The information greeting the Rangers, upon their return from their winter recess, that Kaapo Kakko would stay sidelined for at the very least one other month with an unspecified higher physique harm certainly provides certainty — and a few urgency — to president-general supervisor Chris Drury’s quest to amass a top-six proper winger earlier than the March 21 commerce deadline.
The Blueshirts revealed little in regards to the situation, which has sidelined Kakko since he left the Backyard ice following the Jan. 22 pregame warm-up and which stored him out of the membership’s remaining six video games earlier than the break. Head coach Gerard Gallant had laid out a considerably particular timeline of a month earlier than Kakko would be capable of return (whether or not to the lineup or observe is unclear), so it's secure to deduce that the winger is present process surgical procedure.
The Put up has discovered that this harm is unrelated to the suspected concussion that sidelined him for 4 video games in late October. Kakko had skated on his personal a handful of instances previous to the break, with the Blueshirts hopeful the ailment would reply to therapy, however that clearly has not been the case.
Earlier than leaving the lineup, Kakko had performed 23 straight video games on the road with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. And although he had recorded solely two targets and 7 assists over that span, with each targets coming at Arizona on Dec. 15, Gallant lauded the winger’s work.
“Kakko is an actual good defensive participant. He was taking part in tremendous,” the coach mentioned. “He wasn’t scoring as a lot as he likes, however I favored his recreation. He’s an clever participant, he’s performed rather a lot with the highest traces and he’s trending in the fitting path.
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“There’s nothing I didn’t like about him all yr. He would similar to to attain extra, we want to see him rating just a little bit extra however we favored his recreation. He was taking part in with two gamers who're having nice seasons in Kreider and Zibanejad and was strong with them.”
Kakko has performed all however one among his 37 video games on both Zibanejad’s line or Ryan Strome’s unit. In different phrases, a top-six staple. And whereas he has gone solely a disappointing 5-9-14 on the season, he has one of the best five-on-five, on-ice goals-for share of any Rangers ahead at 59.38 (19 for, 13 towards). Ryan Lindgren (33, 22) leads the staff at 60 %.
Alexis Lafreniere has moved as much as the fitting aspect with Zibanejad and Kreider the final three video games, so Gallant might have slotted Kakko with Strome and Artemi Panarin whereas permitting Drury and the hierarchy to get a 16-game trial run into the deadline with each of the membership’s lottery children within the high six. That has occurred 9 instances this yr.
However now, not. The Rangers’ choices to fill Kakko’s spot are Dryden Hunt, Barclay Goodrow and Filip Chytil. Shifting Goodrow into the highest six would severely weaken the third line. Gallant doesn’t appear overly enthused about shifting Chytil to proper wing on the Strome unit. And Hunt, who has already gotten 15 video games with Strome and Panarin, is a nominal fourth-liner being tasked with taking part in up.
“I haven’t thought in regards to the traces, but,” mentioned Gallant, who put the Rangers via a conditioning skate within the staff’s first time on the ice since Feb. 1. “Actually, I haven’t.”
Perhaps the Rangers can get by for a spell, as they did in going 4-2 since Kakko left the lineup. However in all probability not long run, and positively not within the playoffs. And it's troublesome to mission what impact this prolonged absence can have on Kakko, who will flip 21 on Sunday. By the way in which, this will even complicate negotiations on Kakko’s second contract, however that's for just a little bit later.
Drury was all alongside anticipated to attempt to purchase a top-six wing, with a lot of the deal with Vancouver’s J.T. Miller. The GM has chips to play, with Nils Lundkvist on the high of the chart. Now, with one top-six proper wing down for one more month and one other nonetheless trying to adapt to taking part in his off-wing for the primary time in his life, Drury doesn’t actually have the 5 weeks to attend till the deadline.
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