Kakko playing 'way better' for Rangers, will represent Finland at 4 Nations Face-Off

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Kaapo Kakko is always honest in his assessment of his play, so it’s no surprise the New York Rangers forward believes if the 4 Nations Face-Off was last season instead of in two months, he wouldn’t have made Finland’s roster.

“I mean, I was hurt a year ago also, but if you don’t think about that I think still it was a pretty bad start for me,” Kakko told NHL.com. “It was not a good year for me. There were a lot of guys who played better than me. I feel way better now. More confidence.”

Which is why it’s also no surprise the 23-year-old was named to Finland’s roster for the upcoming tournament that also features Sweden, the United States and Canada.

The 4 Nations Face-Off, the first best-on-best tournament featuring only NHL players since the World Cup of Hockey 2016, will be played Feb. 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.

Kakko will play against one of his Finnish teammates Wednesday when the Rangers, who have lost two in a row and eight of 10, visit the similarly struggling Buffalo Sabres and goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen at KeyBank Center (7 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT).

“They’re picking all the best players, so that’s something you want to be a part of,” Kakko said. “I didn’t think about it too much, but it’s been kind of a good start for the season for me and this is maybe a prize for that.”

Kakko has been playing primarily a third-line role with Filip Chytil and Will Cuylle. He toggled at times from right wing to center when Chytil was out of the lineup from Nov. 17-29.

The line has been New York’s most consistent at 5-on-5 with Kakko producing 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) and a plus-10 rating, second on the team only to Cuylle’s plus-11, in 27 games.

Cuylle is tied for second on the Rangers with 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists). Chytil has 10 points (five goals, five assists) and is plus-9 in 20 games.

There has been a lot of noise around the Rangers, including last week’s trade of former captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks and the reports that more roster shakeups could be coming, but Kakko and his linemates have been the quietly consistent element of the team.

“I think just offensively, from Kaapo, you've seen him contribute more,” New York coach Peter Laviolette said. “That line has been effective. ‘Fil’ has been back in the middle more on a consistent basis and I think that they've had a little chemistry in the past, but with ‘Fil’ being out for most of the year last year, they didn't really get to connect with that again, so it's been a good start.

“I still think that line is capable of more, but they've all done a good job. I think Will's come in and done a good job. You can notice [Chytil’s] speed down the middle and Kaapo has been able to produce on the wing.”

It’s almost a complete reversal for Kakko from last season, when he struggled to find consistency and finished the season with 19 points (13 goals, six assists) in 61 games.

Kakko was coming off his best NHL season in 2022-23, when he had 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) in 82 games. Optimism about the player he was turning into gave way quickly to wondering about Kakko’s playing time and eventually his future with the Rangers.

His name started to pop up in trade rumors, but New York signed Kakko to a one-year, $2.4 million contract June 13. He was coming off a two-year contract ($2.1 million AAV) and could have become a restricted free agent July 1.

The one-year deal was essentially a “prove-it” contract for Kakko that gave the Rangers leverage on his future.

It seems to be working out well for both parties.

“I feel I can do some things out there now that last year I didn’t try to do,” Kakko said. “In the [offensive] zone, you try to make plays, not just chip it in. I’m trying to do that. That’s the confidence. That’s my game. I feel I didn’t do that last year. I feel like our whole line, [Cuylle] also, we just couldn’t do it; we’d just chip it in and forecheck, but there were no chances.

“I mean, last year if we as a line lost the puck, we felt our game was over and we were going to watch the rest of it from the bench. At least we’re trying to do things now and it’s working out.”

Kakko’s consistency is the reason why he made Finland’s roster. He thinks he’ll play a similar role at the 4 Nations Face-Off, likely on the third line, maybe on the second power-play unit, probably about 13-15 minutes per game.

“I mean, for sure I’m not going to be first two lines, so it’ll be like here, and I think that’s kind of how it should be,” Kakko said. “That can be hard if you have four lines of first-liners.”

Kakko also knows that being on the 4 Nations stage is a potential gateway to being on the Olympic stage in 2026.

“That’s always been a dream,” Kakko said. “I remember watching the Olympics and I think all of the kids back in Finland were dreaming to be part of that.”

A year ago, it probably would have had to stay a dream. Now he can make it come true.

“I feel pretty good about my game right now,” Kakko said. “I mean, lately the team has not been that good, so I think all of us can be better. But I’m still feeling good [about] my game.”

NHL.com staff writer Jon Lane contributed to this report