New York Rangers: Taxi moves, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil injured

New York Rangers injury news

In the euphoria of Chris Kreider’s hat trick and the Blueshirts resounding 7-3 comeback win over the Coyotes, two key young players are injured.

Kaapo Kakko, who took warmups, was a late scratch due to an upper-body injury.

“It’s been going on for a little while,” Gerard Gallant said postgame. “It’s upper-body. Day to day, nothing serious.”

During the Rangers loss to the Hurricanes, cameras caught Kakko wincing in a lot of pain and discomfort at the end of the second period. He could be seen flexing his shoulder and chest area.

Kakko, 20, was selected second overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-3 winger is at a crucial point in his development as he’s in his third year. He finished the 2020-21 campaign with 17 points on the strength of 8 goals in 48 games. This season, he has 14 points in 37 games.

Meanwhile, the Rangers lost Filip Chytil to a lower-body injury after the first period against Arizona on Saturday.

“He’s day to day, lower-body,” Gallant noted.

Chytil, 22, was selected by the Rangers in the 2017 NHL Draft in the first round (21st overall). He was a gamble as most rankings had him as a second round pick. Since debuting during the 2017-18 campaign, he’s bounced between center and wing finding difficulty getting comfortable.

Chytil has 11 points in 38 games this season and 82 in 224 career contests. His future still seems better suited as a winger.

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