After an exciting season that culminated in an unexpected run to the Eastern Conference Final, the general feeling around the New York Rangers is that the 2021-22 season was the beginning of a period of sustained success.
A key part of that success will be the growth and development of the team’s talented young players, and the organization’s willingness to trust them in bigger roles moving forward.
That is why head coach Gerard Gallant’s decision to scratch Kaapo Kakko — who the Rangers selected second overall in the 2019 NHL Draft — in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning is so worrisome.