According to insider Vincent Mercogliano, the New York Rangers have put former second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko
available for trade, but the team isn’t happy with the offers.
The Rangers have declared Kakko available for trade, pending the right offer, according to Merogliano of Lohud.com.
However, the insider asserts that the bids that have been made don’t even come close to meeting New York’s demands.
“If Kakko is traded in the end, even more ice time may be available, but a source said the Blueshirts weren’t happy with the
offers that were made during the draft. Teams were attempting to get the former No. 2 overall choice at a discount, and
Drury was correct to wait until someone raised the stakes, according to Mercogliano.
The forward will probably return because the Rangers aren’t receiving the kind of offers they’re looking for in exchange for
Kakko. Given that New York hasn’t made many significant offseason acquisitions this summer, he may also be in for a much
larger role.
In 61 games with the Rangers last season, Kakko scored 13 goals and provided 6 assists for a total of 19 points. He added 1
goal and 1 assist for a total of 15 points in the playoffs.
Kakko Signed Extension With The Rangers
This season, Kakko was a restricted free agent, but he agreed to a $2.4 million, one-year contract.
Despite having signed a contract extension, NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman thinks that Kakko’s signing does not preclude
New York from dealing him because the extension just tells NHL teams how much Kakko will cost under their salary limit.
“I believe that the team and agent are attempting to remove uncertainty by stating, ‘Let’s know what the numbers are so that
if there is another team that makes sense for him and is willing to offer us a fair deal, we’re all going to know what they are,'”
Friedman stated on 32 Thoughts on June 14.
“Look, there’s a chance that this trade season will be quite active. If another team is interested in Kakko, they don’t have to
wait to find out what his contract would be. or, “We need to work out a contract,” Friedman continued. “Everyone’s life is
made easier because the business is taken care of.”
The Rangers selected Kakko second overall in the 2019 NHL draft. In 300 NHL games, he skated and scored 57 goals, 60
assists, and 117 points.
Kakko Eyes Bigger Role in New York
Despite being a high draft pick, Kakko hasn’t played a significant part for the team.
Although Kakko was a healthy scratch at times during the previous season, the former No. 2 overall choice is hoping that at
just 23 he can play a bigger part in the coming campaign.
According to Kakko, “Playoffs was different,” via NHL.com. Everyone wants to play, of course. I wanted to win even though I
was upset that I [was] not in the starting lineup. I was hoping for the squad to win, to keep playing, and to eventually return
to the starting lineup, but I must admit that I was not happy. It seems like every person in this room wants to play.
As of right now, DailyFaceoff.com projects Kakko to be New York’s third-line right winger.
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