Kakko pumped up, added strength in summer

Instead of focusing on his overall game this offseason, Kaapo Kakko said he spent his summer in the gym.

The Finnish right winger now stands at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds entering his third NHL season with the Rangers. It’s a big year for him, Kakko pointed out, with significant top-six minutes up for grabs in wake of Pavel Buchnevich’s

trade to St. Louis this summer.

So Kakko went home to Finland in the offseason and put on roughly six pounds of muscle.

“I think guys over here, they are bigger and stronger,” he said Monday. “So I think I need to be [at the] same level as those guys.”

Through the start of training camp, Kakko has gotten the first look at right wing on the Bread and Butter line alongside Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. It’s a spot that Kakko is familiar with after seeing some time there last season, particularly toward the end. According to Natural Stat Trick, that trio logged 136:18 of ice time together.

As last season progressed, Kakko seemingly began to better understand his role next to the highly skilled Panarin and Strome. The 20-year-old grew more and more aggressive around the net and started to learn how to use his frame to his advantage.

“I think I need to go to the net a little more,” said Kakko, who finished with nine goals and eight assists last season. “I still can keep the puck and make some chances for those guys. I know both are very good players, so I think if I’m just going to the net, maybe sometimes it’s coming for me.”

Let’s not forget, Kakko has yet to compete in a full NHL season after his rookie year was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic and his sophomore year had a truncated 56-game schedule. Kakko also contracted COVID-19 in late February and missed six games.

Gerard Gallant said Monday he’s liked what he’s seen from Kakko, noting that the young Finn is going to continue to get better as he matures.

“You want complete hockey players, I think he’s very capable of being a complete hockey player,” the coach said. “You want him to do a little bit of everything, corner work, go to the front of the net. But also, he’s got a lot of talent and a lot of skill for a young player.

“We want players going to the net, we want pucks going to the net.”