The New York Rangers haven't had the best luck recently when it comes to first round selections. When looking back at their history, their best first-round pick may very well be K'Andre Miller, who is currently on the Carolina Hurricanes. Kaapo Kakko was supposed to be the Rangers' savior in 2019, as he was projected to be a legitimate scoring winger. During his Rangers tenure, it never came to fruition, stinging that much more considering that the New Jersey Devils, who won the No. 1 overall pick, have Jack Hughes as their superstar center for the foreseeable future.
Back in the 2024-25 season, the Rangers decided to trade Kakko to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen and a third- and sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The expectation was that a change of scenery would do wonders for Kakko, giving him a chance at top six minutes. Over a year later, it appears his time in Seattle is coming to an end.
Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos unveiled his latest trade board for the offseason. Kakko is currently on Kypreos' board, citing the Kraken trying to improve their roster.
"The second-overall pick in 2019, Kaapo Kakko still hasn't managed a 20-goal season and his career high in points is 44. Now, as the Kraken look for ways to improve their roster, Kakko is very much a trade candidate, already staring down the possibility of joining his third team at just 25 years old," writes Kypreos. "Is there anyone willing to take a shot on him as a reclamation project with two years remaining on his contract with a $4.525 million AAV?"
This latest intel shows that both the Rangers and Kraken lost the Kakko trade.
Kaapo Kakko already on trade block over a year after Rangers-Kraken trade
It's no secret that the Kraken were desperately trying to improve their roster this season, especially before the trade deadline. Let's not forget that the Kraken were willing to give Artemi Panarin a lucrative contract extension with a $14 million annual salary in trade talks with the Rangers. Ultimately, Panarin didn't want to go to Seattle, instead opting to get traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he signed a two-year, $22 million contract. With the Kraken likely trying to land a forward, maybe Kakko could help them?
Even so, it goes to show that both the Rangers and Kraken were not really winners on the deal.
First, let's start with the Kraken. Following his trade during the 2024-25 season, Kakko scored 10 goals and recorded 20 assists in 49 games in Seattle. The hope was that his production would increase with a full offseason with his new club. His numbers increased slightly, posting 13 goals and 27 assists. As Kypreos said, Kakko never recorded 20 goals in a single season. That highlights how Kakko has truly not lived up to his potential.
As for the Rangers, they brought in Borgen in hopes he would be a top four defenseman for them. He showed promise after joining the team in the 2024-25 season, recording four goals, nine assists, and a +9 plus/minus rating. General manager Chris Drury was so impressed, that he signed Borgen to a five-year, $20.5 million contract extension. The problem is, Borgen's play got worse in his first full season with the team. Through 75 games, Borgen recorded five goals, 10 assists, and a +3 plus/minus rating. His play pushed Borgen down to the bottom three defensive pairing, which isn't ideal for a player you're paying $4.1 million per year for the next four seasons.
Here is what Blue Line Station's Tom Urtz Jr. said about Borgen's defensive metrics:
"Analytically, Borgen remains a fringe defender in a top-four sweater. He finished the year with a 50.17 GF%, 45.17 CF%, and 47.49 xGF% per Evolving-Hockey. These aren't disastrous numbers, but they are undeniably third-pair metrics. On a rebuilding team that needs dynamic puck movers to support the transition, Borgen’s inability to drive play has made him a liability to the Rangers' long-term vision."
The Rangers believed they were getting a top four defender they could rely on. Instead, he fell off to the third pairing. Who knows what's next, especially if the Rangers sign another defenseman in free agency.
The Rangers used their third-round pick acquired from Seattle on defenseman Sean Barnhill, who spent this past season with the Michigan State Spartans, recording four assists and a +8 plus/minus rating. Their sixth-round pick was used on winger Samuel Jung, who played for the Karpat under 20 team in Finland, where he recorded 16 goals and 13 assists in 37 games. Both of these players are still early on in their careers, so it's still way too early to know how they'll pan out once they join the Rangers organization.
So, a trade that was once considered a win-win for both the Rangers and Kraken is now looking shaky, especially if Kakko is dealt in the offseason.
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