The Rangers have re-signed pending UFA Kaapo Kakko to a one-year deal worth $2.4 million.
$2.4 million was slated to be Kakko’s qualifying offer. He was arbitration-eligible.
On breakup day, Peter Laviolette was asked if he still viewed Kakko as someone who could still be a top-six winger, “I do. I took, in my conversation with Kaapo, I took my responsibility in it as a coach. I didn’t find it with him. I think he’s a good player that we were all hoping would take another step and my responsibility as a coach is to unleash these players as well and you hope that it happens with all of them, but with some it doesn’t and I need to figure out a better way to get him involved. I think there is responsibility for him too in what he brings to the table and brings to the game. Next year is a new year, I do think he has the ability to be a top-six forward, to grow off what he did last year and this year probably idd not go the way he wanted it to or the way we wanted it to go. I do think he can be that player and that is my job, our job, his job to make that happen.” (NYR)
Adam Rotter: This is a great contract for the Rangers. I think there is still a chance, especially now that there is cost certainty with Kakko, that he still gets included as part of a trade, but my guess is that both sides want to take one more crack at trying to make it work and signing quickly and forgoing arbitration show that.
I think it’s worth it to give it one more shot, especially at a low cap number. At worst, Kakko is a reliable third-line player, the Rangers continue their tradition of trading for a rental RW at the trade deadline and Kakko gets moved next offseason. At best, Kakko finds a role in the top-six, produces consistently, and establishes himself as a true two-way player and someone the Rangers can feel comfortable investing in long-term. Even if he can’t lock down a top-six role, he’s still an important, relatively cheap player for, hopefully, a Stanley Cup contender. Maybe there is a middle scenario where he isn’t in the top-six, but he, Filip Chytil, and maybe Brennan Othmann can recreate the best moments of The Kid Line. I could see his future going either way if that third scenario comes to pass.
I just don’t see a ton of downside to this move other than moving on from Kakko was one of the only real spots where things could be shook up. I wouldn’t have hated if Kakko was a big part of a trade for a more established, proven scorer, but it seems like the Rangers are going to take one more swing at Kakko and see if he can’t break out in the way that Alexis Lafreniere did.