Kaapo Kakko took part in Tuesday’s practice, but the Rangers forward is not ready to return and the team wants to get Brennan Othmann more seasoning in the AHL, so they recalled Jake Leschyshyn.

The 24-year-old Leschyshyn has appeared in 13 games for the Rangers this season without a point.

The hope for the Rangers, though, is that Kakko is back in the lineup before long.

Out with a leg injury since Nov. 27, Kakko wore a non-contact jersey Tuesday, but head coach Peter Laviolette noted Kakko was “allowed to compete” and “practiced in full,” although he’s not cleared for full contact.

“I think there’s gonna be a process here when he is cleared,” Laviolette said. “When he does get into games, there may be a ramp-up period. He’s been out for a little bit. We’ll see how many practices he gets and how he looks. … I thought he looked good [Tuesday], moving well. He competed well. It was a positive step.”

Kakko is expected to participate in Wednesday’s practice before the Rangers play in St. Louis on Thursday, the first of three games in four days — with back-to-back games over the weekend, first at Washington on Saturday and home against the Capitals on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

“We’re just going slow with him,’’ Laviolette said.

Othmann played in the Rangers’ previous three games, the first three of his NHL career, before being reassigned to Hartford on Tuesday.

The young forward sat for all but a pair of shifts in the second period of Monday’s ugly loss to Vancouver before returning to more normal playing time in the third.

While the 21-year-old showed promise, Othmann might not be ready for the role the Rangers need to fill in Kakko’s absence.

Othmann showed flashes in his short stint with the Rangers, but there is a belief he’ll benefit from more minutes with Hartford, since he’s still developing.

“I thought he had an impact the first game he was up,’’ Laviolette said of Othmann. “Things become more challenging for young players when you play some of the upper-echelon teams. I thought he did well. No major flaws.”

With Monday’s loss to Vancouver, the Rangers have allowed six goals in two of their last four games. Not surprisingly, they dropped both of them.

K’Andre Miller said Tuesday’s practice was a step toward the team — and the defense — regaining its form.

“We don’t like what we’ve given up over the last couple games, but it’s gonna happen over the course of an 82-game season,’’ Miller said. “We’ve done pretty well up to this point before we slipped the last couple of games. We have to get back to work and get back to our structure and used [Tuesday] as a reset.” … Jacob Trouba was excused from practice for personal reasons.