The New York Rangers surprised many by deciding to send forward Kaapo Kakko to the press box during their Sunday matchup against the Blues in St. Louis.
The name of the second overall pick in the 2019 draft has been linked to trade rumors for a long time. Many wonder if the Blueshirts’ recent decision shows that the Finn is on his way out.
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This is particularly the case of the renowned journalist from New York Post Larry Brooks, who said on X that this could be the prelude to a trade.
After the game against the Blues, a 3-2 loss, Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette briefly provided an explanation for Kakko’s removal from his team.
“We simply decided to bring some new blood into the lineup tonight [dimanche]depending on the decision we made for this composition,” the pilot said unconvincingly.
Kakko’s withdrawal is also surprising considering that Artemi Panarin was unable to play against the St. Louis club and the Rangers therefore needed someone to take his place on an offensive line. The 33-year-old Russian has an upper body injury and his condition will be assessed on a daily basis.
The Rangers are having a season well below the expectations of the organization’s staff. By virtue of their loss on Sunday, they have lost four of their last five meetings.
The Big Apple team also recently traded defenseman Jacob Trouba, who was the club captain, to the Anaheim Ducks for a pittance. It has been suggested that a section of the Rangers dressing room are in open rebellion against general manager Chris Drury.
In short, this is far from being the end of the saga surrounding this team.
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