Five years after bursting onto the scene, Kaapo Kakko faces an uncertain future with Team Finland. The 2019 second overall pick has struggled to find consistency in his NHL career and may not be selected for next February's Four Nations tournament.
Kaapo Kakko burst onto the world scene with powerful performances to lead Team Finland to the gold medal in both the 2018-19 World Junior Championships and 2019 World Championships that preceded his second-overall selection by the Rangers that June.
“That’s not for me. The season here, all the games I play, I have to be a s good as I can be. That’s what is important.”What is most important for No. 24, as he repeatedly said, is to stay healthy this season. Kakko missed 21 games last year with a leg injury two years after missing 39 games with, first, a wrist injury then a lower-body matter. Just when the Finn seems to be gaining traction, he is going through rehab.
We know the history of how Kakko has been given top-six opportunities at intermittent portions of his career to ride shotgun with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad — the first 11 games last season, as an example — but just has not quite been able to stick the landing. He is more than reliable without the puck and strong on the wall. But there is a disconnect getting the puck to the net.
Kaapo Kakko Team Finland NHL World Junior Championships Four Nations Tournament
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