The New York Rangers might have just made one of their biggest mistakes in franchise history. Fans knew that something needed to change after this devastating run the Blueshirts had been on. But trading away one of their better players for scraps was not something anyone wanted to see.
Rangers trade Kakko to Seattle
Late Wednesday evening, New York announced that they had traded former second-overall draft pick Kaapo Kakko to the NHL’s most recent expansion team, the Seattle Kraken. In return, the Blueshirts received two draft picks — a 2025 third-rounder, and a 2025 sixth-rounder. They also received Will Borgen, a 27-year-old defenseman with lowly statistics this season.
Why would New York do this?
This may go down as one of the worst trades in New York history. Not just hockey, but all sports. What did Kakko do to deserve this, you may ask? Nothing at all.
Kakko has never lived up to the second-overall label he has been burdened with throughout his career. But is he a bad player? Not by any means. In 30 games played this season, Kakko has tallied 14 points. He truly shines with his defensive play, with a +9 this year on a defensively terrible Rangers team. Will Borgen is currently a -13 on the ice.
It looks like the Rangers are in full rebuild mode. Many thought the Jacob Trouba trade was an attempt to get better, but this move did the opposite. Gear up for a rough few years, Rangers fans, it’s only going to get worse from here.
