Kaapo Kakko Earns a Star of the Game for Seattle

Former New York Ranger Kaapo Kakko got to throw out his first fish for Seattle. The former first round pick was named the second Star of the Game for the Kraken's 5-2 win over the Utah Hockey Club.

This was Kakko's first time being named a Star of the Game with Seattle. He tallied two points with two assists and had the most shots on out of both teams for the night, with five. The Finland native's best play of the night came after he intercepted a pass and then sent a perfect stretch pass to teammate Jaden Schwartz who scored through the five-hole.

"I felt pretty good today, the first period especially," Kakko said to media postgame. "I think we had a lot of good chances."

Kakko was traded from the Rangers on Dec. 18 by GM Chris Drury. It brought defenseman Will Borgen, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft to New York.

Less than 24 hours before being traded, Kakko expressed his frustrations to the media about being blamed for some of the Rangers' recent struggles.

"I've not been the worst guy," Kakko said the day before he was traded. "I know we're losing games, but I think it's just easy to take the young guy and put him out. That's how I feel."

Kakko has played 334 games across his career. He has scored 62 goals and tallied 70 assists for a total of 132 points (+12). Combined between the Rangers and Seattle, Kakko has scored five goals this season and logged 12 assists for a total of 17 points across 35 games played (+9). He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

Since trading him, the Rangers have fallen to an overall record of 16-19-1 to have sole possession of last place in the Metropolitan Division. So some questions remain — why is Kakko thriving in Seattle?

And most importantly, should the New York Rangers regret trading him?