Kaapo Kakko doing the work to fit in with Kraken on and off ice

SEATTLE – Kaapo Kakko is earning his keep.

While apartment hunting, the Seattle newcomer is staying in Kraken winger Eeli Tolvanen’s guest room, and he treated his hosts to salmon soup, a Finnish favorite, from scratch.

“No food poisoning yet,” was Tolvanen’s review. “I feel like that’s the only thing I can ask for.”

Kakko spent Christmas in Seattle at Tolvanen’s house, although the newly acquired winger fielded inquiries from several other Kraken players. The Finns last played together in 2019, so they had a lot to catch up on, sharing “dumb” summer stories and reflecting on their shared history.

Tolvanen now has someone around who speaks his native language. There are several other Europeans in the Kraken locker room, and that’s similar enough, he said. But having a fellow Finn to chat with is a next-level delight.

“The last few plane rides have gone by so fast, I love it,” Tolvanen said. “We just chatted about life, everything that‘s been going on the past six years. It’s been fun having him around, and hopefully we can play together for a long time.”

They said “hei” in passing while playing against each other growing up, then united for a common cause at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia. At 19, Tolvanen was a WJC veteran and one of the older guys on the team while Kakko, 17, was one of the youngest. They were on the same line almost the entire tournament and took home a gold medal.

“It’s kind of cool to have him here, one goal together,” Tolvanen said.

Kakko became the New York Rangers’ top draft pick (No. 2 overall) that year. After 131 points (61 goals, 70 assists) in 330 career regular-season games, he was traded to Seattle for defenseman Will Borgen and a pair of 2025 draft picks.

Rangers fans gnashed their teeth after the trade, tweeting that he was mistreated, scapegoated, underdeveloped, never given a proper chance. He enjoyed his time in New York, though. The pressure was more intense than it seems to be in Seattle, particularly at the end of his tenure when the Rangers couldn’t stop losing. But when the results were good, it was a fun place to play.

“In the playoffs, you feel the energy in the whole city,” Kakko said. “We’ll see. Maybe it’s like that over here.”

The Rangers were on the road at the time of the player swap, so the one bag he had with him on the trip is it for now. Hours after meeting everyone, he was pulling on the Kraken jersey for a game in Chicago.

“It’s part of the business. You’ve gotta be ready all the time,” Kakko said.

The four games after the trade were all on the road, without a practice to get his feet under him until after Christmas.

In the meantime, he scored his first Seattle goal in Colorado on Dec. 22, a sneaky, screened rip right off a faceoff win by Matty Beniers, through the legs of the official who had just dropped the puck.

Kakko had two assists in his Climate Pledge Arena debut Dec. 30 and was named one of the game’s three stars. That meant he was handed a stuffed fish to swing into the crowd, which went off without a hitch.

“I was a little scared,” Kakko said. “But no problem.”

He had a leg up with Kraken coach Dan Bylsma, who recently professed that he loves Finns. Kakko, like Tolvanen, is “big-bodied,” physical and asserts himself in the offensive zone. He registered a team-high five hits in that Colorado game. Tied for second most? Tolvanen.

“His wall play, his ability to skate with the puck, and his ability to play in the offensive zone with the puck is giving Matty (Beniers) and (Jaden) Schwartz some great opportunities with the puck,” Bylsma said Monday. “The results have been there now for a couple games.”

Kakko’s line has been the Kraken’s hottest lately. He didn’t feel right acting as a passenger on it, nor did he feel right sitting on the couch and letting his new teammate wait on him.

“Every night, I feel like he puts his work boots on,” Tolvanen said. “You know what you’re gonna get from him.”