Kaapo Kakko faces yet another setback in his NHL career. The former New York Rangers forward will miss the start of the 2025-26 season with the Seattle Kraken and likely be out six weeks because of a broken hand.
The 24-year-old sustained the injury when slashed by Edmonton Oilers defenseman prospect Beau Akey in a preseason game Wednesday. Akey was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for slashing on the play.
This is a big blow for the Kraken. Key forwards Jared McCann and Chandler Stephenson each are dealing with undisclosed injuries and remain out of the Kraken lineup, as well.
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The Kraken seek a fast start under new coach Lane Lambert in hopes that they can return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after falling short the past two seasons. Seattle made the playoffs with 100 points in 2022-23, the second season in franchise history. But they missed out the next two years, including last season, when they dropped to 76 points and 27th overall in League standings.
Kakko is expected to play a big role in the top six and on the power play for the Kraken this season. He signed a three-year, $13.575 million contract with the Kraken this past summer, avoiding salary arbitration, and started the preseason strong with a pair of assists in their opener against the Vancouver Canucks last weekend.
Related: Rangers stock report: Who’s trending up, down halfway through preseason
Former Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko out 6 weeks with broken hand
Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Kakko, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft, had a rocky and frustrating tenure with the Rangers. He never quite lived up to the high expectations. though was a reliable third-line forward. Just not exactly what the Rangers hoped when they selected him after Jack Hughes went No. 1 overall to the Devils in 2019.
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In his rookie season, as an 18-year-old, Kakko had 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) over 66 games in 2019-20. Playing on the Kid Line with Alexis Lafreniere and Filip Chytil three seasons later, Kakko topped out at 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists), playing all 82 games. The following season, he dealt with injury and decreased ice time, plummeting to 19 points (13 goals, six assists) in 61 games.
Things came to a head with the Rangers last season, when Kakko complained about being a scapegoat for the team’s dysfunctional play, after he was a healthy scratch for a game in December.
“I have not been the worst guy, but that was me out of the lineup,” he told reporters at the time.
The Kraken acquired Kakko from the Rangers on Dec. 18 in a trade for defenseman Will Borgen. They immediately handed him a bigger role, 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, when he had 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 30 games.
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