Despite Filip Chytil suffering a setback that will cost him the rest of the 2023-24 NHL campaign, the New York Rangers could be looking to move another key young player ahead of the Mar. 8 Trade Deadline.
Kaapo Kakko, who the Blueshirts drafted No. 2 overall in 2019, is one name the team could look to move in an effort to bolster their Stanley Cup chances, per TSN’s Darren Dreger.
“I look at the New York Rangers as a buyer in the trade market in an effort to bolster their Stanley Cup playoff runs and their Stanley Cup chances. A second overall pick in 2019 by the New York Rangers, Kaapo Kakko is an asset that perhaps Chris Drury, the general manager of the New York Rangers, considers using as trade bait,” the hockey insider explained.
“I know that multiple sources have said that Drury is taking calls on Kakko. Now, losing Filip Chytil for the remainder of the season is a big blow for the Rangers but New York has cap space and potentially the assets, like Kakko, to acquire a significant piece.”
Kakko has had a tough season in The Big Apple, recording just five goals and six points over 28 games. The 22-year-old had his best season in 2022-23, posting career-highs across the board with 18 goals and 40 points over a full 82-contest slate.
Although the Finn has struggled mightily this year, it’s a microcosm of a bigger problem for a Rangers team that is coming off the worst calendar month of the season — by far.
Rangers were brutal in January
After a hot start to the season that saw New York jump out to a 26-10-1 record on Jan. 4, it’s been all downhill for Peter Laviolette’s club since. The Rangers have won just four of their last 12 games, conceding the top spot in the Eastern Conference to the Boston Bruins and watching their lead on the Metropolitan Division slip to just two points on the surging Carolina Hurricanes.
The hope in New York is that the club’s 7-2 drubbing of the Ottawa Senators in the final game before the All-Star break will lead to better play on the other side of the pause.
Kaapo Kakko’s days might be numbered in NY, but he’ll be in the lineup when the Blueshirts visit Ball Arena to play the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 5.
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