Rangers’ Kaapo Kakko on healthy scratch: ‘It’s easy to pick a young guy and boot him out’

Kaapo Kakko feels his time out of the New York Rangers‘ lineup is undeserved.

Made a healthy scratch in Sunday’s contest versus the St. Louis Blues, the Rangers right winger shared his thoughts on the decision days later, telling Mollie Walker of the New York Post, “I was surprised, yeah. I know you got to do something as a coach when you are losing games, but I think it is just easy to pick a young guy and boot him out. That is how I feel, to be honest.”

Through 29 appearances this season, Kakko has recorded four goals and 10 assists for 14 points to sit seventh in scoring among Rangers’ forwards. The 23-year-old Finnish forward also sits second on the team with a plus-10 rating.

“[I] have not been on the ice too much when [opponents] score a goal,” Kakko told Walker. “I have not been the worst guy, but that was me out of the lineup.”

Facing the Blues, without Kakko in the lineup, the Rangers came up short in a 3-2 final, marking New York’s second-straight loss and pushing the club’s performance to 3-8-0 since general manager Chris Drury issued a league-wide memo to his GM counterparts about the availability of captain Jacob Trouba and long-time Rangers left winger Chris Kreider. Trouba was subsequently dealt to the Anaheim Ducks in a deal that returned depth defender Urho Vaakanainen and a fourth-round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft.

One season removed from claiming the Presidents’ Trophy in recognition of the NHL’s best regular-season record, the Rangers now sit 15-14-1 this year, one point back of the Ottawa Senators for the second wildcard position in the Eastern Conference.

Asked about Kakko’s scratch postgame Sunday, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette told Walker the decision was made in an effort to “put fresh legs in the lineup.”

At pregame skate Tuesday ahead of a home-ice contest versus the Nashville Predators, all indications were Kakko would return to the lineup as practice sessions saw him participating with the team’s second powerplay unit and skating on the third line with fellow forwards Mika Zibanejad and Reilly Smith.

The second-overall selection from the 2019 NHL Draft, Kakko has collected 131 points counting 61 goals and 70 assists through 329 career appearances. He finished with a career-high 40 points in 2022-23, and this year is already just six points back of surpassing his 19-point performance from the 2023-24 campaign.