Rangers line-up: Kaapo Kakko puts last season’s disappointment behind him

TARRYTOWN – Kaapo Kakko has carried himself with ease in the Rangers locker room lately.

Some of that is to be expected for a player entering his sixth NHL season despite being only 23 years old. But the relaxed attitude also suggests he is free from any lingering disappointment from last season.

“What you have to do is put it behind you and try not to think about it,” Kakko explained Saturday morning, taking a break from joking with linemate Will Cuylle to chat with lohud.com, part of the USA TODAY Network . “There’s no hockey in the summer. You don’t watch games. It’s just training and skating, so it was quite easy to just leave it behind. Try to think about next season and just train hard.”

It helps if you play well, as Kakko experienced in the first two games of the new season.

He knows it will take a lot more than two solid games to wash away the stench of posting just 19 points (13 goals and six assists) in 61 games last season, but getting off to a strong start is certainly better than the alternative .

“I’m feeling pretty good,” he said.

Kakko earned his first assist on Cuylle’s tying goal that forced overtime in Saturday’s 6-5 loss to the Utah Hockey Club, and could have added another assist on a goal that was overturned after offside in the 6-0 season opener from Wednesday. Pittsburgh, but his impact goes beyond just points.

He controls pucks around and below the goal line and puts himself in the best scoring positions, as evidenced by four high-risk chances tied for the team’s second-highest total according to Natural Stat Trick. He’s also shooting with increased urgency, with six shots on goal in two games, which has led to a team-high four rebounds, after scoring 10 SOG in four preseason games.

“I know I need to shoot more, but I haven’t thought about it yet,” he said. “It just comes. When you get opportunities, you have to shoot the puck.”

Takeaways: Rangers lose to Utah on an opening night full of drama

Even if he doesn’t consciously let it happen more often, Kakko makes a concerted effort to develop his net-front game. He spent time there every practice, working on tips, looking for rebounds and coming up with creative ways to train his teammates up close. It’s a new wrinkle that could boost production as he refines those specific skills.

“That’s my place in the power play, so maybe that’s why I’m there more often,” he said. “I think it’s a pretty good place for me. (Veteran Chris Kreider) is very good there, and he scores a lot of goals there. I think I’m good at the low-level plays. That’s not the case. I have to do every times as a shooter, I can also pass it from that spot.”

Kakko still isn’t getting the top six opportunity he always wanted, but he did notice the top six qualities of his current line with Cuylle and Filip Chytil. They are the Rangers’ best unit to date and rank third among NHL lines who have played at least 20 minutes entering Sunday’s game with an xGF of 76.3%, according to moneypuck.com, and first with 8.18 expected goals per 60 minutes.

Their counting stats reflect that, as the third line has outscored opponents 4-0, with a 22-10 SOG advantage and a 10-3 edge in HD odds.

“There have been some shifts where they have been very dominant (and) difficult to play against,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “They’re all big bodies and they can handle the puck, maintain possession in the offensive zone, so there’s been some (long) shifts like that. I think there’s always things we want to get better at. Well, some things in the D-zone, through the neutral zone, but so far they are noticeable. Their chances are being generated at a high rate.”

It looks like Cuylle is ready to take a big step forward this season, with three points (one goal and two assists) in two games, plus another goal that was disallowed. Kakko laughed that Cuylle owed him a point for being offside in a play in which he would have had the primary assist, but he was honest when comparing a healthy Chytil to the cast of limited centers he played with last season.

“A lot changed,” he said. “It was more like a defensive line. There was a long time with (Nick Bonino) in the middle, and he’s more of a defensive guy. Fil does a lot of attacking, so I think that’s good for me.”

Kakko has a history with Chytil, with that duo outscoring opponents by a combined margin of 60-36 in the regular season and playoffs from 2021 through 2023. That includes Kakko’s career high points (40) and Chytil’s career high many goals (22) during the 2022-2023 season, when they spent a combined 678:58 time on the ice.

Between Chytil missing 72 games last season due to a concussion and Kakko losing 21 of his own with a left knee injury, there was a major scoring deficit in the Rangers’ bottom six. Having the speedy, skilled Czech in the lineup has made a clear difference, especially with Chytil’s ability to carry pucks in transition and establish possession in the offensive zone.

“He likes to do that,” Kakko said. “He’s a good skater. Last season there were some guys who maybe don’t do that as much. It’s always easier when you have another guy who can get the puck in the O-zone, and then you can get the opportunities when you play there.”

There’s still a long way to go before we can declare Kakko back on track, but it’s also too early in his career to write off the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft.

There is no lack of motivation to prove himself. He had little choice but to accept a modest one-year contract worth $2.4 million as a restricted free agent last summer, but he could position himself for much more if this season turns out to be a big one – whether that be in New York is or somewhere else.

But just as he tries not to look back, Kakko says he doesn’t look too far ahead either.

“I don’t feel too much pressure,” he said. “Of course you want to play as best as you can and I feel pretty good after the last (two games), so just try to keep playing like that. I know those goals and points will come.”

NY Rangers (1-0-1) expected lineup: Game 3 vs. Detroit Red Wings (1-1)

When: Monday, October 14 at 7:00 PM

Where: Madison Square Garden

TV/Radio: MSG Network/880 AM

Forward

Top line ⊳ Chris Kreider (LW) ⋄ Mika Zibanejad (C) ⋄ Reilly Smith (RW)

Second line ⊳ Artemi Panarin (LW) ⋄ Vincent Trocheck (C) ⋄ Alexis Lafrenière (RW)

Third line ⊳ Will Cuylle (LW) ⋄ Filip Chytil (C) ⋄ Kaapo Kakko (RW)

Fourth line ⊳ Adam Edström (LW) ⋄ Sam Carrick (C) ⋄ Jonny Brodzinski (RW)

Defenders

Top pair ⊳ K’Andre Miller (L) ⋄ Adam Fox (R)

Second pair ⊳ Braden Schneider (L) ⋄ Jacob Trouba (R)

Third pair ⊳ Zac Jones (L) ⋄ Victor Mancini (R)

Goalkeepers

Starter ⊳ Igor Shesterkin

Backup ⊳ Jonathan Snel

Healthy Scratches: F Matt Rempe and D Chad Ruhwedel

Injured reserve: D Ryan Lindgren (upper body)

Reserve for long-term injured: F Jimmy Vesey (lower body)

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko has put last season’s disappointment behind him