Seattle Kraken right winger Kaapo Kakko is starting to find his way with his new team.
Kakko was selected as the second pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the New York Rangersbut he never managed to become what the executives thought he would become as a superstar.
During his Rangers career, he never scored more than 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists in 2022-2023) in a season.
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Seattle Kraken right wing Kaapo Kakko, #84, tosses a sockeye salmon toy to fans after a win against Utah Hockey Club at Climate Pledge Arena. (Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images)
This season with the Rangers, Kakko has only four goals and 10 assists in 30 games this season, averaging just 13:17 minutes on the ice per game. The Finnish forward played on the third line and did not get regular minutes in the game.
On December 15th, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette made Kakko a healthy scratch, then Kakko was traded to the Kraken a few days later. The Kraken acquired Kakka in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen and their third and sixth picks in the 2025 NHL Draft. With Kraken, Kakko is finally getting consistent first line minutes and producing.
Playing alongside left wing Jaden Schwartz and center Matty Beniers, Kakko has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 11 games.
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Seattle Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko, #84, handles the puck against the Vancouver Canucks in the third period at Rogers Arena. (Bob Fried-Imagn images)
Kakko is getting more consistent minutes on the power play and is averaging 15:58 ice-team seconds per game, nearly three minutes more than he got with the Rangers. The 23-year-old has played especially well lately, with seven points (two goals, five assists) in the last seven games.
Kakko will also play for Team Finland in the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off, giving him the opportunity to showcase his skills in an international best-on-best tournament. As a teenager, Kakko had a lot of success on the international stage. Kakko won gold at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship and also won gold at the 2019 World Junior Championship and World Championship when he was 17 and 18 years old.
In those three tournaments combined, Kakko had 22 points (12 goals, 10 assists) in 24 games.
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Seattle Kraken right wing Kaapo Kakko, #84, celebrates his second goal of the game with teammates during the third period against the Buffalo Sabers at KeyBank Center. (Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images)
Finland will compete against Canada, Sweden and the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off from February 12-20.
Until the tournament begins, Kakko will look to continue to adapt and produce for his new team.
Kraken’s next match is against Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday at 7:00 PM ET.
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