Kraken Injury Updates: Kakko Appears Poised to Make Season Debut Against Former Team
SEATTLE, Wash. - All signs point to Kaapo Kakko returning from his hand injury on Saturday, when the Seattle Kraken host Kakko’s former team, the New York Rangers. Just don’t ask Lane Lambert about it.
The Kraken coach held the cards close to his chest, as he often does, and reiterated that the 24-year-old winger remains on injured reserve after practice on Friday. Kakko himself was not made available to the media because he has not yet been medically cleared.
However, Kakko practiced on a line with Shane Wright and Mason Marchment in each of the past two sessions, and on Friday he took reps on the second power-play unit. To top it off, he led the center-ice stretches at the end of practice, which is often designated to celebrate an individual player’s milestones.
“I think he looks pretty good in practice,” Lambert said. “He’s still on IR, but he definitely did get more reps, and we’re working towards a return for him. But again, still on IR.”
Lambert can point to the ‘IR’ label as much as he wants, but it seems increasingly likely that Kakko’s return is due for Saturday.
Kakko injured his hand during Seattle’s preseason game against the Edmonton Oilers on September 24, but returned to practice earlier this week. Friday marked another step forward with his participation in special teams work, but the Finnish forward could still be spotted with a brace on his injured hand after practice.
It didn’t seem to hamper him on the ice, as his shot looked unimpeded on several reps.
“I think just what he brings on the offensive side, and the way he plays the puck, makes plays and really drives the offense,” Wright told the Emerald City Spectrum on Friday. “(He’s) a guy who’s scored a lot of goals, got a lot of points, so it’s a good guy to have back.”
A return on Saturday would be personally significant for Kakko, as it would be the first meeting against the franchise that selected him with the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. After five-and-a-half relatively underwhelming seasons in New York, Seattle acquired him in exchange for defenseman William Borgen and a couple of mid-round 2025 draft picks (third and fifth) on December 18 last season.
Kraken defenseman Ryan Lindgren, another longtime New York Ranger, addressed the prospect of facing his old team after practice on Friday.
“Obviously, my first time playing the Rangers, so might be a little weird,” Lindgren said. “But it’ll just be another game and it’ll be exciting, for sure.”
Kakko saw his scoring rate increase from 0.47 to 0.61 points per game after the trade, and he signed a three-year extension with the Kraken on July 22. Despite the preseason setback, Kakko will look to hit the ground running in his first full season in Seattle.
Lambert said he grouped him with Wright and Marchment due to his size and ability to hold onto pucks. Whether or not that line combination sticks will depend on how they fare in game action, as Lambert has been prone to shuffling lines midgame when looking for a spark, but in the meantime the bench boss said he liked what he’s seen from those three so far.
Saturday will mark Kakko’s first time playing alongside Marchment, who was traded to Seattle from the Dallas Stars this offseason. Since being placed on the same line together in practice, the two have discussed where they like to position themselves in the offensive zone and have tried to get a feel for each other’s play.
“He’s a big, strong, heavy guy. He likes to hold on to the puck, likes to make plays,” Marchment told the Emerald City Spectrum on Wednesday. “Kind of a give-and-go guy, which kind of suits me, so that’ll be fun.”
Friday also marked the first time defenseman Ryker Evans (upper-body) skated with the team since it was announced he was expected to miss six-to-eight weeks at the beginning of October. The 23-year-old defenseman wore a red non-contact jersey, and went through line rushes in the extra defensive pairing with Cale Fleury.
While Evans’ return to the ice certainly marks a step forward, Lambert said the team is still evaluating his progression.
“It’s good to see him,” Lambert said. “Certainly, he looks good. His skating looks good, so I think he’s done a good job of working and getting himself back into position, and our training staff has done a great job.”
Lambert added that forward Jared McCann (lower body) is still day-to-day, and forward Freddy Gaudreau (upper body) has resumed skating on his own, but is expected to remain out “for a while.”
Still, with two important young players on the horizon of returning to the lineup, the Kraken appear to be another step closer to full strength after weathering a storm of injuries to start the season.
