The 2024 NHL trade deadline is less that a month away, and for the New York Rangers, it appears that one name to watch out from their side as the deadline nears is forward Kaapo Kakko, with The Fourth Period listing him inside the top 10 of their trade list and linking the youngster to three teams, the Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Wild, and Anaheim Ducks.
“The Rangers are looking for upgrades and have been dangling Kakko as trade bait. This move may not result in a rental player coming back to Manhattan, as this could evolve into a larger “hockey trade,” but the Rangers are exploring and Kakko’s name is out there.”
New York is still waiting for Kaako to start producing the way they envisioned him to do when they spent a high pick to select him in the 2019 NHL Draft. The breakout season has yet to come for Kaako, and so far in the 2023-24 NHL regular season, he only has five goals and three assists in 32 games played. With only eight points this deep in the season, it’s unlikely that would be able to surpass his career-high of 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists) in the 2022-23 campaign.
The Rangers could be looking for another weapon to shore up their offense. At the moment, New York is outside of the top 10 in the league with 3.23 goals per game. They are also just 13th in the NHL overall in 5-on-5 expected goals for.
Kaako will be a restricted free agent by the end of the 2023-24 NHL season.
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