Kasperi Kapanen was supposed to be part of the answer.

Not the main component, but an important supplement.

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ latest rebuilding project through the middle part of the 2010s was going to be the plan that finally broke the iconic franchise’s inexplicable half-century funk without a Stanley Cup title.

Stars such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander were to be the foundation. And Kapanen would be a vital abutment to that success.

It was a sound plan. But it was never realized.

Kapanen spent parts of five seasons in Toronto but never enjoyed a playoff series victory.

That was part of the reason he was sent back to the Penguins, who traded him to the Maple Leafs in 2015 as part of a deal that landed all-star forward Phil Kessel in 2015.

Kapanen, who was the Penguins’ first-round pick in 2014, returned to Pittsburgh via trade in 2020 with some positive memories in Toronto. Just none after the regular season.

“A lot of good,” Kapanen told reporters in Toronto on Friday. “A lot of bad as well. I wished we could have had some deeper runs in the playoffs, obviously. (Got) to play with some tremendous players and meet great people on the staff, and everybody treated me with respect. I’ve got nothing but praise for the city and the team.

“I was in the playoffs three times with them and we didn’t make it past Round 1. And that (stinks).”

Today, Kapanen largely fills a similar role with the Penguins. Established stars such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang are expected to do most of the heavy lifting while Kapanen is to to carry his fair share.

So far this season, Kapanen’s results in that pursuit have been mixed. With Malkin and Crosby each sidelined for portions — or in Malkin’s case, all — of the 2021-22 campaign, Kapanen has been tasked with picking up some of the slack offensively.

And he has, to a certain degree.

Kapanen has four goals in 17 games this season. And three came in one game.

During a 5-4 home shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 6, Kapanen recorded his first career hat trick. And aside from a mostly meaningless goal in a 6-3 road loss to the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 13, Kapanen’s season has been pretty quiet as far as his offensive acumen goes.

To be clear, Kapanen hasn’t been an empty jersey for the Penguins this season. He has recorded six assists and is fifth on the team with 40 shots.

“I’d be worried if I didn’t have chances,” Kapanen said. “I’m getting a lot of chances. I’ve hit a good amount of posts this year and I’ve been barely been missing the net. Just a lot of bad luck. That’s on me obviously. I feel like I’ve got to score more goals. My game is trending in a better direction. I’ve still got a lot to improve on.”

In recent games, Kapanen has been lined up on the right wing of the team’s second line with Jeff Carter at center and Jason Zucker on the left wing. During Saturday’s 2-0 road win against the Maple Leafs, Kapanen recorded a secondary assist while connecting with Zucker on a goal with Carter.

All three are seen more as goal-scorers than playmakers. So their approach to offense appears to be pretty basic.

“You get the puck, you shoot it,” Kapanen quipped. “All of us like to score goals. (Carter) has scored over 400 goals, now. He knows how to score. (Zucker), I think, in my mind, is an elite goal-scorer. He’s got an elite shot. Myself, I’ve just got to start hitting the net more and putting pucks in. Just getting to the net and getting to the dirty areas.”

Much like his team, Kapanen’s 2021-22 season has been inconsistent. And he’s very candid in admitting as much.

“I’m trying,” Kapanen said. “I’m trying and sometimes it’s not going in. At times, I haven’t been playing and my effort hasn’t been the best. I get down and I’ve quit sometimes. That’s the wrong attitude and I’m trying to fix that. I feel like my game is trending in a better direction, with room to improve. I’m trying to stay positive, I’m playing with some great linemates, I’m on the power play. They’re giving me every chance to score and make plays. It’s just up to me to kind of be consistent and be better.”

His coach has a much more charitable and optimistic assessment of Kapanen and what he can offer the Penguins.

“He’s hard on himself so we try to help him manage his emotions though some of the ebbs and flows of the season,” coach Mike Sullivan said Saturday. “He’s been a very good player for us. His speed fits into the style of play that we’re trying to play here. He challenges defensemen with that wide speed. It opens up a lot of ice for his linemates because of it.

“When he’s a confident player, I think he’s at his very best. He tends to be a little bit streaky in that regard. We’re trying to help him through that consistency of bringing the same game or, maybe even more importantly, just the same mindset regardless of how the game’s going for you, whether the puck’s going into the net for you or it’s not. Just the mindset of coming to the rink every day with a certain belief in oneself and a certain attitude that ‘I’m going to make a positive impact.’

“That’s just an area where (Kapanen) and I have had conversations where we’re trying to help him grow. He’s a great kid. He’s been a really good player for us.”

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