How does the arrival of the Russian superstar to the New York Rangers affect Kaapo Kakko? “Someone is definitely dissatisfied,” Ismo Lehkonen says

The New York Rangers decided to put all the markers in the middle of their Stanley Cup hunt.

The Rangers traded one depth player, one young prospect and two backups to acquire the Stanley Cup-winning Russian star from St. Louis Vladimir Tarasenko31, as well as a basic defender Niko Mikkolan26.

Both Tarasenko and Mikkola are so-called “loan players”, as both contracts expire next summer.

The player trade did not come as a big surprise, as both names had been circulating in transfer rumors for a long time. Having lost five of their previous six games, the season of the Blues, the champions three years ago, already went downhill and will probably not appear in the spring playoffs – the team’s aging core group will be broken.

Urheilu caught up with Mikkola at the end of the week from St. Louis.

– I had a hunch that I might be traded before the transfer deadline (March 3), but it still surprised me. I guess it always comes as a bit of a shock when you haven’t experienced something like this before. Maybe the fact that I knew about the rumors helped the handling of the situation a little, Mikkola told Urheilu.

Mikkola had time to play 140 matches for the Blues during four seasons, scoring 20 (4+16) power points.

– I have really good memories of St. Louis. I have a lot of good friends on that team. We always had a really good team and it was also nice to live in the city. This season was a bit more varied.

Kiiming’s man will get – if possible – even more bright lights, because the Rangers, who are seriously aiming for the championship in the middle of Broadway, are one of the biggest hockey clubs in the world in all sectors. Mikkola gladly left to pursue the Stanley Cup with the Rangers.

– It’s cool to join a tough team that is aiming for the championship. In the middle of everything, I haven’t even had time to analyze the matter even more deeply, but let’s go there and play the game. This is a great opportunity, Mikkola stated.

In St. Louis, Mikkola was the only Finn on the team, but now he gets to play Kaapo Kako, 21, with. The two know each other well and have wreaked havoc in international hockey before. In the golden World Cup spring 2019, Kakko completed a hat trick against Slovakia and Mikkola was recorded as the pitcher for every goal.

Will the duo repeat the trick on Broadway?

– Let’s try, Mikkola laughs.

Because of this, Rangers signed Mikkola

It is clear why Rangers decided to sign Mikkola. The team’s four clear top defenders are Adam Fox, Jacob Trouba, K’ Andre Miller and Ryan Lindgren. However, the back four lacked the depth required in the spring championship hunt.
Urheilu’s ice hockey expert Ismo Lehkonen sees Mikkola’s role in New York as clear.

– He brings width there and their coach by Gerard Gallant apparent hardness for playing. Mikkola has marinated into such a nasty defender who is never nice to play against. Playing basic and killing ices, that’s his job there, Lehkonen sees.

– Rangers felt that behind that tough top four was a player who is not yet at that level.

In his first match on Saturday morning, Mikkola played a fair quarter. He tackled four times and blocked one shot, but sat on the ice no less than three times. A goal minus was recorded in the power statistics.

The Rangers beat Seattle 6–3 in the match. In Sunday’s victory match against Carolina, Mikkola’s power balance was handsomely +2.

Lehkonen believes in Mikkola in the tough games of the spring.

– It was already seen last spring against Colorado. He had a really good playoff game.

What is Tarasenko’s role?

Planting Tarasenko in the Rangers pattern is a more interesting operation. The Russian, who succeeded in scoring at the very beginning of his debut match, played another Russian star by Artemi Panarin on the side, but the team has a huge supply of attackers, for example, for the possession game.

Panarin, Tarasenko, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Vincent TrochekKaapo Kakko, Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere are all attackers who live and have at least on some level earned the responsibility even with superiority. Both dominant formations must be played with four attackers.

For example, Kako’s responsibility with superiority was ten seconds below the season average in Tarasenko’s debut match.

– It just so happens that someone is definitely dissatisfied. Kako’s place is in second place. Of course, Tarasenko needs to be oxidized in the first advantage, where Zibanejad, Panarin, Kreider and Fox will certainly be in addition to him, says Lehkonen.

Playing five against five, Lehkone has one wish to join the kid line, Kid Line, manned by Kako, Chytil and Lafreniere.

– Are they not going to get Tarasenko to play with Panarin? I just hope they don’t break Kid Line because it’s been really good.

The Junnuketju chain completed two hits over the weekend, and Kakko was also starting the second power play goal on Saturday.

Tarasenko’s personal level is still a mystery to Lehkonen. The winger, who recovered from serious injuries last season, scored 34 goals a year ago, but has not been able to take off this season. In St. Louis, only ten hits were made, with the power statistic reading -18.

– I wasn’t excited about his recent performances in St. Louis, he wasn’t an exciting player there in any way. It makes you wonder if he’s completely fit and if that’s the level he wants and what he’s capable of when he puts it all in.