It’s official, ladies and gentlemen. Kaapo Kakko fever has officially swept the Big Apple after the Finnish phenom was signed to an entry-level contract by the New York Rangers.
It was a mere formality but the New York Rangers announced today that they have agreed to terms on an entry-level contract with Kakko, which will be music to the ears of everyone associated with the franchise.
Although the terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed by the Blueshirts, CapFriendly are reporting that Kakko’s cap hit for the next three years will be $920,000, which suggests that he has been signed to the maximum entry-level salary.
Today’s announcement confirms what we’ve all known for a while now and that is the fact Kakko is primed and ready for the NHL.
It will be a huge shock if he’s not on the opening night roster when the 2019-20 season gets underway on Oct, 3 against the Winnipeg Jets at Madison Square Garden.
And don’t be surprised if Kakko is thrown straight into a top six role and given time on the power play from the very get-go.
OFFICIAL: #NYR have agreed to terms with forward Kaapo Kakko on an entry-level contract. pic.twitter.com/gX1JkpWk8k
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 11, 2019
Blessed with size, good hockey smarts and exceptional stick-handling skills, the stud right wing is built for the majors and everything about his makeup, both mental and physical, suggests that he’s destined to take the NHL by storm.
With Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin locks for the top line, the Rangers will now have the luxury of having a deadly weapon on the second line in Kakko.
Plus, having a player of Panarin’s caliber and reputation on the roster will help to take the pressure off Kakko, who will enter his first year as a professional NHL with lofty expectations on his shoulders.
Taken with the No.2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Kakko was considered by many as a close second to the first overall pick, Jack Hughes, following a stunning IIHF World Championships.
Playing on a Finland team that was severely lacking in both stars and unknown quantities, the 18-year-old emerged as a bona fide star in the making after slugging it out against some of the NHL’s best.
He became the youngest player in hockey history to win Gold Medals at the IIHF U18 World Championship, the IIHF World Junior Championship and the IIHF World Championship at 18 years, 102 days old.
Kakko registered six goals and one assist for seven points in 10 games to help Finland win Gold at the 2019 IIHF World Championships, with his six goals at the tournament tied for second most by a player in his U18 season in one IIHF World Championship in its history – Patrik Laine had seven goals at the 2016 tournament.
Not only did Kakko excel on the international stage but he also thrived in a men’s league in Finland, the Liiga for TPS.
He was crowned Rookie of the Year in 2018-19 after being tied for sixth in the league in goals, a category he led all rookies in.
In addition to the above, the left shot was also tied for second in the league in game-winning goals (seven), as well as leading TPS in goals and game-winning goals.
In total, Kakko put up 38 points (22 goals, 16 assists), in 45 games with TPS in 2018-19, and his 22 goals were the most any U18 player had registered in one season in the history of Finland’s top league, breaking the record set by Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov in 2012-13.
We all knew that it was a matter of time until Kakko signed his entry-level deal, but it is still exciting news for Rangers fans as we continue the countdown until October.
A new era of hockey has been ushered in Madison Square Garden and Kakko, along with Panarin, Jacob Trouba, Adam Fox and Vitali Kravtsov to name just a few, are ready to become the new faces of this storied franchise.
We’ve all been hit by Kaapo Kakko fever already and today’s news means we are a step closer to seeing a generational talent begin his New York Rangers career and that in itself is reason enough to get excited for 2019-20.
It is important to note that this storied franchise is still going through the rebuild process and, as such, expectations do need to be tempered somewhat, but you can’t help but be optimistic when you have a player of Kakko’s potential on the roster.
Bring on October!