Igor Shesterkin still believes his New York Rangers teammate Kaapo Kakko has what it takes to succeed in the NHL. And the key to unlocking the potential in the former No. 2 overall pick could very well be in the hands of Rangers coach Peter Laviolette.

Speaking during a translated interview in his native Russia, Shesterkin said simply, “He just needs the coach’s trust.”

Rangers teammates since 2019-20, Shesterkin has watched Kakko closely and appears to believe that the 23-year-old forward has what it takes otherwise to make it in the NHL. This despite recent trade rumors and not having lived up to high expectations.

“I see how he’s practicing, how he’s playing, what kind of personality he has,” Shesterkin explained.

Kakko has already played 300 NHL games with the Rangers. In that span, he’s totaled 117 points (57 goals, 60 assists), largely underwhelming offensively. It appeared Kakko was finding his stride in 2022-23, when he established NHL career highs with 18 goals and 40 points, playing in all 82 games.

Last season, though, Kakko dropped to 19 points (13 goals, six assists) in 61 games, missing 21 earlier in the season because of a knee injury. As has been the case in his career, Kakko mainly played on the third line in 2023-24. But that was only after beginning the season on the top line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider.

Kakko even admitted at the end of the season that he failed to impress with the prime opportunity in the top six.

“New coach, new chance, I talked with (Laviolette) last summer and he said ‘you’re getting a chance to play with Mika and ‘Kreids,” and I felt pretty good about that,” Kakko explained in June. “But all those games we played together, it never worked out that well. If you’re playing those minutes, you’ve got so score some goals. But that line, I feel, we never scored that much.”

Igor Shesterkin ‘more than sure’ Kaapo Kakko will shine for Rangers

After being scratched in one Stanley Cup Playoff game and scoring one goal in 15 others, there was the chance that Kakko would be traded this offseason. After quickly signing his qualifying offer for $2.4 million, Kakko set off to prepare for the most important season of his career in 2024-25. And the Rangers reportedly listened to trade offers.

When nothing of note came through, the Rangers held on to Kakko, who remains a valuable third-liner who wins puck battles and is responsible defensively. It made no sense to sell so low on a young player who was selected behind only Jack Hughes in the 2019 NHL Draft.

Plus, there’s the hope that playing alongside a healthy Filip Chytil this season could get Kakko going offensively.

But back to Shesterkin’s point. Maybe Laviolette should throw his trust behind Kakko again, and start training camp with him in the top six, likely with Zibanejad and Kreider. It worked to the tune of 28 goals with Alexis Lafreniere last season, when Laviolette kept him in the top six all year. Maybe Kakko just needs another season to figure it out.

“What if suddenly a young player starts to shine. Anything is possible,” Shesterkin said. “Kaapo Kakko, for example, I am more than sure this will happen”

Really, nothing ventured, nothing gained here. Give Kakko some run in the top six, show faith and trust in him and see how he responds this time around. If his production does take off, he’s an absolute steal at $2.4 million playing on that expensive top line.

But isn’t that the best scenario for the Rangers, now and in the future? Kakko and Lafreniere cementing themselves as top six forwards?

And if that threesome fails to gel again, well, it’d be next man up, and Reilly Smith could slot into that role. That would leave Kakko back on the third line again. Perhaps that’s what he is at the NHL level, a solid third-line player. Not what you had hoped for, but still an important cog. Plus, he remains an important trade chip, no matter how much Chris Drury and Co. don’t want to sell low on him.

Certainly, Shesterkin still believes Kakko deserves another chance. But does Laviolette?

We will begin to find out that answer when camp opens next month.