With the NHL trade deadline right around the corner, now is a good time to talk about an enigma that plays for the New York Rangers.
This puzzling player is Kaapo Kakko. Kakko, 23, was taken with the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, and ever since then, he has been a tough player to figure out.
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On one hand, he definitely has some positive qualities. For starters, he knows how to use his size.
At 6’2”, he can push players off the puck, can control the puck in the offensive zone along the boards, can drive hard to the net even with a player all over him, and he can take up a lot of room in front of the net. The Blueshirts do not have many big players, so his size is definitely more than welcome on their current roster.
Secondly, he has great hands. He can dangle with the puck, he can make sneaky passes, and he can get around players with a smooth deke.
He also has a great shot. He can pick corners, he can hammer the puck if given the room to do so, and he can beat goalies cleanly.
Kakko has shown flashes of all of the above. When he has done so, he has looked every bit like a second-overall pick.
The problem is that, more often than not, he has looked like a disappointment. For starters, he does not produce on a consistent basis.
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In 274 games, Kakko has 109 points on 51 goals and 58 assists. These kinds of numbers certainly do not mimic a player who was taken as a second-overall pick.
Secondly, his play is often inconsistent. There are times when he is really noticeable, such as in Monday night’s 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars (game-winning goal), and there are other times when it is kind of a ho-hum night for him.
Lastly, as someone who plays on the third line, he does not get a ton of minutes of ice time. He is currently (As of Wednesday, February 21) averaging 13:17 minutes of ice time per game this season, which does not exactly give him a lot of time to be a point producer.
This is why it will be a tough decision at the trade deadline. He has shown flashes of brilliance, is still really young, and has actually played really well over his last handful of games (two goals and three assists for five points). Things like this would tell someone that he is worth keeping and letting him continue to grown under Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette.
On the other hand, he has been with the team since 2019-20 and since then, has not shown steady progress. That would certainly tell someone that it might be time to move him to a team to give him a fresh start.
What would you do if you were Rangers’ general manager, Chris Drury? I sure as heck do not know!
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