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MILAN — Kaapo Kakko’s journey this NHL season has been a rollercoaster, marked by injuries that threatened to derail his Olympic aspirations. The Finnish forward faced a challenging start when he fractured his hand, sidelining him for the first 10 games of the Kraken’s 2025-26 campaign. However, it was a second, more concerning lower-body injury in mid-November that truly tested his resolve.
“With the first injury, I knew there was still time,” Kakko shared, reflecting on his initial setback. “But when the second one hit, I was genuinely worried. Before the MRI results came in, I feared it might keep me out longer than I could afford. Thankfully, everything turned out well, and I’ve been back on the ice since then.” His recovery was swift, allowing him to return after just six games on injured reserve, much to the relief of his team and fans alike.
His return couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for the Seattle Kraken, who were in the midst of a difficult six-game losing streak. Kakko’s presence bolstered the team, and he managed to contribute significantly, tallying 20 points — five goals and 15 assists — in the 33 games leading up to the Olympic break. This performance helped the Kraken secure a playoff position, ranking third in the Pacific Division with a .563 point percentage as they headed into a 20-day hiatus.
In preparation for the Olympics, Kakko found himself rotating with Oliver Kapanen on Finland’s third line, playing alongside Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, who also happens to be his roommate in the Olympic Village. With the Olympics on the horizon, Kakko’s resilience and recovery have set the stage for a promising international showcase, despite the hurdles he faced early in the season.
Kakko rotated with Oliver Kapanen on Finland’s third line alongside Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, who the 24-year-old is rooming with in the Olympic Village.
“I remember when I was watching, when I was young, the days Team Finland played I was just waiting for the game and getting ready,” he recalled after wrapping up practice. “Like, all the people were just talking about the games and how they are going to do. You kind of feel, I don’t know, pressure, but I think it’s more exciting when everybody’s watching. Thinking about the games and asking how you guys are doing here. My friends and family are asking how it is at the Olympics. So it’s been fun.”
Through two days of practice, it looks like Team USA plans to keep the line of Jack Eichel between the Tkachuk brothers that it ended 4 Nations with. Otherwise, things look in flux.
Matt Boldy, a third-line staple during 4 Nations, skated with Auston Matthews and Jake Guentzel on Tuesday with Kyle Connor, Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson making up the third line. The fourth featured some rotation but currently appears likely that Brock Nelson will play center.
Neither Charlie McAvoy nor Jack Hughes, both of whom were injured leading up to the Olympics, are expected to be kept out of action here. McAvoy has skated next to Quinn Hughes in practice, though Sullivan has warned not to read into practice alignment.
The big lineup news through two days out of Team Canada is the second line, where Connor McDavid is centering Tom Wilson and Macklin Celebrini. The 19-year-old superstar for the Sharks is being thrust into the cauldron as the second-youngest player at these Olympic Games, behind only Alberts Smits of Latvia, a likely lottery pick in this summer’s draft.
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“He may be 19 years old, like his physical body is, but his acumen for the game is not,” Canada coach Jon Cooper told reporters Sunday. “He’s wise beyond his years. And so I can’t sit here and look at him as this kid. … If he’s shown us anything and all of us in this NHL year, he’s a pretty special player.”
Certain areas of the Santagiulia Arena still have the feel of a construction site, and the upper sections behind one of the goals is curtained off — the vestige of approximately 3,000 seats that will not be installed due to construction issues — but players and staff have uniformly downplayed any issues with the ice or with their facilities.
“It looks good,” Team USA captain Matthews told reporters Sunday. “I can’t imagine having to put something like this together with a limited amount of time. I thought they did a pretty good job to get it up. The setup’s good, the ice is solid — it’s never going to be perfect — but it’s cool. I think it looks pretty good.”
“I didn’t even notice the [shorter] rink size, so that’s not gonna play a role, I don’t think,” Finland’s Sebastian Aho said.
Team Canada and Team Sweden both closed their practices to reporters Monday. Cooper claimed it was because his team was on the smaller practice rink and there are space issues.
Caginess has been something of a theme so far, with no teams naming a starting goaltender for their first games. At Team USA practice, Connor Hellebuyck stayed in the same net throughout while Jeremy Swayman and Jake Oettinger rotated in the other net.