As Kaapo Kakko is on the ice in Finland preparing to rejoin the Rangers for the qualifying round against Carolina if the NHL is indeed able to stage its summer Stanley Cup tournament, president John Davidson isn’t alone in monitoring conditions that would apply to the 19-year-old who has Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease.
“We are in constant communication with [Kakko],” Andy Scott, Kakko’s agent, told The Post via email on Monday. “He is skating, working out and feeling great.
“As you can appreciate, we are monitoring everything closely for all of our players, including Kaapo, and we will be listening to the advice of our medical experts, and those of the Rangers, regarding his particular situation.”
According to the main page of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) website, “Current evidence suggests that individuals with well-managed T1D are NOT at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Experts further say that if someone with well-managed T1D does contract COVID-19, they are not necessarily at higher risk of developing serious complications from the disease. Those at greatest risk are people with consistently elevated blood sugar levels and those with a second chronic disease [such as heart disease or lung disease].”
Kaako, the second-overall selection in last June’s entry draft, recorded 10 goals and 23 points in 66 games as a freshman. The winger broke a 14-game drought by scoring twice in the Blueshirts’ 4-2 victory in their penultimate match in Dallas on March 10.
“I know that he’s skating and working out like a madman to try to get ready to come back. I’m sure he’s going to want to play, but at the same time, again, it’s important for everybody to be taken care of regarding their health,” Davidson had said on a Zoom call with reporters Thursday. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a 19-year-old young player or if you’re an older executive. Everything has to be done in the right fashion.
“If he, hypothetically, cannot play, he can’t play. We’re going to take care of him, he’s a big part of us. If he can play, he’s going to play and I’m sure he’s going to want to play. But we listen to the science, we listen to the medical people, they’re going to tell us what to do.”