The New York Rangers are focused on making a push for a Stanley Cup this season and have made the appropriate moves leading up to the postseason to give themselves a better chance at going all the way. They went out and acquired Alex Wennberg, Jack Roslovic, and Chad Ruhwedel before the 2024 Trade Deadline who helped fill some holes the team had. They needed forward depth so they brought in two forwards who play well at both ends of the ice to stabilize their bottom six, and also chose to add depth to their defensive core with the addition of Ruhwedel who will play the role of a seventh defender down the stretch and will step in if there happens to be any unfortunate injuries.
After the 2023-24 season is complete, the Rangers will have some tough decisions to make. Aside from the several pending unrestricted free agents they will have to try and bring back, they will have to decide what they’re going to do with young forward Kaapo Kakko. His current contract has a cap hit of $2.1 million as he is considered to be on a “prove it” contract. As a pending restricted free agent (RFA), the Rangers will have some leverage heading into upcoming negotiations. With his rough start to his 2023-24 campaign, there was concern he wasn’t close to becoming the player the team had hoped he could become, and trade rumors began to surface.
While he seemed to be as close to the bottom of his career as he could be, Kakko’s defensive strength kept him afloat with the Rangers. He has remained consistent in the defensive zone and has been one of the strongest defensive forwards on the Rangers all season, he just couldn’t find the confidence offensively. Ultimately, he was never traded and has since found that next level in recent games. He still isn’t quite where he should be offensively with only ten goals and four assists for 14 points through 48 games this season but with two goals in his last three games, he is trending upwards as the team nears the end of the regular season and enters the playoffs.
Kakko’s Next Contract With the Rangers
When looking at what Kakko’s next contract with the Rangers could look like, it seems fair to compare him to another young forward, his teammate Alexis Lafreniere. Lafreniere was signed to a two-year extension before the 2023-24 season worth $2.325 million per season, which was seen by fans around the league as his final chance to prove himself after a lackluster start to his career. Luckily for him, he has been able to bounce back and be a big part of the Rangers’ top-six forward group this season with 44 points through 69 games.
It would be fair to assume the Rangers are going to take the same approach with Kakko and give him the same opportunity, which is one more chance to prove himself as a useful piece for their future. I would predict he gets a smaller contract than Lafreniere got as far as the money goes, but it will probably still be a two-year deal. Realistically, I would expect Kakko to re-sign on a two-year contract worth $1.275 million per season. If he can’t find his confidence and take that next step the team will be expecting out of him, his time with the Rangers will be finished sooner rather than later.
The Rangers will be looking to bounce back from a tough 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday (March 19) with a matchup against the Boston Bruins on Thursday (March 21). Hopefully, they can finish out their season strong and make a push for their first Stanley Cup since 1994. On top of that, hopefully, they can find equal ground and bring Kakko back for one more chance at turning into the star everyone hoped he could be when he was drafted second overall in 2019.
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