WASHINGTON — One of the most interesting aspects of the Rangers’ record-setting regular season was that only a select few players went on to have careers. This leaves room for growth in the NHL’s best-record lineup. There is room for players to restate their claims. There is an opportunity to create new stories.
“I think that’s what everyone should think about. There are some players who have already had great seasons, but for myself, I have to think that we can change something in the playoffs and that will make a difference. ” Kaapo Kakko told the Post ahead of Friday’s Game 3 against the Capitals. “Don’t worry about statistics, we need to win four games. That’s all that matters.
“We won the Presidents Trophy, but if we don’t go far, who cares?”
The Rangers lived up to their demands by dominating their eighth-seeded opponent in the first two games at the Garden, but they didn’t dominate or show enough power to shock the Caps. Instead, Washington was knocking on the door at the end of Game 2. The Blueshirts have some work to do this weekend in DC.
Kakko has some work left to do as he finishes his fifth season with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft. The 23-year-old has already played five seasons and will be a restricted free agent for the second time in three summers, this time with arbitration rights.
However, that’s a few months from now. That’s pending, but the number 24 will certainly increase in value in the coming months after missing 21 games in the early going and coming off a season in which he had 13 goals and six assists in 61 games. Two years ago, he missed nearly half the year with an injury. He has played in a total of 300 NHL games and has 57 goals and 60 assists.
Five years have passed, and in many ways it feels as if Kakko’s career hasn’t even begun yet. But Kakko’s big body, straightforward and responsible two-way philosophy is built for the playoffs. Back in the Toronto bubble in 2020, Kakko was perhaps the club’s best player as a rookie in Carolina’s three-game winning streak. He performed that job on the right side of the kid line during the 2022 run.
Kakko has bounced back and forth from a presumptive top line centered around Mika Zibanejad to a third line centered at times on Nick Bonino, Johnny Brodzinksi and Barclay Goodrow, and Alex, acquired from Seattle at the final deadline. Wennberg assumed the position.
The combination of Will Quill, Wennberg and Kakko was intact for the final seven games of the regular season and the first two games of the tournament.
“I thought Capo played his best hockey late in the season and through the last 20 games of the season,” head coach Peter Laviolette said. “You hope it leads to the playoffs.
“You have to use your size and physicality. If he has the puck on his stick, it’s hard to get off him and he can create from there.” His line does that. Did.
“I think this is an opportunity for him to continue where he was at the end of the regular season. If he can do a stint in the long run like he has the last 20 games, it will certainly change the face of the season.”
Kakko averaged 13 minutes, 17 seconds on ice, 2:01 less than last year and 1:00 below his previous career low set as a rookie. The Finn, who is part of the second power-play unit but does not commit penalties, often cites ice time when evaluating his performance. But that’s not a concern in the playoffs.
“I don’t know how much I’ll talk about it, but it’s a coach’s choice. “He puts players on the ice that he thinks are going to make a difference,” he said. said Kakko, who clocked minutes, 44 seconds and 11 minutes, 45 seconds. team.
“When I step on the ice, I give it my all and that’s all I can do. All the guys think that way. None of them think about the minutes. It would be easier if I played all the time, but one thing… There’s only one thing, it’s the team…”
Kakko, Quill and Wennberg found themselves at the net frequently. The next goal is to put the puck in the net. The objective after that is to put the puck in the net. The playoffs are a war of attrition, so it’s important to create fights and win.
“I feel like my game is playoff hockey,” Kakko said. “You know, a series can go seven games, so if you can keep the puck in the O-zone and fight for the puck in the back of the net and in the corners and wear it out, it can tire the players more.
“We want to create chances down low and keep them there. I think our line is good for the playoffs. We want to contribute. We want to contribute. ”
He wants to flip the script. He wants a rewrite. He is a fifth grader who admires his close-ups.
