New York Rangers: Storylines going into preseason opener against Devils

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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 16: Jack Hughes #86 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates his first goal of preseason on the powerplay at 12:05 of the second period against the Boston Bruins at the Prudential Center on September 16, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

1. Kaapo Kakko vs Jack Hughes – Round 1

Tomorrow night may well give us the first showdown between Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko, the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft respectively.

Hughes, as mentioned in the previous slide, already has his first exhibition game under his belt and it was one to remember thanks to two goals against the Boston Bruins, including the overtime game winner.

It was a hell of an introduction to the NHL for Hughes and he could get another chance to strut his stuff against the Rangers on Wednesday.

But the vast majority of people inside Madison Square Garden tomorrow will be more interested in the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft with Kaapo Kakko fever having taken over New York all summer long.

The high-end talent took the Traverse City Tournament by storm with the highlight a ridiculous overtime winner that included circling the net twice before potting a backhanded effort. Kakko also tallied three assists in that win against the Minnesota Wild and it was enough to send social media into a frenzy.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI – SEPTEMBER 09: Kaapo Kakko #45 of the New York Rangers skates around the net with the puck and scores the game winning O.T. goal on Hunter Jones #95 of the Minnesota Wild during Day-4 of the NHL Prospects Tournament at Centre Ice Arena on September 9, 2019 in Traverse City, Michigan. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /

So, that sets the stage for Kakko to be unleashed onto the big stage on Wednesday and show a bigger portion of Rangers fans exactly what we can expect throughout his time in The Big Apple.

We all know that not only does Kakko boast a treasure chest of skills and elite talent, but he’s also built to handle the hustle and bustle nature of the NHL from day one and he could well be a candidate for the Calder Trophy in 2019-20.

But let’s take it one step at a time and, for now, focus on tomorrow and the tantalizing thought of two of the best generational talents to come out of this year’s draft go toe-to-toe and pit their wits against each other.

It should be a fascinating battle and it adds an extra layer of intrigue to a preseason game that should actually be entertaining to watch despite it being of very little importance in the grand scheme of things.

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