Former Rangers forward injured in preseason game with Kraken

Kaapo Kakko can’t catch a break. Or maybe the former New York Rangers forward did just that, literally, in a preseason game Wednesday.

Kakko played just three shifts totaling 1:59 TOI before leaving the Seattle Kraken’s 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers with an upper-body injury.

The 24-year-old forward was slashed on his left hand by Oilers defenseman prospect Beau Akey as the pair battled for the puck along the boards. Kakko hunched over in pain, skated off the ice and didn’t return.

“Upper body, being evaluated, we’ll see what happens when we get back to Seattle,” is all Kraken coach Lane Lambert offered up about Kakko’s injury postgame.

Akey, a 20-year-old who was selected by the Oilers in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft, was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for slashing.

Even if this is just a temporary setback for Kakko, it’s a bad break. Kakko views this season as a fresh start after six unfulfilling seasons with the Rangers.

The Kraken acquired Kakko from the Rangers last December in a trade for defenseman Will Borgen. They handed him a a spot in the top six and on the power play, and Kakko responded with 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 49 games. His average TOI jumped to a career-high 17:03, nearly four minutes more per game than what he got with the Rangers (13:17) earlier in the 2024-25 season.

Ex-Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko sustains upper-body injury with Kraken

This past summer, Kakko avoided a salary arbitration hearing and landed a three-year, $13.575 million contract with the Kraken. The good vibes carried over into Seattle’s preseason opener, when Kakko dished out a pair of assists in a 5-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks.

This season has all the makings of a breakout for the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft. His tenure with the Rangers was frustrating, and he never fulfilled high expectations. Kakko wound up a third-line staple, though solid in a limited role.

When things went south for the Rangers in their dismal, dysfunctional season a year ago, Kakko believed he was a scapegoat for their collective woes, and spoke out after he was a healthy scratch in December.

“I have not been the worst guy, but that was me out of the lineup,” he complained to reporters.

Days later, the Rangers shipped Kakko out west.

Playing up in the Kraken lineup, mainly with Matty Beniers, the 2023 Calder Trophy winner as NHL rookie of the year, Kakko scored a goal in his third game. He had a five-game point streak in January, including a two-goal game against the Buffalo Sabres and a three-assist effort vs. the Los Angeles Kings. Kakko had another two-goal game in March against the Oilers.

So, expectations are high for Kakko heading into the 2025-26 season. Let’s see if he’s derailed by this unfortunate injury.

Related Headlines

Former Rangers forward injured in preseason game with Kraken

Tags: