Kaapo Kakko recognizes that he and his linemates, Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, have not played to their top-line responsibilities during five-on-five play in the offensive zone this season.
That is why Rangers coach Peter Laviolette’s decision to swap Kakko with Blake Wheeler did not appear to come as a surprise to the 22-year-old Finn.
“It hasn’t been the easiest start for me, I think I should be better,” Kakko told The Post before the Rangers faced the Red Wings at the Garden Tuesday night. “The team has been playing well, we’ve been winning games, so that’s a good thing. I want to be better. You can [look at] the stats, not the best. But also the feeling out there, we haven’t been in the O-zone that much. We changed the lines for [Tuesday’s game], so maybe that helps.
“I like to play with [Kreider and Zibanejad], but I feel the last four games we didn’t have anything in O-zone. I think last year we had some very good games, so I was hoping we were going to start like that and start going well. But, I mean, that’s hockey. I should be better.
“Hopefully, these lines will get something going in the O-zone. Start feeling better and get some shots and chances to score a goal. I haven’t been getting those, not happy about that. That’s the first thing when you want to feel better, you need to get chances. So that’s the plan.”
The Rangers as a whole need some vast improvement in their even-strength play, but the first unit is expected to lead the way and Laviolette felt a change of scenery for certain players would be beneficial.
Putting Kakko on the right wing of the Kreider-Zibanejad duo was a natural starting point for Laviolette, who told the 2019 second-overall pick that he had seen them have some successful games together last season.
All in all, it was a bit of a mixed bag, but their 10-6 edge in goals and 67-47 advantage in high-danger chances last season, according to Natural Stat Trick, made it easy to reunite the trio.
Kakko said he was comfortable returning to that spot, but acknowledged the results haven’t solidified his place.
The Blueshirts have spent way too much time in their own zone of late and the first line hasn’t been an exception.
Laviolette pointed out that Wheeler has spent most of his career in top-six roles, which prompted his promotion to the first line.
“He’s working really hard, it’s not a work thing,” Laviolette said of Kakko, who had one goal and one assist coming into the Detroit game. “He has the puck on his stick and he’s in the offensive zone. I think he’s fairly responsible defensively. He’s big, he’s strong, he has speed. For me, it’s just through the course of 11 games, it just hasn’t clicked the way you would want from a production standpoint. I’m not saying that that’s Kaapo. I’m just saying that’s the reality of it. So if you try and make a change to see if it changes things up, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”
The message from Laviolette to Kakko has been to be a bit more physical, as well as shoot more and go to the net more.
Kakko believes he can increase his physicality, especially with the puck in the corners in the O-zone and behind the net, which has become a signature trait of his game.
There’s always a mental aspect to everything, as well. Kakko noted that he hopes to regain some confidence moving forward.
Kakko’s knack for holding onto the puck should feed into Laviolette’s system a lot more than it has, but no one has to tell him that.
“That’s kind of my game, but it hasn’t been my game lately,” he said. “I want to find that again.”