With expectations lowered, can Kaapo Kakko finally deliver for Rangers?

Welp, it’s that time of year again when we sit and discuss what this training camp means for the New York Rangers‘ 2019 second overall pick, Kaapo Kakko. The same question has been asked over and over again: “Is this the year Kaapo Kakko will break out?”

Being around him, you can sense a bit of a shift in the approach and the attitude, which in theory might take some pressure off him. As Kakko heads into the sixth season of his NHL career, this training camp has a different feel to it. 

On the team’s breakup day after their loss to the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final last spring, Kakko and Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette felt accountable for the 23-year-old’s lack of offensive production. Now, remember, Kakko had suffered from a gruesome leg injury in late November of 2023 and was forced to miss 21 games. Before the injury, Kakko had only tallied three goals with one assist in 20 games played on what was considered the Rangers’ top line at the time before the emergence of the Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere line. 

“All those games we played together — it never worked out that well,” Kakko said at the time, before the players went home for the summer. “If you’re playing those minutes, you have to score some goals also. We never scored that much, so I can’t say I didn’t get the chance with those guys.”

It was a disappointing season, but his attitude never wavered. 

“I didn’t find it with him, I think he’s a good player that we were all hoping would take another step. My responsibility as a coach is to unleash these players as well,” Laviolette said. “You hope that happens with all of them, but for some, it doesn’t and I’ve got to figure out a better way to get him involved.”

In the middle of June, Kakko, who was an upcoming restricted free agent, signed a one-year $2.4 million deal with the Rangers. He expressed that he wasn’t very happy with how the playoffs went, while also sharing how much he loves New York and that there’s a great chance to win. As we enter the 2024-25 campaign, Kakko finds himself in a different situation than years prior. He hasn’t been working to closely yet with Laviolette.

“We didn’t talk during the summer”, Kakko said. “When I got [to training camp], we haven’t been talking too much. There’s a lot of guys here so it’s hard. We’ll see when and if that’s going to happen, but right now I’ve been playing with Fil [Chytil] and Cools [Will Cuylle] in the same spot I had last year, so we’ll see how that goes.” 

Kakko found a comfort level on a line with Cuylle last season after returning to the lineup post-injury and has a pre-existing chemistry with Chytil.

“I think there’s been good games with those guys,” Kakko said. “Fil didn’t play that much last year, but with Cools, we know what we can do out there – I mean it’s the third line, it’s not too many minutes, but I feel we’ve been doing a good job. Some games have to be better, but I think for a third line we’ve been doing what we need to do.” 

In his 15 playoff games last spring, Kakko only recorded one goal and one assist but felt strongly about the responsibility he played with.

“We didn’t give up too many goals against, not too many chances — I feel we spent the most time in the offensive zone, I think that’s what everyone wants the third line to do and get the next line a good chance to keep the puck over there. I think that’s our job.” 

When it comes to training regimens, Kakko didn’t do anything specific to change it up this summer, but he emphasized that he focused on getting faster on the ice. For Kakko and Laviolette, clear communication will be key for this season. It always benefits the players when they know exactly where they stand with their head coach. Injuries never help. With that said, this feels like the first time in Kakko’s career where there isn’t a ton of pressure on him to exceed expectations. There’s a clear role for him to fill. In some cases when situations like these happen and a player can play a bit more free, they excel. 

On the ice, Kakko will continue to maintain a positive, team-first attitude, and off the ice, he hopes to enjoy his time walking around the West Village, attending Knicks and Yankees games, and perhaps he may stop in at the White Horse Tavern to try some of their Oysters, which he happens to be a fan of. 

The most important thing for Kakko this season is to find some common ground with Laviolette, which should come a bit more naturally once training camp begins to wind down. 

Laviolette’s message is clear:

“There’s going to be opportunities and looks to play his game and take hold of what he wants to take hold of here too,” he said. “He’s a 23-year-old really good young player for our team, I’m excited to have him back and looking forward to training camp for him to show it.”