Rangers trade Kaapo Kakko to Seattle for draft pick Will Borgen

DALLAS – Kaapo Kakko was subbed a little more than 24 hours after he expressed displeasure with the Rangers’ decision to make him a healthy scratch.

The No. 2 overall pick from the 2019 NHL Draft was sent to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen and two picks in the 2025 draft, one in the third round and another in the sixth.

This continued a reshaping of New York’s roster that began with a deal that sent captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks on December 6th.

The Rangers have lost 11 of their last 14 games and fallen out of playoff position. Team president Chris Drury is determined to shake things up to turn the season around.

His intentions became public after a memo that Drury sent to the other 31 general managers in the league was leaked in late November. The Blueshirts have responded to the trade talks by deteriorating game and team morale, but the purge continues.

Falls short of the hype

Kakko appeared to be looking for a way out as he openly criticized head coach Peter Laviolette’s decision to use him for Sunday’s 3-2 loss at St. Louis, saying: “I wasn’t the worst guy, but that was mine “Out.” the lineup.”

The 23-year-old forward was reinstated for Tuesday’s 2-0 loss in Nashville, but finished the game with a team-best 10:14 minutes of ice time.

Post-game insights:Rangers lose (again) to the worst team in the NHL

In more than five seasons with the Rangers, he never quite lived up to his draft hype and collected 131 points (61 goals and 70 assists) in 330 games. But he was also dragged around the lineup during that tenure and felt like he was becoming a scapegoat when things weren’t going well for the team.

“It’s easy to take the young man and throw him out,” Kakko said Tuesday. “That’s how I feel.”

According to Natural Stat Trick, Kakko is off to the best start of his career this season with 11 points and an xGF of 60.51% through the first 17 games. This helped him secure a spot with Team Finland for the upcoming 4-Nation Face-Off.

But just as the team has sputtered over the last month, so has he, with just three points and an xGF of 40.87% in his last 13 games.

Of course, Kakko was far from the only culprit, as other Rangers faced greater problems during this long difficult period. But given the history, he had to realize that his best chance to earn consistent ice time in a prominent role would lie elsewhere.

Analyzing Rangers’ return

He should get that chance in Seattle as the Blueshirts look to add a much-needed defenseman to their depleted roster. They have been on injured reserve since trading for Trouba and placing K’Andre Miller on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, with Borgen expected to move straight into the lineup.

The Rangers have apparently had their eye on the 28-year-old for some time. His offense is extremely limited with just two points (one goal and one assist) in 33 games played this season. But the 6-foot-3, 220-pound player is considered one of the better running defenders in the league, as that agility is an asset that New York has been missing in the backline.

The rest of Borgen’s game has question marks. He posted a team-worst minus-13 rating for the Kraken and an xGF of 41.47%, which was also near the bottom. Opponents are averaging 3.49 goals per 60 minutes he’s on the ice at five-on-five, which isn’t far off the 3.6 GA/60 Trouba posted with the Blueshirts.

A right-handed hitter, his presence allowed the Rangers to send raw rookie Victor Mancini back to AHL Hartford to continue and develop. In a corresponding step, they recalled the 1.90 meter tall striker Matt Rempe.

Borgen will likely land on the bottom pair behind Adam Fox and Braden Schneider on New York’s depth chart.

The Moorhead, Minnesota native has a salary cap hit of $2.7 million for the remainder of this season before becoming an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Adding additional draft picks to the Rangers’ depleted inventory should not be overlooked. So far they only had five selections in the upcoming draft, including none in the second or third round, but now the total has grown to seven.

Is this equivalent to a previous No. 2 overall pick? Apparently not, but it appears that Kakko wanted out and Drury was willing to oblige on short notice.

Breaking News

Dellupodisabato

Leave a Reply Cancel reply