It’s been a long time coming for Kaapo Kakko, who finally has a fellow countryman on the team in defenseman Niko Mikkola. According to Finnish outlet Ilta Sanomat, it was Braden Schneider that informed him of the trade that landed both Mikkola and Vladimir Tarasenko.
“Schneider came to ask if I knew Mikkola,” Kakko said via Google Translate. “Of course I immediately connected it to the trade. I went looking for more information and was pretty excited.”
Kakko has been waiting to speak Finnish with a teammate ever since being selected by the Rangers second overall in the 2019 NHL Draft.