SUNRISE, Fla. — Kaapo Kakko is back in the Rangers lineup, for now.
But the winger still wasn’t too happy when he was informed on Monday that he would miss Game 2 for medical reasons.
“All the players want to play,” Kako said, “so I’m not happy.”
Caco has yet to score in the Eastern Conference Finals, but he did help Alex Wennberg score the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 3 and has just one goal and one assist in the playoffs overall.
He freely admitted he didn’t play his best against the Panthers.
But for the Finn, missing a playoff game for health reasons for the second time after Game 6 of the conference finals in Tampa two years ago still seems to be frustrating for him days on.
Kako was not given any “specific” explanation for his exclusion and, when asked about his interaction with coach Peter Laviolette, pursed his lips, paused and sighed.
“It’s part of the game,” Caco said. “Someone’s not playing. I don’t think there’s much to say about it. We just need to win six more games, so I’m not thinking about it.”
There was already some question about Kako’s future with the Rangers, but it’s now a big question with the player set to become a restricted free agent this summer.
If a top-six opportunity doesn’t await him in New York, and if these playoffs ultimately leave him with a sour taste of success, it’s easy to put together a scenario in which moving on would be the best course of action for both sides.
Of course, the middle of the Eastern Conference Finals is not the time to be asking such questions.
And for the time being, Cuckoo’s biggest concern is moving himself in time to make an impact on the series.
There’s still plenty of time for the former No. 2 overall pick to turn things around.
He was on the ice for most of the playoffs, even if he wasn’t scoring the puck nearly enough, but in Game 3, his third line of himself, Wennberg and Jack Roslovic all but collapsed.
It’s also worth noting that Florida tried to capitalize on a final substitution by using Aleksander Barkov’s line against a trio when the opportunity arose.
“Just getting the puck in the offensive zone,” Caco said. “I think the whole line needs to do that more. I think that’s on all of us. … Just getting there, maybe we can be a little bit better.”
