MILAN – When Kaapo Kakko suffered his second injury of the NHL season in mid-November, Finn was really worried it would derail his Olympic dreams.
“First of all [injury] I got there early, and I knew I still had time,” said Kakko, who missed the first 10 games of the Kraken’s 2025-26 season with a broken hand before sustaining a physical injury later in the campaign. Before the MRIs, I was a little afraid that this one might be longer than it should have been. Everything went well and he’s been back in good shape and he’s been playing ever since. So it’s been great.”
The former Ranger returned to injured reserve in November, but missed just six games during his second injury. Returning to Seattle’s lineup in the middle of a six-game losing streak, Kakko posted 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) over the Kraken’s final 33 games before the Olympic break.
Seattle also entered a 20-day period in the playoffs, sitting in third place in the Pacific Division with a .563 hitting percentage.
Kakko has turned with Oliver Kapanen in Finland’s third row alongside Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, his 24-year-old Olympic Village roommate.
“I remember watching, when I was young, the days when the Finnish Team was playing, I was just waiting for the game and getting ready,” he recalled after finishing practice. “Like, everyone was just talking about the games and how they’re going to do. How do you feel, I don’t know, the pressure, but I think it’s a lot of fun when everyone’s watching. When I think about the games and I ask how you guys are doing here. My friends and family ask how it’s going to be at the Olympics. So it’s been fun.”
With two days of practice, it looks like Team USA plans to keep Jack Eichel’s streak between the Tkachuk brothers that they finished 4 Nations with. Other than that, things seem to be changing.
Matt Boldy, a third-line staple in the 4 Nations, skated to Auston Matthews and Jake Guentzel on Tuesday with Kyle Connor, Dylan Larkin and Tage Thompson making up the third line. The fourth showed some rotation but for now it looks like Brock Nelson will play center.
Neither Charlie McAvoy nor Jack Hughes, who were both injured before the Olympics, are expected to miss out here. McAvoy has skated next to Quinn Hughes in practice, although Sullivan cautioned against learning alignment.
The big news in the two days outside of Team Canada is the second row, where Connor McDavid focuses on Tom Wilson and Macklin Celebrini. The 19-year-old Sharks player enters the cauldron as the second-youngest player in the Olympics, behind only Latvian Alberts Smits, who is a likely lottery pick in this summer’s draft.
2026 WINTER OLYMPICS
“He may be 19 years old, the way his body is, but his knowledge of the game is not,” Canada coach Jon Cooper told reporters on Sunday. “He’s wise beyond his years. So I can’t sit here and look at him like a kid. … If he can show us anything and all of us this NHL year, he’s a special player.”
Some areas of the Santagiulia Arena still feel like a construction site, and the upper sections behind one of the goals are closed – the remainder of the 3,000 seats that will not be filled due to construction problems – but players and staff alike have downplayed any problems with the ice or their facilities.
“It looks good,” Team USA captain Matthews told reporters on Sunday. “I can’t imagine having to put something like this together in such a limited amount of time. I thought they did a great job setting it up. The setup is great, the ice is solid — it’s not going to be perfect — but it’s cool. I think it looks great.”
“I didn’t pay attention [shorter] the size of the rank, so that won’t play a role, I don’t think,” said Sebastian Aho from Finland.
Team Canada and Team Sweden both closed their practices to reporters on Monday. Cooper said it’s because his team is on a small practice field and there are space issues.
Caginess has been the theme so far, with neither team naming a goalkeeper to start their first games. At Team USA’s practice, Connor Hellebuyck sat in one net while Jeremy Swayman and Jake Oettinger circled the other.
