Kakko is also in the right spot. The Kraken have a younger team, which puts Kakko in a position to develop properly and learn from his mistakes. The weight of the world was on Kak

The metrics under the hood tell a curious story centered on one basic fact: Kakko and his linemates are on a shooting hot streak while Lafreniere and his linemates are in a shooting slump.

The hope when the Seattle Kraken acquired forward Kaapo Kakko from the New York Rangers was that the former second-overall pick could reignite his stale career.

“All the Finnish guys know each other, like, somehow,” Kakko said.

Kaapo Kakko scored twice in the third period, Joey Daccord made 33 saves and the Seattle Kraken overcame an early two-goal deficit to beat the Buffalo Sabres 6-2 on Saturday.

Kakko spent Christmas in Seattle at Tolvanen’s house, although the newly acquired winger fielded inquiries from several other Kraken players. The Finns last played together in 2019, so they had a lot to catch up on, sharing “dumb” summer stories and reflecting on their shared history.

Kakko scored an empty-netter and received a misconduct penalty for abuse of officials late in the third period. The 23-year-old has been on a roll lately with three goals and five assists over his last eight games while seeing top-six minutes.

Since being traded away by the New York Rangers, forward Kaapo Kakko has found a new home with the Seattle Kraken. Amid a hot streak, the 23-year-old Finn dropped a bold message, aiming at Peter Laviolette and his former team.

The New York Rangers traded Kakko to the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 18 and he has taken off ever since. In 10 games with the Kraken, the 23-year-old forward has recorded three goals, four assists and seven points. He is also averaging 15:59 minutes per game compared to his 13:17 minutes with the Rangers, which is a substantial increase.

One of the best performers for the Blueshirts over the course of 2025 has been defenseman Will Borgen. Arriving late in 2024 from the Seattle Kraken in the trad