Jonny Lazarus Breaks Down Why the Rangers Need to Move On from Kaapo Kakko

Jonny Lazarus argues the possibilities of who stays and who goes for the Rangers with the trade deadline closing Friday afternoon.

Kaapo Kakko was drafted by the New York Rangers with the 2nd overall pick back in 2019. The Finnish prospect had been a high-end talent for years, and there was a ton of Rangers hype around drafting him after his impressive World Juniors campaign. 

But here we are almost five seasons later, Kakko just recently notched the 100-point mark in his career—he is averaging just around 22 points per season. With this year’s trade deadline slowly wrapping up, The Blue Crew evaluates where Kakko stands in this Rangers team’s future and who could possibly replace him. 

"I still think the Rangers need like three pieces. Like I think I want one more. But I think it's good to have a guy who is a known finisher a guy who is a shoot-first guy and a guy who plays on the inside, as opposed to Kakko, who is mostly a perimeter player...Kakko doesn't kill penalties. He doesn't get power play time. Yes, he's good at possession of the puck at five-on-five, but everyone is like foaming at the mouth over this reverse hit he had against Florida. He turned the f****** puck over right after he made the play."

via Jonny Lazarus, Blue Crew

Lazarus lays the facts out for the audience. Kakko gets 3rd line minutes, does not kill penalties, and barely plays on the powerplay. While Lazarus says he is a solid puck possession guy when five-on-five, Kakko skillfully stays around the perimeter when the Rangers are in need of a shot-first type of winger. 

Talks of Frank Vatrano joining the Rangers again sparked interest in Lazarus. It is also important to acknowledge that Panarin’s contract expires in two seasons after this one, which could be the beginning of a new Rangers team from now. 

Lazarus argues that if the Rangers don’t truly believe in their core to win a Stanley Cup right now, then they can keep Kakko. If it is the other way around, however, the Rangers should trade Kakko to look to win immediately. 

There is no doubt that this Rangers team and fans want to win now, and Chris Drury could make these last 24 hours of the deadline quite interesting.

While Kaapo Kakko's development has been slower than hoped after being drafted 2nd overall, the Rangers face a critical decision on his future with the organization. 

If management believes this core is capable of winning the Stanley Cup in the next couple of seasons, moving Kakko for a more dynamic, scoring winger like Vatrano could provide the offensive boost to put them on top. 

With the trade deadline looming, eyes are on the Rangers to either go all-in on more players or remain content with the core they currently have. All in all, Kaapo Kakko will be an asset.