Kaapo Kakko

Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko ready to lace up skates despite being Type 1- Diabetic

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When training camp began for the New York Rangers at the training facility last week, 19 -yeard old Kaapo Kakko was on the ice with his New York Rangers teammates. His underlying medical condition has placed on the back burner with a pandemic virus on everyone’s mind.

Kakko and his Blueshirts are preparing to travel to Toronto and begin their quest for the Stanley Cup with a “win it all” attitude. The team’s 2nd overall selection in the 2018 NHL entry draft has been willing to participate in the unusual playoff format since the NHL’s Return to Play guidelines were released.

“I want to play, and I’m so young (19) that my diabetes is OK right now,” the rookie forward said to Dan Rosen of NHL.com. “Just keep sugars down and it’s going to be OK.”

The concern for Kakko is not because he is at a greater risk to get the virus, but how he will battle the virus if he should contract it.  Rangers head coach David Quinn had a discussion with the rookie a few months back and the conversation was one of a dad talking to his son as opposed to a coach speaking to a player.

“[Kaapo] and I had a conversation maybe two months ago,” Rangers coach David Quinn said per Rosen. “When I brought it up to him it had never crossed his mind what could be at stake and the fact that he could be more vulnerable. Obviously, we did our homework, and I actually said to him, ‘You should look into it from your end too, not just the Rangers’ standpoint. Talk to your doctors back in Finland, ask them if you’re more at risk or how much more at risk you are than everybody else. And you need to be comfortable playing.’

“He’s got a great future, and his health is first and foremost, the most important thing here. Based on all the information we have and all the information he got, he’s here and eager and I don’t think he has any concerns.”

Kakko’s first season was a battle to adapt to the NHL style of play. He appeared in 66 games netting 10 goals with 23 points. The learning curve was difficult but the time away from the rink could be beneficial for a kid who so needed to find a way to recharge during a hard 82 game NHL season.

The rookie will continue to be as safe as he can with the uncertain times around him and keep preparing for the teams Qualifying Round best of five series against the Carolina Hurricanes set to begin on Aug. 1. The team will head to Toronto and have one exhibition game against the New York Islanders on July 29 (8 p.m. MSG Network).

Quinn along with the team will heavily rely on a well-rested Kakko to have a hot start right out of the gate with the hope of the team finding the hot streak that was abruptly shut down in March amid the Coronavirus.

 

Rangers rookie Kaapo Kakko could be forced to miss playoffs per RTP guidelines

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New York Rangers rookie Kaapo Kakko has returned to New York and is in the process of self-quarantine as have all players who return from overseas.

Due to his underlying health conditions, he is a Type 1 diabetic and has celiac disease, he could be deemed “unfit to play” per the “NHL Phased Return to Sports Protocol” announced on Monday.

The NHL and NHLPA announced an agreement on Monday to set the guidelines for Phase 3 and Phase 4 to proceed beginning July 13. The 20-page document detailed every aspect of how the NHL will work with the teams, players, staff, hotel workers, chefs, and visiting family members during training camp as well as when clubs travel to their hub cities at the end of July.

The health of everyone involved was of the utmost importance but also may have a factor in the availability of players before Phase 3 begins.

Section F – Pre-Participation Medical Examination (PPME) has a clause at the end of the section that appears to take the final decision of whether a player is fit to play or not out of his hands. The wording of the final paragraph says,

Players who, after consultation with the Club doctor who conducted the PPME, and the Club’s infectious disease expert, are determined to be at substantial risk of developing a serious illness as a result of exposure to the novel coronavirus shall be deemed to be unfit to play and shall not be permitted to participate either in Phase 3 or Phase 4. A Player may initiate a Second Opinion concerning his fitness to play status pursuant to Paragraph 5 of his Standard Player’s Contract.

Looks like the two sides are possibly trying to avoid a situation where a player with known health (underlying) factors could be told to sit out the playoffs in order to prevent a serious medical situation if they or players around them contract COVID-19.

NHL.com writer Dan Rosen spoke about Kakko’s health when he Tweeted a quote for Rangers president John Davidson on May 28.

“JD said on a Zoom call today that they’ll listen to the medical staff to determine if it’s safe for Kaapo Kakko to play. He has Type 1 diabetes. I’m told that doesn’t put him at risk for infection, it puts him at a higher risk for complications if he is infected.”

The statement verified that players are not at a higher risk of getting the virus with health risks, but if a player should contract the virus, it will be tougher for him to fight it off.

Section F may be a way of teams protecting themselves and their players from serious health conditions. It’s hard to think the NHL and Rangers teams doctors would shut Kakko down now.  Training camp is six days away from beginning at the team’s training facility in Tarrytown, NY.

That leaves six more days of waiting to see if the Rangers will have the second overall draft pick in last year’s NHL Draft playing in the Qualifying Round against the Carolina Hurricanes on Aug. 1.

New York Rangers, NHL focused on having players return to home cities

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The New York Rangers have seen players such as Igor Shesterkin, Pavel Buchnevich, and other player’s return to New York with the NHL focusing on testing and getting ready for training camp to begin.

Friday evening prior to the NHL draft Lottery, Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke about the importance of players returning to their home cities, getting tested for COVID-19, and the excitement of beginning the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

“At the peak, I think we had 17 percent of our players outside of North America, and 56 percent of our players weren’t in the markets in which their teams play,” Commissioner Bettman told NBC Sports Network prior to the First Phase of the 2020 NHL Draft Lottery. “But the goal is [to] get everybody back, get everybody tested, make sure the right protocols are in place because health and safety is paramount. And then hopefully as a group we can hold off COVID-19, get everybody together in the hub cities and then finish the season with a great tournament,” as was reported by Tom Gulitti of NHL.Com.

 

For clubs like the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist, Mika Zibanejad, Kaapo Kakko and Alexandar Georgiev have been overseas since the pandemic shut down the NHL on Mar. 12. Phase 2 began on June 8 with players entering facilities for voluntary workouts needing to take mandatory testing for COVID-19.

The NHL and the NHLPA have been working closely to establish a health protocol for the league to proceed with training camp and for when the Playoffs begin. Training camps can open provided that medical and safety conditions allow and the parties have reached an agreement on the resumption of play.

The NHL announced on June 19 that more than 200 players had multiple tests and 11 tested positive for COVID-19. Any player who tested positive went into self-isolation and followed the Centers for Disease Control and Health Canada protocols.

An announcement of which hub cities will host the qualifying rounds and the start of the playoffs could be made in the next few days. The Eastern Conference will have 12 teams along with 12 teams from the Western Conference. Las Vegas, Toronto, and Edmonton are among the rumored locations.

The league has confirmed that if a player or a small number of players should test positive during the playoffs these players would self-isolate with the games continuing. The big fear comes if an entire team or teams should have an outbreak of the coronavirus during the playoffs.

Would the league suspend the tournament until the outbreak is under control or would they be forced to outright cancel the season and not be able to award the Stanley Cup? Bettman is hoping that they can finish the year without too many health distractions.

The New York Rangers have not reported any positive COVID-19 cases with just a small amount of players attending the voluntary workouts at their Tarrytown, NY location.

NHL Draft Lottery is Friday night, New York Rangers could land high pick

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National Hockey League, NHL

The NHL will hold it’s Draft Lottery Friday night with only seven out of 14 teams named. The crazy scenario is unlike anything the league and its teams have experienced which could see the New York Rangers land a high selection.

Friday night at the NHL Network studios in New Jersey the 14 possible teams will watch and see who lands the number one pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Unfortunately for everyone involved, this is much more complicated than in previous years.

The Draft Lottery is normally held between the 15 teams that did not make the playoffs, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, only the seven teams not participating in the 24-team playoffs have been identified. The Ottawa Senators hold two selections in the draft based on a trade they made with the San Jose Sharks, so the draft lottery will be based on 15 chances between 14 teams.

The Draft Lottery will be between the Red Wings, Sharks, Kings, Devils, Ducks, Sabres, and Senators — as well as the eight teams who do not make it through the qualifying round of the modified playoffs.

A little confusing and that is the easy part.

Photo via TheScore.com

The seven teams not participating in the playoffs are listed with the odds of landing the number one overall pick. Team’s A-H is the clubs that do not make it out of the qualifying rounds. The losing teams will fill out the remaining eight spots. Here comes the crazy part, thanks to Hailey Salvian of TheAthletic.com, here is a breakdown of how the format will go should a team between A-H get the winning lottery ball.

  • This lottery might have two different phases, depending on how Phase 1 goes.
  • The eight teams who lose their play-in series will be “placeholder” teams in the lottery represented as Team A, Team B, etc.
  • Tonight the NHL is only drawing the top three spots.
  • If all three draws are won by the bottom seven teams (Red Wings, Sharks, Kings, Devils, Ducks, Sabres, and Senators), there will be no Phase 2 lottery and those teams receive their selections.
  • The remaining four teams in the bottom seven group are assigned draft positions No. 4 through No. 7 in the inverse order of their points percentages at the time of the pause in the regular season.
  • The next eight positions (eight through 15) will be assigned to the eight teams that do not advance from the qualifying round, in inverse order of their points percentages at the time of the pause in the regular season.
  • If any of the three draws are won by placeholder teams, a Phase 2 lottery will be necessary.
  • Phase 2 will include all eight teams that do not advance from the qualifying round.

Those teams will have equal odds to draw for the lottery spot that was won in Phase 1.

For example, if the winning team of the first lottery draw is from the bottom seven group, that team wins the right to the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. If the winning team of the first lottery draw is a placeholder team, the right to the first overall pick will be determined in Phase 2.

Projected Numer 1

Alexis Lafreniere is the projected number one overall player in the NHL draft this year. The winger has dominated the QMJHL with the Rimouski Oceanic over the past three seasons, winning back-to-back CHL Player of the Year awards.

Last year the Rangers claimed the number two overall pick with Jeff Gorton selecting Kaapo Kakko.  Will the Rangers create some magic once again this year.  Fans will find out tonight, well maybe after the qualifying rounds.  The organization will know more in late July, ok I’m not sure when they will know for sure, but perhaps we will know on Friday night that they won’t have a top-five selection.

The Draft Lottery can be seen at 8 p.m. on the NHL Network, NBSCN, Sportsnet.

 

 

Rangers’ European players are heading back to New York (Report)

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New York Rangers

New York Rangers’ European players who have been sitting out the pandemic in their home countries are expected to return to New York via a report by Newsday’s Colin Stephenson.

The agent of Pavel Buchnevich confirmed to Stephenson that his client would be heading to New York next week. Other players who will be returning include Henrik Lundqvist, Mika Zibanejad, Kaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil, Jesper Fast, and Alexandar Georgiev.

Based on the current CDC guidelines, these players will have to self-quarantine for 14 days prior to reporting to the Rangers training camp which is scheduled to begin on July 10.

Artemi Panarin and Igor Shesterkin remained in the United States during the league’s shutdown. Panarin has already skated at the team’s Tarrytown facility when Phase 2 of the NHL’s Return To Play plan kicked in on June 8.

Shesterkin has been in Florida skating with other NHL players which include Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin.  The state of Florida has had a massive spike in COVID-19 cases this week with a staggering 3,800 positive tests reported on Friday.  It is unclear at the time if the rookie goaltender will have to self-isolate when he returns to New York State.

NHL Players Test Positive

The NHL is reported on Friday that 200 players have reported to their team’s training facility since Phase 2 began with 11 players testing positive.

ESPN reported that the Tampa Bay Lightning had several players and staffers tested positive for COVID-19 and were forced to shut down their facility.

New York Rangers Kappo Kakko May Be Sidelined Due to COVID-19 Health Concerns

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In Thursday’s Zoom press conference, New York Rangers president John Davidson was asked about the health status of Blueshirt forward Kaapo Kakko. The nineteen-year-old native of Finland has diabetes and celiac disease, underlying conditions that put him at risk if he was exposed to the coronavirus.

During the conference video, Davidson stressed that: “If he, hypothetically, cannot play, he can’t play. We’re going to take care of him, he’s a big part of us. If he can play, he’s going to play, and I’m sure he’s going to want to play. But we listen to science, we listen to the medical people, they’re going to tell us what to do.”

COVID-19 and the Diabetes risk for Kaapo Kakko

According to the American Diabetes Association, the problem people with diabetes face is primarily a problem of worse outcomes, not a greater chance of contracting the virus. In China, where most cases have occurred so far, people with diabetes had much higher rates of serious complications and death than people without diabetes. In general, people with diabetes are more likely to experience severe symptoms and complications when infected with a virus, like COVID-19.

This concern, as well as the concern to all Rangers players, was underscored by Davidson’s comments on Thursday. “I know that he’s skating and working out like madmen to try to get ready to come back. I’m sure he’s going to want to play, but at the same time, again, it’s important for everybody to be taken care of regarding their health,”  Davidson also stated that: “It doesn’t matter if you’re a 19-year-old young player or if you’re an older executive. Everything has to be done in the right fashion.

COVID-19 and Celiac Disease

In addition to diabetes, Kakko also suffers from celiac disease, an immune disease in which people can’t eat gluten because it will damage their small intestine. The good news is that according to the Celiac Disease Foundation, there have been no studies or reports suggesting patients with celiac disease are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19 compared to patients without celiac disease. However, gluten intake will still have to be monitored strictly as with the coronavirus, anything that compromises the health of a person puts them at greater risk.

Remember that comment Davidson made about “everything has to be done in the right fashion”? The New York Rangers and the NHL have been working hard to have this covered. On Monday, the NHL released a 22-page memo outlining the health and safety measures to which teams and players must adhere. The policy covers everything from masks, the number of players allowed at a time in a facility, and cleaning protocols that the Rangers must follow.

“One thing we all have to remember here is, this is a fluid situation regarding dates of when we’re going to have a camp, and when we’re going to play,” Davidson said. “Who knows?

New York Rangers: Players outside of North America will have to ‘self isolate’ per NHL Commissioner

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New York Rangers

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was a guest on the “Today Show” on Wednesday morning and made it clear that players like New York Rangers Henrik Lundqvist and Mika Zibanejad will need to be quarantined when they come back to the United States.

The NHL has been on pause since Mar. 12 but with yesterday’s announcement hockey is getting closer to returning. Rangers players that are outside of the United States will need to come back to New York once the NHL begins phase three of the Return to Play format.

Bettman broke down where players have been staying since the pause went into effect some three months ago,

“We have about 44% of the of our players are in the cities in which they play, and 83% of our players are in North America, but you’re right 17% of our players are coming from outside of North America, they’re going to have to come back, they’re going to have to self isolate they’re going to be tested. We’re going to have to make sure they’re symptom-free, which is again why we’re doing this and steps, we can use the individual training phase, phase two, as we call it, to do that and get everybody back together as a community but once we go into training camp mode. There will be lots of testing not quite as much as when we’re actually playing in phase four. But we’re going to be monitoring everything very closely because we know we’ve got to bring back a large group of people from all over, and we have to make sure, as we’re bringing them together We’re not bringing COVID-19 with them.”

The Rangers do not need to recall players when phase two begins as it is a voluntary return. Players will be able to enter the team’s training facility in a group of six to skate and workout without coaches or trainers.

Phase three will be the start of the training camp which should begin sometime in mid-July. Aside from Lundqvist and Zibanejad players such as Kaapo Kakko and Alexandar Georgiev will have to head back to New York. Though no formal announcement has been made by the team, they would probably have to come back by mid-June so that the could self isolate for the 14 days prior to the start of phase three.

Tuesday’s announcement officially ended the regular season and based on the 24-team playoff format, the Rangers qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Looking Back at the Pre-Season Predictions for the New York Rangers

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New York Rangers

This was supposed to be the week that the New York Rangers played their final set of regular-season games for the 2019-2020 season, with the hope of many that it would be a springboard to the playoffs. But of course, we all know that the NHL as are most sports around the world are in a holding pattern. So with the normal regular season all but done, let’s take a look back to see what some experts predicted what the season would look like for the Rangers.

Some Experts had the New York Rangers doing well

A bit understandable, even as most realized that the Rangers were in a rebuilding mode. In the Sporting News, very few experts had the Rangers making the playoffs. One pundit who did was Jackie Speigel of the sportingnews.ca, who predicted the Blueshirts would capture the second wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. She even selected Kaapo Kakko as the winner for the Calder Trophy, awarded to the league’s top rookie. Many might remember Jackie for her wonderful work at SNY, so it could be a bit of regional bias but at least the Rangers were knocking at the door when the season shut down. Jace Mallory took it a step further and predicted that the Rangers would secure the third spot in the Metropolitan Division.  Brooklyn native Sammi Silber of NBC Sports even had the Blueshirts winning the Metro. Dave McCarthy of NHL.com and SiriusXM-NHL picked the Rangers second in the Metro.  Overall, less than half of the experts polled had the Rangers making the playoffs.

In looking at some articles that had more in-depth features, Adam Gretz stated in his article for NBCsports.com that: “They should be significantly better. How could they not be after adding Artemi Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox, and two potential rookie of the year contenders at forward in Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov? That is a ton of talent to enter the organization in one summer and it should be enough to have the team at least in contention for a playoff spot.”

The SI.com staff predicted that the Rangers would finish seventh in the Metropolitan Division and wrote that “It’s easy to imagine the Rangers playing above their station, and it’s also easy to see them hit growing pains.”

They also wrote that “Each season always brings its own surprises”. I don’t think they had our current predicament in mind when they wrote that!

New York Rangers Come Out On Fire: Beat Stars to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

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New York Rangers, Ryan Strome

The New York Rangers really stepped up to the plate on Tuesday night. After putting up a stinker of an effort against the New Jersey Devils, the Rangers traveled to Dallas and put up four goals in the first two periods to defeat the Stars 4-2.

Kaapo Kakko scored twice, and Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who have won two of their past three games and remained three points shy of a wild card in the Eastern Conference. Igor Shesterkin made 31 saves to rebound from a disappointing performance on Saturday against New Jersey.

Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko lead the New York Rangers

As to what should be a surprise to nobody, Mika Zibanejad scored a goal tonight. In doing so, he has reached the 40-goal plateau in a season in fewer games than any other player in franchise history. Just think about that.

In the entire history of the New York Rangers, he reached the 40 goal plateau faster than anybody. In addition, Zibanejad is the second Ranger in franchise history who has registered a goal in 11 games over a 12-game span. However, the biggest news of the night might be that Kaapo Kakko had two goals, stepping up in a way that many had hoped that he would when he was drafted second overall.

In hoping for some scoring balance, Kakko tallied his 10th goal of the season. He is one of nine Rangers who have recorded 10 or more goals in 2019-20. And let’s not forget defenseman Adam Fox. Upon scoring the first goal of the season, as registered 39 points this season, which is tied for the fifth-most by a rookie defenseman in Rangers history.

Think the future is bright? How about that bounce-back performance for Igor Shesterkin. With his win tonight, Shesterkin is the sixth goaltender in NHL history who has earned 10 wins in his first 12 career NHL appearances. The Rangers will travel up to Colorado to face the Avalanche in back-to-back games in their quest to make the playoffs.

Expectations are Too High, Too Soon for New York Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko

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New York Rangers, Kaapo Kakko

When the New York Rangers drafted Kappo Kakko, many were expecting, and not hoping that he would come in and have an immediate impact in the NHL. However, the Austen Matthews like performances has not happened, leading many to be disappointed with the young Finn.

The first thing to remember is that he just turned 19 years old. Unlike Matthews, who does have a unique talent that we might not see duplicated, was born in the United States.

Kakko was born and raised in Finland, and an 18-year-old, coming to the United States, let alone coming to New York City, is quite a lot to digest. But the bottom line is that Kakko has what it takes to be one of the top players in the NHL for many years to come. Patience is required.

Kakko will eventually be an impact player for the New York Rangers

So right out the gate, Kakko had many ups and downs. The season started slow, and Kakko was starting to feel the pressure.

In October of 2019, he told reporters:

“Hockey isn’t much fun for me right now. Things haven’t started to roll. Sometimes I feel I could get more ice time and play on the top line. I understand why I haven’t got that chance: my performances haven’t been that good.”

It is at this point to remember that despite being a second pick overall, it makes little sense to compare Kakko to Connor McDavid or Matthews, who was born to play the North American style of hockey and are centers. At this point, I am not going to go in long details about the difference between the two styles, other than to say that there are some notable differences.

This also leads to the reminder that much of this could have been due to difficulty in adapting to his new environment far from home. It might be more realistic to compare him to some other Europeans who started playing over here when they were 18.

One such player that comes to mind is a winger that I personally saw for the first time, Carolina Hurricanes winger Andrei Svechnikov. In his rookie season, Svechnikov had 20 goals and 37 points in 82 games. Now, after a year in the league, he is quickly becoming a sniper who’s ready to score goals on a regular and consistent basis. Someone with the natural talent that Kappo has can hopefully continue to develop and become a star for the New York Rangers for the foreseeable future.