Kaapo Kakko stepped right into a role in Seattle that he always hoped for in New York.
Before being held scoreless in the Kraken’s 4-3 loss to the Canucks on Thursday night, Kakko had collected a goal, two assists and 10 shots on goal through his first five games with his second NHL team.
The 23-year-old Finn is skating on the right wing of the Kraken’s top line with fellow second-overall pick Matty Beniers (2021) and Jaden Schwartz.
Averaging 15:13 of ice time, just four seconds shy of a whole two-minute bump from his 13:17 average in New York this season, Kakko recorded more minutes on Dec. 28 (18:18) than he ever did under Rangers coach Peter Laviolette.
He’s on the second power-play unit, recording 2:20 and 2:37 of man-advantage time in the last two games, respectively.
And Kakko has already participated in the Kraken’s home win tradition of “yeeting the fish” into the stands as the second star of the game.
“Yeah, especially after these last two games,” Kakko told reporters of his confidence level after the Kraken’s 5-2 win over Utah. “The start was kind of hard, all three games we lost. That’s never a good thing, but I felt pretty good [Monday], the first period especially. I think we got a lot of good chances. Power play, also. There can be [a] couple goals.”
The loss of Kakko and the losses that have piled up even more since his departure have had head coach Peter Laviolette toying with the Rangers’ middle six at times.
From dropping Mika Zibanejad down to the third line for a few games to plugging and chugging different wingers in different spots, there hasn’t been much continuity for the Rangers, who did snap their losing skid with a 2-1 win over the Bruins on Thursday night.
The third line of Kakko, Filip Chytil and Will Cuylle was one of the Blueshirts’ most effective lines, but even it had to be broken up because of the team’s need for a different look.
Kakko was a healthy scratch in St. Louis after his last game with the two aforementioned skaters Dec. 14.
In 184:16 of ice time with Kakko, according to Natural Stat Trick, Chytil and Cuylle were only on the ice for two 5-on-5 goals against and 13 for.
In addition to out-chancing opponents 91-80, they also were on the right side of a 43-28 edge in high-danger chances.
It’s a much smaller sample size for Brett Berard’s numbers with Chytil and Cuylle, but also likely reflective of the state of the Rangers, as well.
The Rangers’ new-look third unit had been on for one goal and three against in 16:22 of ice time prior to Thursday night’s matchup with the Bruins at Madison Square Garden.
They’ve out-chanced opponents 15-10 and held an 8-4 edge in high-danger chances, as well.
“I think Berard is a little bit of a different player than Kakko,” Laviolette said after practice Wednesday. “The line has been good. It had its best game last game, I think [against the Panthers]. They just generated an awful lot of chances. Berard seems to be in the mix offensively. His hands seem to be in it. They could be good. It’s definitely not the same player, it’s a different player, a younger player. So, we’re working with that, as well. He brings speed, he brings enthusiasm, he brings a tenacity on the ice.
“The plays are getting made. Right before we went on the power play, I think Will had two chances to score, make a difference in that game. That line was good.”
