The New York Rangers are one of the original six members of the NHL and are one of the most valuable franchises in the game. Due to their prominence and stature in the hockey community, there is a lot of pressure for success on Broadway. Their owner, James Dolan, is not shy about spending money to attract talented players. However, when a team spends a lot of money and then struggles to find success, there is usually fallout.
Currently, the Rangers sit at 8th in the Eastern Conference (second wildcard spot). However, they were expected to be one of the top teams in the entire NHL. That, coupled with a 2-8 record in their last 10 games, has the Rangers front office looking to make changes.
On December 8th, the Rangers traded defenseman (and captain) Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks. In exchange, the Rangers acquired defenseman Urho Vaakanainen and a 4th round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. The team was able to send Trouba’s $8.0 million per season contract to the Ducks with no money retained. While not in his prime, Trouba had been a good player for a majority of his career. He struggled in New York and hence the trade.
The biggest win in that trade for the Rangers was getting all of Trouba’s salary off their salary cap. That opens to the door to other moves for the Rangers to make. There are rumors swirling all around about other Rangers players on the trade block (Chris Kreider, Ryan Lindgren, etc.).
The Blue Jackets were originally reported to be a potential trade partner with the Rangers for Trouba. They were one of the few teams that had the salary flexibility to take on his entire contract. In the end, the team did not acquire Trouba. However, there may be one player on the Rangers roster who could be a potential match for the Blue Jackets: Kaapo Kakko.
A change of scenery with more opportunity.
Kakko was taken with the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He came into the NHL with a lot of hype. While he has been okay in New York, he has never reached his potential. He has only hit the 40 point plateau once and has never exceeded 18 goals in a single season. To say the least, he has been a disappointment in New York. Thus, there have been rumors swirling about his availability. This is where the Blue Jackets come in.
The Blue Jackets could use a little bit of depth up front. Kakko would be a good fit on the third line. He only makes $2.4 million this season and would become a restricted free agent this summer. The team would be buying low on him right now, as his value is not as high as it once was.
The hope is that Kakko could be the forward version of defenseman Dante Fabbro. The team buys low, and the change of scenery leads to improvement from the player. Could Kakko reach his potential? It’s possible. The hope is that he can become a solid 40-50 point player. But If things don’t work out, then he can be traded next summer or allowed to walk in free agency. That entire situation could be a win for the player and the Blue Jackets.
While many other players are reportedly on the trade block in New York, I don’t see a good fit for any of them with what the Blue Jackets are trying to do right now or in the future. Yes, acquiring picks and prospects to take on a big contract is fine.
But eventually (maybe even next year), this team will be looking to take the next step. The Blue Jackets will be young but will have a lot of salary cap room to spend on players next year. Do they really want to spend some of that on players now that do little to help them this year and may not help them long term? I think it would be wise to avoid most of the rumored New York Ranger players not named Kakko.