Rookie Kakko explains why he's not having fun playing hockey for the Rangers

Earlier this week, New York Rangers rookie Kaapo Kakko shocked the hockey world when he stated to a Finnish reporter that “hockey isn’t very much fun for me right now.”

“Hockey isn’t very much fun for me right now,”Kakko told Finland’s Eastside Media earlier this week, as translated by reporter Pasi Tuominen for the Post. “Things haven’t been working out, and sometimes I feel like I could be on the ice a bit more. It would be cool to get a chance on the first line at some point. I understand that it hasn’t been realistic so far, since I haven’t really showed much.”

On Wednesday, the second overall pick was asked to clarify his comments, and the message remained the same: he is disappointed in his performance through seven games.

“We’re not playing good right now as a team, and I’m not playing good,” Kakko said, per the New York Post.

He was then asked whatspecifically he needed to improve on, and the kid kept being hard on himself. 

“Everything,” he replied. “I’m playing bad hockey.”

The 18-year-old forward has collected one goal and one assist in seven contests this season with a minus-6 rating to begin his NHL career with the Rangers, who have a record of 2-4-1. The Blue Shirts were expected to do so much better this earlier on, especially with the addition of Kaapo and star sniper Artemi Panarin. 

Kakko managed to record 22 goals and 38 points in 45 games with TPS Turku in Finland’s SM-Liiga last year, and is hoping he will get going on these numbers sooner rather than later. 

“Of course [it’s not fun] because we are not winning the games right now,” Kakko said Wednesday. “But, hopefully it’s getting better. Like, next game, maybe I feel better.”

Next game comes tonight… 

The Rangers have failed to record a win in the past five games and are hoping things will turn around as they host the red hot Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.