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Kaapo Kakko Finally Breaks His Silence About The Comments He Made Regarding Coach Peter Laviolette

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Daniel Lucente
December 20, 2024  (11:27)
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Kaapo Kakko seen as a member of the New York Rangers
Photo credit: NHLPA.com

Kaapo Kakko was recently traded to the Seattle Kraken, and he finally broke his silence and spoke about the comments he recently made regarding his coach.

The 23-year-old forward made his Kraken debut last night in Chicago against the Blackhawks. For the Finnish forward, it's been a crazy 24 hours as he was traded to Seattle just the night before.

It came not long after Kaapo Kakko voiced his frustrations with Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette, and the trade led to speculation about the actual reason for the move.

Many have theorized it was a response to his outspoken remarks about the veteran coach.

Kaapo Kakko took to the media yesterday to discuss the rumors saying he understood that the team needed to make a move and that he could potentially be the odd man out, and his limited role, especially not having to skate on special teams, made him more replaceable.

"The team was not playing well enough, they needed to do something. I knew it might be me. I was honest...there's guys playing PK and PP, and I wasn't in both of those."

- Kappo Kakko


That seems reasonable from his perspective, and there's a hope that things will be better in Seattle, where power-play minutes will be available and possibly more even-strength time, too.

Prior to the game, Kakko sounded excited for his fresh start, well aware his play will do the talking to his new coaching staff.

"I hope I'm going to get a chance over here. I think that's what the coach is telling me here, just play your game and they're going to trust me. That's all that I need. What I'm going to do out there is on me. I'm excited about that and ready to get out there and get things going."

- Kaapo Kakko


It will be interesting to see how the former second-overall pick is affected by this change in scenery. His underlying numbers with the Rangers were some of the best on the team, so if he can keep that up, he may thrive with the Kraken.

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20 DECEMBRE   |   76 ANSWERS
Kaapo Kakko Finally Breaks His Silence About The Comments He Made Regarding Coach Peter Laviolette

Do you believe Kaapo Kakko's comments were the true reason he was traded?

Yes5572.4 %
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