Since breaking into the NHL in the 2019-20 season, things have not gone according to plan for 2019 second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko.
Across 300 regular-season games for the New York Rangers, Kakko has amassed 117 points — less than half of what Jack Hughes, who went first overall that draft, has accumulated. He showed promise in the 2022-23 season, breaking out for 18 goals and 40 points in 82 games, but his production took a sharp dip this past season, with only 19 points in 61 games.
The 23-year-old pending RFA needed a new contract, however, and so the Rangers inked Kakko to a one-year, $2.4 million bridge deal on Thursday.
But, as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Friday’s episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, this contract doesn’t necessarily mean the Finnish forward is going to remain with the Blueshirts.
Friedman believes the strategy behind this contract was to give interested parties clarity on what Kakko’s salary for the upcoming season would be and thus give them an opportunity to propose a trade with that number in mind.
“I think this is a little bit of a strategy by team and agent to say, ‘Let’s eliminate the guesswork so if there is anywhere else out there that makes sense for him and is willing to propose us a fair deal, we’re all going to know what the numbers are.’”
Doubling down on an appearance on The Jeff Marek Show, Friedman thinks this move is going to help the Rangers better prepare for what might be an active off-season.
“Look, this could be a really active trading season, if there’s another team that’s out there that likes Kakko, they don’t have to sit there and say, ‘Well what’s his number going to be?’ Or, ‘We have to negotiate a contract,’” he said. “The business is taken care of, and it just makes life easier on everyone involved.”
While there does seem to be a bit of strategy here by the Rangers head office, there is always the option for Kakko and New York to remain united.
Kakko is still only 23 years old and the Rangers are likely hoping that he’ll be able to break out the same way that 2020 first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere was able to do last season and throughout the playoffs. After struggling to find a spot in the Rangers’ top six through his first three seasons, the 22-year-old found his footing in 2023-24, scoring 28 goals and 57 points before potting 14 more points in 16 playoff games.
Whether Kakko gets traded or remains with the Rangers, Friedman reported that both parties are content with whichever way this saga ends.
“If all things stay equal and Kakko and the Rangers are still married next season, everyone’s going to be OK with that,” Friedman said, but believes the Rangers think, “If it stays the same, we’ll make it work. If this knocks a proposal loose, we’ll listen.”
New kids on the block: Will Utah HC swing for the fences?
It’s been an eventful two months for the Utah Hockey Club, between their official relocation in April and the unveiling of their colour scheme in June.
But with money to spend, under the leadership of a new owner and with new fans to impress, these next three months might be even more action-packed for Utah HC.
“I had a couple teams tell me that what they might do is offer some kind of short-term, big AAV deals until some prospects are ready,” Friedman reported on The Jeff Marek Show on Friday.
HC players who played with the Arizona Coyotes understand just how difficult the Central Division is, with heavyweights such as the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche that will always make it difficult to secure a playoff spot.
But enthusiasm around HC is growing right now, and Jeff Marek believes that new owner Ryan Smith is prepared to bring in a superstar player — on a short-term, high AAV deal — to generate buzz around the franchise.
One name to keep in mind, Marek reiterated, is Patrik Laine. Friedman reported that Laine has asked the Columbus Blue Jackets for a trade, and with two years remaining at $8.7 million per year and a respectable offensive record behind him, he might be just the player Utah is looking for to help their large prospect pool in development.
Smith and general manager Bill Armstrong have a significant advantage already with over $44 million of available cap space, and combined with the cap rising $4 million this season, expect this year’s silly season to get much sillier.
“It wasn’t unusual for the cap to go up $4 million per year, pre-COVID,” Friedman explained. “Now, it’s going up $4 million for the first time in four years and one of the executives said to me that the agents are rubbing their hands together in glee, as people are ready to spend like drunken sailors.”
Will he stay or will he go: Decision imminent for Nikita Zadorov, Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks have no shortage of decisions to make this off-season, and that of what to do with Nikita Zadorov is reportedly coming very soon.
“I think we’re going to know in the coming days if there’s any hope on Zadorov,” Friedman reported. “It just appears unlikely, but someone reached out to me and said that one’s not over yet. I would say the odds are less than 50 per cent.”
Zadorov, one of the eight pending unrestricted free agents on the Canucks, was acquired by Vancouver early in the season and was a key component in transforming their blue line and had a particularly impactful showing in the post-season.
One week ago, Friedman reported that Zadorov was willing to take a discount in order to stay in Vancouver, but the two sides were still at odds.
“I believe Zadorov has a number and it might actually be a little less than he can get on the open market to stay in Vancouver,” he reported at the time. “I don’t think Vancouver is far away from it, but I don’t think they’ve hit it. …
“I think Zadorov knows if he gets to the open market, he’s going to be happy with what’s out there, so it’s going to be up to the Canucks to get to the number he wants.”
It appears now, though, that the Canucks are not willing to offer the number needed to keep Zadorov on Canada’s West Coast. However, with Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford running the ship in Vancouver, nothing is truly impossible.