Kasperi Kapanen ran out of chances Friday in Pittsburgh, when the Penguins placed the talented but enigmatic winger on waivers.

But as one door closed, another opened Saturday when the Blues claimed him on waivers.

“My initial thoughts were to get me on the plane quick and maybe I can make the game and play against Pittsburgh,” Kapanen said, smiling. “That would’ve been pretty funny. But I’m just excited for the opportunity honestly. It didn’t work out in Pittsburgh. I couldn’t be more excited to join these guys.”

Alas, the Blues played the Penguins in an afternoon game at Enterprise Center, a 3-2 overtime loss. Had it been a night game, Kapanen might have had an outside chance to pull it off.

In any event, Kapanen does have an opportunity to re-establish himself in the NHL. A great opportunity. With a roster depleted by the recent trades of forwards Vladimir Tarasenko, Ryan O’Reilly, Ivan Barbashev and Noel Acciari, Kapanen was in a top-six spot for the Blues in practice Monday.

He was playing left wing on a line centered by Robert Thomas and with Pavel Buchnevich at right wing. Outside of Jordan Kyrou, that’s the best the Blues have up front.

Kapanen, who played on the third line in his final games for Pittsburgh, also was on the second power play unit.

“Knowing the number of players that we lost this year, we get a player that hopefully is motivated,” Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. “He should be motivated. He comes from a (hockey) family background. He was a high pick. Got traded for a first-round pick. And for whatever reason, he didn’t get the footing recently in Pittsburgh.”

Kapanen, 26, is the son of Sami Kapanen, who played 831 NHL games for Hartford/Carolina and Philadelphia.

He scored 20 goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018-19, his first full season in the NHL, and had at least 11 goals in each of the next three seasons for the Leafs and then Pittsburgh.

But his production dipped to 11 goals and 21 assists in 79 games for Pittsburgh in the 2021-22 season. Eyebrows were raised when the Penguins signed him to a two-year contract at $3.2 million a year during the offseason.

Seven months later, Kapanen found himself on the waiver wire.

“The feeling was that last year was a down year, and that he would bounce back,” Penguins general manager Ron Hextall said Friday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He’s still almost a half-a-point a game guy. He can be a productive player.

“Unfortunately, it hasn’t worked here. So tough decisions have to be made along the way. And that’s what this was with ‘Kappy.’”

With a modest seven goals and 13 assists in 43 games this season, Kapanen didn’t really bounce back before being placed on waivers. He gets a chance to prove himself again in St. Louis.

“Absolutely,” said Kapanen, a native of Kuopio, Finland. “This year hasn’t been up to my expectations. But I know what I’m capable of bringing to a team when I’m at my best. I haven’t been doing that as of late. So I think a fresh start is exactly what I need to kind of prove myself and show these guys that I’m a good hockey player. And hopefully I can just help the team out.”

As to why things didn’t work out in Pittsburgh, Kapanen said: “It’s a good question. I don’t think it’s just one thing. I think it’s a culmination of a lot of things but I don’t think there’s any point in talking about that now. I’m here, and like I said, I’m beyond excited to join this team and see what we can do.”

In the Blues’ current state, and with Jake Neighbours out for several more weeks because of an upper-body injury, Kapanen should get an extended run on the team’s top six for the rest of this season. The Blues really don’t have any other options.

“He’s really fast. You’ll see that probably (Tuesday against Seattle),” said Blues forward Josh Leivo, once a teammate of Kapanen’s in Toronto. “He’s got some good breakaway speed and his skill is elite. He’s definitely one of the high-skilled players. You’ll see it right away.

“When he brings that speed to the game, it helps your team for sure. It’d be nice to see him get a goal, get it out of the way right away. He’s got a great shot, too. He’s a heck of a player.”

So the Blues get a look at Kapanen this year, and presumably next year as well on the second year of his two-year deal. If $3.2 million a year sounds rich given his production, Armstrong points out that really isn’t much for a half-a-point per game player.

Tyler Bozak filled that role for $5 million a year for much of his time in St. Louis. Ivan Barbashev did so for $2.25 million this year, but is expected to get a nice raise as he hits free agency after this season.

The career numbers of Barbashev and Kapanen are pretty similar, although Barbashev — who was traded to Vegas on Sunday — is a year older, at 27.

• Barbashev has 178 points (78 goals, 100 assists) in 410 regular-season NHL games.

• Kapanen has 172 points (70 goals, 102 assists) in 364 regular-season games.

“He gets a chance to play in a (good) situation, get more ice time and prove what he is as a player,” Armstrong said of Kapanen. “If it works out, we have a chance to sign him a year from now, still at a young age. And if it doesn’t work out, then he’s on to free agency.

“So I don’t see a lot of risk in it.”