Kaapo Kakko viewed this year’s trade deadline the same way he has his pending restricted free agency.
It was there, looming in a way that it hasn’t since the Rangers drafted the Finnish wing second overall in 2019.
Putting it out of his mind was the only course of action Kakko saw, however, in order to keep it from affecting his mindset and his game.
“I think I did well, like, I didn’t think about it,” Kakko told The Post before the Rangers took on the Devils on Monday night at Madison Square Garden. “It’s over now and I’m happy to be here.”
Now that the deadline has come and gone and Kakko is still a member of the Rangers, the 23-year-old has his sights set on the playoffs.
That is largely where he will earn his next contract this offseason, when Kakko becomes an RFA with arbitration rights.
This season has been a bit of a letdown for Kakko. Not only did he miss 21 games with a lower-body injury, but Kakko’s production has also been underwhelming with eight goals and four assists in 42 games entering Monday’s contest.
There are still intangibles to his game that have positively impacted the Rangers — and ones that were sorely missed during his absence — but Kakko always seems to measure himself in results.
He knows the grand playoff stage will be an opportunity for him to redeem certain parts of his season.
“There’s been good games and then there’s been not-that-good games,” Kakko said while reflecting on his season. “Sometimes playing a little more, sometimes not much at all. So those are not the nights you want, but if you look at the points and goals, not been the best year for me.
“Still, going into the playoffs, I think if you play good there, if the team plays well there, that can change the season. I think we have a great team right now, I think we have a good chance to go far in the playoffs.”
Kakko has bounced between the first and third lines for a majority of the season, but the addition of wing Jack Roslovic has increased the likelihood of Kakko skating in the Rangers’ bottom-six in the playoffs.
The lineup has hardly changed this season, with most movement stemming from injuries rather than coaching decisions. Though Kakko has been demoted from the first unit three times now, it has served as a steady reminder that he hasn’t been able to win the role.
Kakko played some of his best hockey of the season during a 12-game stretch on the right wing of Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle. It’s why head coach Peter Laviolette put him back on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider for a third time.
There was some progress made by Kakko over that stretch, but not enough to deter president and general manager Chris Drury from giving Laviolette another top right-wing candidate in Roslovic.
The third-line role may just be what fits Kakko best. It’ll be what he makes of it that counts.
“Next thing is just to play as good as you can,” Kakko said. “That’s still the only thing you can think about. Playoffs, I just think about those and the next game, you know? Not anything else. [The contract is] going to come later. If you play well there, that’s going to change something.”
