In many ways, NHL player movement rumors never quite end just because the offseason does, even if we technically have another few days of the offseason to go. This means mock trades, and while some of them are excellent, others I’ll look at and want to avoid at all costs. One of which involves Kaapo Kakko going to the LA Kings while the NY Rangers acquire a player named Arthur Kaliyev, per Tristin McKinstry of Clutch Points.
While I’m not a big fan of Kakko, considering how little he’s done in his NHL career as a former second-overall pick, I also still somewhat believe in him. Then again, Kakko, who is, at the moment, still wearing a Rangers uniform, I’m sure everyone in the team’s front office would agree with me there.
But if there’s one player in the league who I have little faith in, it’s Kaliyev, a former 33rd overall pick. It’s no secret that Kaliyev was an absolute force during his junior hockey days, at one point putting up 102 points and 51 goals in 67 regular season contests for the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs.
That has since gone to the wayside, and Kaliyev is barely a relevant player these days. You can argue that Kakko, even if he’s a bust or an underachiever, still has a higher ceiling and would make a far better bet for the Rangers lineup than Kaliyev.
NY Rangers would be foolish to consider a mock trade proposal
Arthur Kaliyev has seen a full NHL season just once in his career, and that occurred back in 2021-22. But unlike Kakko, he has yet to show potential to be even a serviceable player. At least Kakko had a 40-point outing in 2022-23, but Kaliyev is still searching for his first 30-point campaign, let alone 40.
To be fair, Kaliyev did finish the 2022-23 season with 28 points and 13 goals in 56 games, and if you adjust those numbers to 82 contests, you get the following: 41 points, 19 goals, and 22 assists, which are virtually the same that we saw from Kakko in that same season.
Like Kakko, Kaliyev didn’t capitalize on that success last season, finishing with just 15 points and seven goals in 51 games. As for Kakko, he had 13 goals and 19 points, but he also finished with more average total ice time than Kaliyev, and he also converted a respectable 14.3 percent of all shots on goal compared to the 6.9 percent that Kaliyev mustered.
It’s also worth noting that Kakko is familiar with the Rangers and the team’s system, while Kaliyev would require a learning curve. Sure, a change of scenery could benefit both players, but if the Rangers wanted to put their best effort toward making a deep playoff run, rolling with the player they already have in Kakko would be the best bet as of today.