Trevor Zegras trade gives new perspective to NY Rangers trade of Kaapo Kakko

On Monday the Anaheim Ducks traded away budding star Trevor Zegras in a move that felt like it was was coming for quite sometime, and in a way the transaction gives a new perspective to the New York Rangers trade of Kaapo Kakko this past December. Zegras was selected ninth overall at the 2019 NHL Draft, and he became the seventh player from the top 10 to have left the team that selected them.

Kakko was selected No. 2 overall, and he was sent to the Seattle Kraken for Will Borgen and a pair of picks for the upcoming draft. At the time it felt like the Rangers got an underwhelming return for a young player that still had potential, even though up until that point he'd not come close to reaching what scouts thought he could do at the NHL level.

Zegras was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Ryan Poehling, a 2025 2nd round draft pick, and a 2026 4th round draft pick, and the return has been getting torn to shreds by Ducks fans online.

This is not to say that Rangers fans should feel any different about the team trading Kakko, or the return they got. Kakko played very well for the Kraken, and he tallied 30 points in 49 games skating 17:03 per game after recording just 14 points in 30 games skating 13:17 for the Blueshirts. In fact, Kakko probably would have been a great fit for new head coach Mike Sullivan, and he might have taken his game to a new level.

Instead, the Zegras trade is just the latest reminder that you can make a quality draft pick with the best of intentions, and it may just not work for your team. This is something that can happen to all teams, and not just the Rangers... even though it has happened a little more often than you would like. It's also a reminder that sometimes you can hold on to a player too long, and doing so will hamper the eventual return. I think this is a situation where the Ducks blinked too soon, because they traded Zegras coming off a season in which he was hampered by injuries. I still am not thrilled by the Rangers return for Kakko, but I like it more than what Anaheim got for Zegras.

This latest move is something that the Rangers should think about heading into this weekend's draft. They enter the draft with a number of needs to address, and they should be extra careful on who they select, and keep in mind what the timeline for each player available is. Hindsight says that the Rangers probably should have let Kakko marinate overseas for an additional year or in the AHL, and that might have made his transition to the NHL easier.

There are a number of interesting names the Rangers will likely consider at No. 12 overall, and hopefully whoever they pick will ultimately stay with the organization longer than any of the seven names from the top 10 of the 2019 draft who have since been traded.