It may have been time for the New York Rangers and Kaapo Kakko to part ways, but that doesn’t mean players were not upset to see him go.
Some players expressed their emotions following the trade that sent Kakko to the Seattle Kraken, including Filip Chytil who played alongside Kakko for multiple years.
“When I heard that, it was emotional, because I spent so much time with him and we played so much time together… he’s probably the guy who I played the most th last five years,” Chytil said via Colin Stephenson of Newsday. “So it’s been tough.”
Filip Chytil on Kaapo Kakko today:
“When I heard that, it was emotional, because I spent so much time with him and we played so much time together… he’s probably the guy who I played the most th last five years. So it’s been tough.”— Colin Stephenson (@ColinSNewsday) December 19, 2024
Kakko dealt with a lot through his six seasons with the Rangers.
Being selected with the second overall pick by New York in the 2019 NHL Draft, the weight of the world was on Kakko’s shoulders from the start, and when he didn’t perform up to expectation, he faced a whirlwind of criticism.
This is all meanwhile coming straight from Finland and being forced to adapt to a totally new culture, which certainly wasn’t easy for the young forward.
“You try to be there. You try to help him out, but it’s hard because everyone is different. Everyone deals with it differently. I dealt with it one way because it’s my personality,” Mika Zibanejad said via Vince Z. Mercogliano of USA Today. “All I can say is it’s not an easy situation, even though everyone’s trying to help you since day one. You try to get comfortable, but it’s still not your first language.
“It’s hard to express yourself sometimes, and it’s a completely different culture here than it is where we’re from. It’s obviously an adjustment, but I thought he did a good job. He came out of his shell a little bit more towards the end here. I have nothing but great things to say about him as a person and a player. It’s sad, but I’m hoping everything works out for him.”
Between all the pressure, lack of overall growth and a regressing role, Kakko was in need of a fresh start and he expressed that in his introductory press conference with the Kraken.
“Fresh start. I feel that’s what I need right now,” Kakko said. “I liked my time in New York… Many years over there, great team, but I think I’m waiting for a little more from myself. The team was waiting also, and it never worked out the way we wanted.”
The 23-year-old made his Kraken debut on Thursday night against the Chicago Blackhawks as he recorded a total of 13:15 minutes.
