There was a lot of hype surrounding New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko when he was taken with the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
At the time he was drafted, Kakko, 23, was looked at as a player who had tremendous skill, size, an ability to drive the net, and put up solid offensive numbers. Sounds like a great hockey player, right?
Well, through the 2023-24 season, Kakko has been anything but a great hockey player. In 300 career games, he has just 117 points on 57 goals and 60 assists.
Now, if Kakko was a player who was taken in the later rounds, these numbers would not look so bad. In fact, they would even be somewhat acceptable.
However, because he was the second overall pick, those numbers are terrible. It also does not help that the player taken first overall that year, New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, has put up outstanding numbers.
That brings us to this upcoming season. If Kakko wants to remain a New York Ranger or even be considered a desirable trade target, a few things need to happen.
For starters, he needs to figure out a way to take a similar step that Alexis Lafreniere took last season. Going into last season, Lafreniere, 22, had point totals of 21, 31, and 39 in his first three seasons in the league.
Lafreniere then took a huge step last season when he had a career-high 57 points on 28 goals and 29 assists. Yes, it certainly helped that he played with Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, but he put in the work to become a better player.
Kakko needs to figure out a way to do the same thing. While that may be hard to accomplish playing on the third line, he can certainly push himself to be better.
Secondly, he needs to figure out a way to use the abilities he does have to produce on a more consistent basis. There is no doubt that he has great size, can control the puck along the boards, and he also has a great shot.
Coming up on his sixth season in the league, he now needs to find a way to put it all together. If he is not able to do that, the Rangers could be in trouble not only in terms of their current roster, but also in terms of trying to trade him.
Lastly, Kakko needs to go into this season, realizing that it could define the rest of his career. Whether he wants to stay with the Blueshirts or find a home elsewhere, he needs to show that he can be a productive player and that he is worth giving playing time to.
It will certainly be interesting to see what Kakko does this season on Broadway.
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