Kasperi Kapanen is quite tickled to have been assigned his father’s No. 24 with the Maple Leafs.

But it will only mean something if he actually earns an NHL job.

“I haven’t set any goals but obviously I want to play, I want to be on the team,” said Kapanen. “We’ll see. Anything can happen. I just want to stay healthy this year and be a better player than last year.”

Kapanen is no lock to make the team even if his performance as a late-season call-up and through the playoffs suggested he is NHL-ready. He scored a couple of big goals: One to help clinch a playoff spot, the other an overtime winner in Game 2 in Washington.

“At the same time, last year is last year and this is a new year,” said Kapanen. “You have to forget about what happened last year and start from the same spot as everybody else. It’s going to be a tough camp, but I’m ready for it.”

Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello said in an interview Tuesday the team is deep with veterans and prospects and he would be in no rush to move a Marlie to the Leafs.

But he also said the best players from camp would make the team.

The arrival of veteran Patrick Marleau as a free agent has a trickle-down effect on the other wingers. A spot is taken, presumably on the left side, that wasn’t even open last year. The Leafs already have James van Riemsdyk, Leo Komarov, Zach Hyman and Matt Martin on left wing.

One of those might convert to a right wing — Kapanen’s natural position — that already includes William Nylander, Mitch Marner and Connor Brown. That’s not including Nikita Soshnikov and Josh Leivo, who were ahead of Kapanen on the depth chart for most of last season.

It’s clear the Leafs currently have more wingers than they really need, at least with a healthy lineup and barring a trade.

They kept Leivo on the roster last season, mostly as a healthy scratch, because they feared they’d lose him on waivers. Kapanen still does not require waivers to be sent to the minors, so he could find himself at the Ricoh rather than the ACC more as a victim of numbers.

But Kapanen’s speed is his strength, and the Marlies took advantage of it by converting him to a penalty killer last season. That means his best chance at an NHL job — at least early in his career — is as a third-liner or fourth-liner, as a checker. “It’s always tough, especially now,” said Kapanen. “We’ve got a good group of guys and a lot of prospects that want to play. It’s going to be a challenge.”

Kapanen was assigned 24 this week, after Brown moved from 12 — giving it to Marleau — to 28, what Kapanen wore last season, but Brown’s old junior number.

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Kapanen said he always wanted to wear his father Sami’s old number. Sami Kapanen played 12 years in the NHL, with Hartford, Carolina and Philadelphia.

“It feels good to wear the old two — four again,” said Kapanen, skating this week for the first time in a while. A lot of great prospects here. Just being on the ice with the guys, great tempo. It’s good to be on the ice. Haven’t been on the ice too much this summer, trying to do other things.”

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