Former 2019 No. 2 total choose Kaapo Kakko did not mince phrases throughout media availability forward of New York’s 2-0 loss to Nashville.
Kakko, who has only one aim and two assists in his previous 14 video games, advised reporters he was “stunned” by the choice to make him a wholesome scratch in New York’s Sunday loss to St. Louis.
His response might finally be seen because the definitive endpoint in New York.
The Rangers traded Kakko to Seattle Wednesday, returning defenseman Will Borgen, a 2025 third-round choose and a 2025 sixth-round choose.
The Rangers are 3-11 of their final 14 video games and have the worst document within the NHL since Nov. 20.
It is make-or-break time for a group hoping Borgen can stabilize their third defensive pair following the Jacob Trouba commerce earlier this month.
Victor Mancini, an enormous, cellular 22-year-old prospect who impressed in coaching camp, struggled in that function in 15 NHL video games.
The tip of the Rangers-Kakko marriage, which began with such promise, is seemingly not a one-sided dialog.
His path from the 2019 NHL Draft to the Wednesday evening commerce consisted of forks within the street the place gamers and groups seemingly selected unsuitable. The Rangers put Kakko within the NHL — a notoriously troublesome league to develop — from Bounce Avenue. After his draft, he by no means spent one other minute enjoying in Finland’s Liiga and by no means performed within the Rangers’ minor league affiliate in Hartford.
Regardless of being one of many worst defensive forwards in hockey whereas providing little offensively in his first two seasons, the Rangers by no means wavered on enjoying him on a rebuilding NHL group.
The Rangers additionally restricted Kakko’s ice time early, refusing to maintain him of their high six for a lot of his early profession. Whether or not that was associated to his battle to manage his Kind 1 Diabetes and Celiac Illness or one thing else, the dearth of ice time at a vital stage in his profession growth was a priority.
It began effectively when the Rangers lastly awarded Kakko high minutes at 5-on-5. The Kreider-Zibanejad-Kakko line was very efficient for a portion of the 2021-22 season, although an harm to Kakko finally took him off that line by the point the playoffs arrived.
Over the following two years, Kakko’s forays into the Rangers high items have been a mixture of promise and frustration. The underlying numbers seemed fairly good, however the offensive numbers — shot fee and targets — have been by no means on par with different high traces within the league. The 2023-24 iteration of Kreider-Zibanejad-Kakko scored fewer targets than another line within the league that performed not less than 200 minutes collectively.
Peter Laviolette’s Rangers are often called a group that desires to play off the frenzy. Kakko, whose greatest years got here underneath Gerard Gallant and his much less rush-reliant offense recognized for a heavier offensive zone forecheck, shouldn’t be often called a powerful skater.
In response to NHL Edge metrics, he has ranked under the fiftieth percentile in skating velocity and velocity bursts over 20 miles per hour within the final two seasons.
He has by no means ranked above the fiftieth percentile within the final 4 seasons tracked in velocity bursts over 20 miles per hour.
He finally settled into the function he is been in — a third-line depth scoring winger who does not quit a lot defensively. That is a helpful piece to have, however not one that can demand a line or a group be constructed round them — notably with an expiring contract and the participant due for a probably sophisticated arbitration battle in his subsequent negotiation.
It immediately resulted within the middling return the Rangers acquired Wednesday evening for what was as soon as seen as a lynchpin of their rebuild.
