Stay or Go: Should the Rangers move on from Kaapo Kakko this offseason?

This is shaping up to be an interesting offseason for general manager Chris Drury and the Rangers. 

After putting together a historic regular season to secure the Presidents’ Trophy, New York ultimately fell short again in the playoffs, as they were overpowered by the Panthers during the Eastern Conference Finals. 

With their star players failing to show up again when it mattered the most, it’s led to numerous questions over whether or not Drury and the front office should break up this core heading into next season.

To that end, Drury has said that “nothing is off the table.”

They already parted ways with veteran center Barclay Goodrow, who was picked up off waivers by the San Jose Sharks earlier this week, but who will be on the chopping block next remains to be seen.

Kaapo Kakko recently re-signed with the club on a one-year deal before hitting restricted free agency on July 1, but that doesn’t mean he still won’t be moved in a potential offseason deal. 

With the NHL Draft this week and rumors starting to swirl, let’s get into whether or not the Rangers should move on from the 23-year-old winger…

Why the Rangers shouldn’t trade Kakko…

There’s no denying that Kakko has been a major disappointment since being selected with the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. 

But while the youngster hasn’t quite gotten off to the start of his pro career anyone had hoped for, he’s still shown to been a relatively solid piece when used in the right spots.

Kakko failed to take advantage of his opportunity with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider to begin the season, but when he returned from injury, he found a home alongside Will Cuylle and Alex Wennberg.

That third-unit proved to be one of the team’s most hardest working groups and they were extremely pesky on the forecheck down the stretch in the regular season and during the playoffs.

That showed Laviolette and the Rangers that Kakko can still be an effective piece for this team, it’s just not nearly how anyone had hoped he would produce.

He’s also still just 23 years old and is playing in one of the biggest markets in the world, so perhaps keeping him on another prove-it deal is smart to see if he can take the leap Alexis Lafreniere took this season.

Why the Rangers should trade Kakko…

At the same time, after four sluggish pro seasons to begin his Ranger career, it may finally be time for Drury and company to accept defeat and cut their losses. 

Even with his strong performance on the third-line upon returning from injury this season, Kakko wasn’t able to tap into his game-changing offensive potential, producing just 19 points across 61 games. 

For some reason things just haven’t worked out for him in the Big Apple, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll never be able to live up to the hype he generated before being selected with the second overall pick. 

Perhaps a change of scenery may be the best course of action for both sides heading into a big contract year. 

Shipping Kakko off to more of a middle-ground team where he can actually continue his development and get a legitimate opportunity for top-six minutes may be what helps get him going. 

It’s not that New York isn’t right for him, it’s just that the Rangers and Laviolette aren’t in a position to continue running trial by fire on that top line wing if they hope to take the next step as a contender.

Verdict

This is another tough decision for Drury and the Rangers’ front office. 

If you cut bait too soon and Kakko goes on to develop into the All-Star you expected him to be from the get-go, you end up with egg on your face and look awfully foolish. 

But at the same time, if you continue running him out there in hopes of him taking that next step and it just never comes, you could end up looking even more foolish. 

I think Drury and the Rangers played things the right way with his contract situation as a restricted free agent, getting him quickly locked up on a low-cost one-year prove-it deal.

Now opposing teams know what his cap hit will be and they have the remainder of the offseason to put some feelers out into the market and see if anyone meets their asking price.

If someone does, the Rangers will get back assets and the cap relief they're looking for, and he gets a fresh start and potentially a top-six opportunity heading into a contract year.

If not, New York will keep him around and give him one last shot to show he's worthy of sticking as part of this core, and it's up to him to take advantage of it.