The NY Rangers just opened a plethora of options after re-signing Kaapo Kakko

Kaapo Kakko would be on a prove-it deal if not traded elsewhere

If Kaapo Kakko sticks around the organization for another season, he’s now on the classic “one-year, prove-it” deal. The make-it-or-break-it mentality such a short, cost-effective contract brings could result in a breakout, or at least a better year for the underwhelming forward. 

It’s not like Kakko is incapable of at least putting up decent numbers, or else he wouldn’t have scored 18 goals and put up 22 assists in 2022-23. This deal would give Kakko a chance to be completely healthy for another season in New York. And even if he logs primarily lower-line minutes as he did in 2023-24, it still means there could be value for him somewhere in this elite lineup.  

I’d also like to extend this to include the possibility that Kakko could still impress the Rangers even if he doesn’t end the 2024-25 season with an adequate number of points - if he’s on the team in 2024-25. Kakko’s possession metrics at even strength this past season include some important points, like a 93.8 on-ice save percentage, 22 goals allowed while on the ice, and a plus-6 rating despite a possession quality of minus-0.7. 

Another number that jumped out at me, this one from the 2022-23 season, and it was found on his basic stat line, was his 47 takeaways. Kakko could poke the puck free often during the lone season that saw him play in 80-plus games. And let’s also remember he had 35 takeaways in 66 games during the 2019-20 season and 31 in 48 games the next year. 

So, points aside, the defensive game Kakko can bring could also factor him into either salvaging his career in New York or impressing another organization at the end of the 2024-25 season.