Going into the 2024-25 season, there is a lot of pressure on Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko.
The New York Rangers need big seasons out of both Filip Chytil and Kaapo Kakko.
As far as the Rangers’ top-six forwards go, they are essentially set, but it’s the bottom-six that may be the team’s biggest question mark.
It’s reasonable to assume that Chytil and Kakko will both play on the third line, which leads to some excitement and a little bit of concern.
Chytil is a player who has extremely high potential, but it’s been hindered due to a number of injuries.
Specifically, Chytil has a concussion problem. The 24-year-old has already suffered four concussions since entering the league in 2017, something that is worrisome to say the least.
His latest concussion came last November, causing him to miss the rest of the regular season and majority of the playoffs.
It’s clear that if Chytil stays healthy he can be an impact player for the Rangers as he’s already proven that.
Chytil should play as the team’s third line center, a role that has a lot more responsibility than many people may actually realize.
Meanwhile, Kakko enters a different situation, but one that arguably is filled with more pressure and expectation.
The Rangers drafted Kakko with the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft to be one of the franchise players of the organization.
However, it hasn’t quite panned out that way. Kakko has struggled to play consistent hockey over his first five seasons of his career and time is running out for him to prove himself.
Kakko signed a one-year, $2.4 million contract. The Rangers are essentially giving the young forward one last chance to earn a spot in New York long term.
There's no doubt that Kakko has potential to do big things in the NHL, but he is just yet to put all the tools together.
If both Chytil and Kakko become the players we all know they can be, the Rangers will have a very balanced forward core, making them arguably the best offensive unit in the NHL.
