Chris Kreider opened up about his time playing alongside Kaapo Kakko with the Rangers.
Kaapo Kakko’s tenure with the New York Rangers was rocky, but it wasn’t all bad.
From the moment he was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft by the Rangers, the weight of the world was on Kakko’s shoulders.
While Kakko didn’t necessarily meet up expectations in New York, he showed a lot of growth both as a player and a person with his former teammates gravitating to him over time.
“I really enjoyed playing with Kaapo,” Kreider said. “The more he opened up, the more I realized what a funny guy he was. Seeing him come over as an 18-year-old, came over as a kid, I feel like he’s just grown up so much. The way he went about his business every single day, he was a pro right from the get go.”
Kakko was traded from the Rangers to the Seattle Kraken in December and he’s since seen an increased role with his new team.
In 24 games with the Kraken, the 23-year-old has recorded five goals, 12 assists and 17 points while averaging 17:35 minutes.
