Rangers’ Urho Vaakanainen equates 4 Nations experience to NHL postseason
NY Post
Urho Vaakanainen is in his seventh NHL season, and the Rangers are his third team, but the 26-year-old defenseman never has reached the playoffs.
So his involvement in the 4 Nations Face-Off for Finland wasn’t just exciting.
It could help Vaakanainen prepare for the postseason.
“I never played in a playoff game, but if I had to imagine, that would be at the top,” Vaakanainen said of the competition level in the 4 Nations. “That’s what my teammates said. It felt like a playoff atmosphere, for sure. The skill, speed and physicality.”
Vaakanainen arrived to the Rangers in December from Anaheim in exchange for former captain Jacob Trouba and insisted playing in the tournament was more valuable than a typical All-Star break.
“I think it’s a great thing,” Vaakanainen said. “Those are probably the hardest games you can play anywhere in the world, against the best players. It’s high intensity, high skill level. It’s only a positive if you get to play those games.”
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