New York Rangers Bottom Six Regular Season Review

Kaapo Kakko

If you have noticed, I went from left to right on the kid line to start this off. That means that after Lafreniere and Chytil, the final part of that line is 22-year-old Kaapo Kakko. Kakko himself had such a rollercoaster of a season. In the early parts of the year, he wasn’t doing much and there were talks of scratching the Finnish winger. Nothing ever came of it and Kakko very quietly had a very solid season.

Kakko finished the season playing in all 82 games with 40 points. Made up of 18 goals and 22 assists, this is the first time Kakko had passed the 23-point mark, and he made 40. It’s a modest improvement and it sparks hope that Kakko can continue to take steps forward in his NHL career. There’s no denying that this is a player that has incredible talent, so getting the most out of him should be one of the organization’s priorities.

This third line is going to need to be big and Kakko in particular could find himself having a bigger part to play. It’s no secret that the Rangers’ right wing isn’t entirely locked. Kakko could find himself playing in the top six if there’s an injury or if something just isn’t working and it is then he will need to show that he is capable of playing at the top six levels. There needs to be that step forward if he’s given the chance on this big stage.

Something that will go under the radar is that slowly, Kakko is being given more and more in terms of responsibility. Whether that is due to the strength of the kid line or the fact that Kakko is gaining the trust of the coaching staff as we go, he played roughly two minutes more per game than he had throughout the rest of his career this season. He’s doing something right and he needs to keep building.