Kraken Acquisition Kaapo Kakko

The Kraken have added some extra depth up front, and have gained wing players Kaapo Kakko from Rangers. In return, New York receives a defender Will Borgena third-round pick in 2025 and a sixth-round pick in 2025. Both teams have announced the trade.

Kakko was the second overall pick in 2019, but while he’s shown flashes of being an impact player, he’s also struggled to produce with consistency over his now six-year career. The 23-year-old has only reached the 40-point mark once so far, that came back in 2022-23, when he had 18 goals and 22 assists in 82 games. His output dropped to just 19 points in 61 games last season, resulting in the two sides agreeing to a one-year, $2.4 million contract back in June, a move that did nothing to curb trade speculation surrounding him .

This move doesn’t come long after Kakko voiced his frustration at being a healthy scratch over the weekend as the Rangers continued to try to shake up their lineup to snap their recent drought. That frustration was justified as he has made a decent start to this year, picking up four goals and ten assists in 30 games despite spending a lot of time in the bottom six, averaging just 13:17 per Hovering around half a point per fight in that role is certainly a decent output, one that Seattle would like to add to an offensive group that sits in the middle of the pack.

As for Borgen, the soon-to-be 28-year-old has been a physical presence during his four-year tenure in Seattle, which selected him out of Buffalo in the expansion draft. Last season, he posted career bests in assists (22), points (25), blocked shots (111), hits (195) and ATOI (17:35) and appeared to be headed for a bigger role on the back end. That hasn’t exactly been the case this season, however, as he’s been limited to just one goal and one assist in 33 games while his playing time has dropped to a career-low 15:12 per night.

Despite his struggles, NHL.com’s Dan Rosen reports (Twitter link), that Rangers had coveted Borgen for a while. With departure from Jacob Trouba for Anaheim, they needed a little more defensive depth, and this move should allow Victor Mancini to return to AHL Hartford where he can have a bigger role. Borgen is also in the final season of his contract, one that pays him $2.7MM, so New York is taking on a small amount of money with this swap. Notably, he is eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer, while Kakko will have another RFA year remaining.

Given his draft stature, it seems like a pretty low price for Seattle to pay to acquire Kakko, and they’ll hope a change of scenery can help unlock the offensive potential that helped make him the No. 2 pick . Meanwhile, with New York seemingly unsure of committing to a long-term deal with him, they’ve opted to take a more present-oriented move instead of trying to maximize value in the form of higher draft picks or prospect compensation. With the two picks they added, they now have seven for the upcoming draft.

Interestingly, the 2019 draft class has already seen quite a few first-round picks moved. As Peter Baugh of The Athletic points out (Twitter link), eight of the top 19 picks from that year have already been traded, including three of the top four picks. Among those who have not moved are a couple (Dylan Cozens and Trevor Zegras) have been in trade speculation themselves in recent months, so the number of high picks on the move from that class could quickly grow even more.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.