nhl
Published May 28, 2024 at 12:04 am ET
SUNRISE, Fla. – Kaapo Kakko, for the time being, is back in the Rangers lineup.
But the winger still wasn’t very excited Monday when his healthy Game 2 scratch came up.
“All the players want to play,” Kakko said. “So, I’m not happy.”
Rangers winger Kaapo Kakko handles the puck during Game 3 on Sunday in Sunrise, Florida Keynote USA Sports
Kakko has yet to score a point in this Eastern Conference final, although he played a role in Alex Wennberg’s overtime goal in Game 3, and has just one goal and one assist in these playoffs as a whole.
He readily admitted that he hasn’t played his best game against the Panthers.
But the Finn’s second healthy scratch in the playoffs, after Game 6 of the Conference Finals in Tampa two years ago, seemed to leave him angry, even a few days after the fact.
Kakko was “not really” given a reason to be out of the lineup, and when asked about coach Peter Laviolette’s communication with him, he pursed his lips, paused and let out a sigh.
“It’s part of the game,” Kakko said. “Someone is not playing. I don’t think I can say much about it. We only need to win six more games, so I’m not thinking about that.”
Kaapo Kakko, left, celebrates with Alex Wennberg after Wennberg scored the winning goal in overtime of Game 3 on Sunday in Sunrise, Florida. NY Post: Charles Wenzelberg
If there were already some doubts about Kakko’s future with the Rangers, it is now a big question hanging over the player, who will be a restricted free agent this summer.
If a top-six shot awaits him in New York, and if these playoffs ultimately leave a bad taste in his mouth, it’s easy to construct a scenario in which moving forward ends up being the best course of action for both parties.
Of course, the middle of the Eastern Conference finals is not the time for such questions.
And at the moment, Kakko’s biggest concern is arriving in time to impact the series.
There’s still enough time for the former second overall pick to change the narrative.
After generally playing on the ice, if not scoring the puck enough, for much of the playoffs, the third line of himself, Wennberg and Jack Roslovic collapsed for much of Game 3.
Also noteworthy is that Florida looked to take advantage of the late change by playing Aleksander Barkov’s line against the trio when the opportunity arose.
“Just put the pucks in the Outer Zone,” Kakko said. “I think across the line we need to do that more. I think it’s all of us. … We just have to get there and maybe we can be a little better.”
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