On Nov. 30 Kaapo Kakko scored one of his biggest goals as a Ranger, slotting home a power play game-winner with 22.3 seconds remaining against the Montreal Canadiens. That goal gave New York its first win in over 10 days and snapped a five-game losing streak. For even the slightest time, Kakko's goal was the hope that the Rangers could eventualy snap out of their funk.
Fast forward to Wednesday night, that goal was the last of Kakko's Rangers career. New York has won two games since that moment and have lost 11 out of 14. The season is quickly slipping away, and the Blueshirts' latest move was trading the 2019 No. 2 overall pick to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for Will Borgen and two draft picks.
Kakko came into the NHL with tons of potential - the Rangers and fans felt like they won a real lottery when gifted the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL draft. The Fin had the size, speed and strength to be an elite pro. At the time, some even wanted him to go No. 1 over Jack Hughes.
Kakko's Rangers' career can be summarized by missed opportunities. Similar to many youngsters, he was given bottom-six minutes and made it hard for him to develop into a star. But, he was eventually given the chance. Kakko was given the first shot as right-wing on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider at the start of the 2022-2023 season, was attempted on a line with Artemi Panarin, and coaching tried realizing his potential.
As time went on, Kakko did not tally enough points to warrant top-six minutes. While he always flashed the potential - his aility to keep the puck in the zone, a hard-hitting shot and the occasional highlight-reel goal - he was never able to stack star-like performances. It's not to say his entire Rangers career was a disappointment; his involvement in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs as a member of the "kid-line" is something people will remember.
But, over the past few years, it became apparent that Kakko's career in New York was going to be short-lived. The Rangers had answers for the top six and Kakko was not one of them and he failed to be a consistent performer. Yes, he brought a lot to the table defensively, but the Rangers needed more jump.
This is why Kakko was subject to a few "unfair" healthy scratches. Most notable was Game Six of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals - where Kakko was replaced by Dryden Hunt as head coach Gerard Gallant searched for offense - in the final game of the Rangers' season. Kakko stayed quiet throughout the offseason and was brought back on a two-year bridge deal.
Then, this Sunday against the St. Louis Blues, Kakko was once again a healthy scratch. He did not take this well, voicing to the media that he is the one singled out. Just over 24 hours later, he was officially traded.
Were Kakko's comments the reason why he was traded? No. The 23-year-old was on his way out, and it felt like the Rangers re-signing him this offseason was just prolonging the inevitable. But, with New York's Stanley Cup hopes becoming more and more distant — Chris Drury had to get a return.
And now Kaapo Kakko has played his final game as a New York Ranger, a 2-0 loss to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.
Kakko came in with so much promise as one of the highly-touted youngsters in the NHL, and throughout his Rangers career he provided many exciting moments. But, he never provided enough consistency for the Rangers to keep him in the long run. With more inevitable roster changes to come and Kakko being domino No. 2 (Jacob Trouba being one), this was coming.
The 23-year-old from Turku, Finland will go down as one of the bigger Ranger "what-ifs" of recent memory.