In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final, the New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette decided to make Kaapo Kakko a healthy scratch. It was the first time Kakko was benched in this magnitude since the Eastern Conference Final in 2022 when New York played the Tampa Bay Lightning. For a young player like Kakko, these situations are never easy and some guys may take being a healthy scratch the wrong way. Stan Fischler On Rangers Cup Chances However, coach Peter Laviolette made clear that there were no issues with Kakko following his benching. “It was fine with me, there weren't any issues,” Laviolette said. “There weren't any issues between Kakko and I. It was a decision that was made and like I said, when you put someone in, someone has to come out and you start evaluating the lineup.” Kakko was back in action for Game 4 and he had an overall strong performance. While not recording any points, Laviolette moved Kakko to the first line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad, which correlated directly to the positive impact he was bringing to the team that night. “I moved him up because it appeared to me that he was making things happen,” Laviolette said. “He was physical, he was heavy in the battles and just a notable player. In a game where we needed to have more puck possession, more physicality, I thought he brought some of that.” The 23-year-old recorded a total of 14:26 minutes on Tuesday night, which was the most he’s played all playoffs. Kakko is going to continue to go through tough moments and growing pains, but it’s all about how he responds from them and he seemed to respond in a positive way based on his Game 4 performance.
