feels rusty from the summer off. “Hopefully, there’s more games for me left and I’ll play better.”

As for the pressure associated with a rigorous NHL training camp, Kapanen said some of the young guys have been leaning on each other.

“I think we feel like we’re kind of in the same boat and fighting for a spot and we’re just having a blast, making jokes and obviously competing on the ice,” he said. “Me and Willy (Nylander) just joking around with all the younger guys, so it’s been fun.”