Rangers Kaapo Kakko To Miss "A Lot Of Time"; Replacements Recalled

New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko suffered a significant knee injury during a recent game, raising concerns about his availability for upcoming matches.

The 22-year-old was injured in a collision with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Erik Johnson, resulting in his left leg twisting awkwardly.

The incident occurred behind the Buffalo net, causing Kakko to clutch his knee in pain and be helped off the ice without putting weight on the injured leg.

New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko has gone to the dressing room with an apparent leg injury following an awkward fall. pic.twitter.com/fyevFByKYZ
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 28, 2023

The severity of the injury was not immediately clear, but Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette indicated that Kakko was being evaluated, with the former 2nd overall pick expected to miss a lot of time.

In response to Kakko's injury, the Rangers have had to adjust their roster.

With limited cap space and already dealing with the absence of center Filip Chytil, the team faced challenges in recalling a 12th forward.

NYR: Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil are going on LTIR. Kakko's lower-body injury is serious, not believed to be season ending. He'll miss a lot of time. Chytil's LTIR stint is retroactive to Nov. 3. He's skating on his own. Adam Fox is expected to come off LTIR and play tomorrow.
— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) November 28, 2023

The #NYR are recalling forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Adam Edström from @WolfPackAHL. They're also sending D Connor Mackey down.

That's a clear sign that they're expecting to be without Kaapo Kakko for at least a little while.
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) November 28, 2023

The Rangers could potentially roll out 11 forwards and seven defensemen in upcoming games.

Alternatively, placing Kakko on Long-Term Injured Reserve (LTIR), if his injury requires him to miss at least 10 games and 24 days, which seems likely, would free up $2.1 million in LTIR pool money, equivalent to Kakko's average annual value.

Furthermore, the Rangers have recalled a pair of players, Jonny Brodzinski and Adam Edström, from their AHL affiliate in Hartford, Connecticut.

Hartford captain Jonny Brodzinski has been performing exceptionally in the AHL, leading with 25 points in 16 games. Photo Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports