Kaapo Kakko is only 18 years old, but he sure hit the nail on the head.
“It was a long summer,” the Rangers’ No. 2-overall selection in June’s draft said. “It’s time to play hockey.”
As the regular season finally opens for the Rangers on Thursday night at the Garden against the Jets, a lot of their optimism revolves around promising young players such as Kakko. He might not be the most recognizable piece, but the Finnish winger in a man-sized body with a NHL-ready game also represents a new wave in the Blueshirts history — a time when they dedicated themselves to rebuilding with youth, sacrificing two seasons to do so, and came out the other side of the darkness with a fresh outlook on the future.
“Our expectations are we’re just going to continue to move forward and build daily,” second-year coach David Quinn said after Wednesday’s practice. “The moves we made this past summer were a continuation of what we set out to do.”
Ah, the moves; the ones that took the Rangers from youthful exuberance to a team with an entirely new complexion. That started with signing the jewel of the free-agent class, winger Artemi Panarin, to a blockbuster seven-year, $81.5 million deal. But unlike so many free-agent splashes the Rangers have made in the past — many of which fell flat — Panarin is 27 years old with a ton of tread still on his tires, known intimately by first-year team president John Davidson during their time with the Blue Jackets.
“Panarin’s skill set and his success in this league speaks for itself,” Quinn said.
Then came the trade for long-coveted first-pair righty defenseman Jacob Trouba, a restricted free agent from the Jets. The Rangers signed him to a mega-deal, seven years and $56 million, to give them so many tools they needed on the back end.
And it just so happens Trouba’s first regular-season game in the Garden will be against his old team.
“First game in New York, first game at MSG as a Ranger, is something that I’ll always remember,” Trouba said. “So I want to have a good memory.”
Then comes another righty defenseman, Adam Fox, who pretty much dictated his way to the Rangers coming out of Harvard, making it clear he wasn’t a good fit with either the Flames (who drafted him) or the Hurricanes (who traded for him, and then traded his rights to the Rangers).
Fox will be paired with another 21-year-old, Libor Hajek, a big part of the deal that sent Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller to the Lightning. Also part of that deal was 21-year-old center Brett Howden, making the team again after an impressive 66-game rookie campaign. Also sticking was the No. 7-overall pick from the 2017 draft, 20-year-old center Lias Andersson.
Add it all up, and the Rangers will be the only NHL team whose opening-night roster has eight players who are 23 years old or younger, and five players who are 21 years old or younger. They still have such talented prospects starting with AHL Hartford — including Filip Chytil, Vitali Kravtsov and Ryan Lindgren — that balancing the future with the present will be a challenge.
“All that long-term stuff was talked about [with the media]. But in the locker room and at practice, it wasn’t talked about,” Quinn said. “It’s always been about this year. It’s always been about moving forward. It’s always been about what our expectations are inside these walls, the walls of our locker room.”
With all the youth, there is still 37-year-old Henrik Lundqvist in nets for the 14th straight opening night (his 15th season), alongside familiar faces such as Chris Kreider, Marc Staal and emerging first-line center Mika Zibanejad.
But these are the refreshed Rangers, with a plan of hope hatched years ago that is finally starting to come to fruition. It’s hard to predict what the season might bring, but it certainly opens with a renewed feeling of promise.
“The day is almost here,” Zibanejad said. “Get one more good night’s sleep, then get back at it.”