New York Rangers Scratch Second Overall Pick Kaapo Kakko: Trade Incoming?

Kaapo Kakko has been on the trade block in New York for quite some time, and on Sunday he was officially scratched, leading to increased speculation over his future.

The New York Rangers season has been in a free fall as of late, with the worst loss of the year being a 5-1 defeat on Saturday to the Los Angeles Kings, with two senior players on the team calling out their effort after the game.

Now, things could be changing even more, as the New York Rangers have officially scratched Kaapo Kakko on Sunday for their road matchup against the St. Louis Blues.

This comes after over a year of trade speculation, with the team seemingly holding on to Kakko in hopes that he would finally fulfil his potential, but at this point, it appears that may not be happening anytime soon.

The former No. 2 overall draft pick has just 4 goals and 14 points in 29 games thus far in 2024/25, and after just 19 in 61 games a season ago, it's very easy to see why they may finally be giving up on him.

Kakko's career high came the year before with 18 goals and 40 points, and if he could maintain that level, he'd no doubt be a key piece of this teams lineup, but unfortunately he has struggled mightily for consistency since arriving in the NHL back in 2019/20.

It's unclear at this point what value Kakko would even have on the trade market right now, and given that he's still 23-years of age, he could simply be a late bloomer, but with the Rangers pushing for a Stanley Cup berth in 2024/25, it makes sense to move him now with rival teams hoping that their patience in landing him could one day pay off.

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