A blockbuster trade proposal has the New York Rangers giving up a package centering around Kaapo Kakko in exchange for a former 30-goal scorer to bolster their offense.
Kaapo Kakko was a top-tier prospect heading into the 2019 NHL Draft. But the former second overall pick has struggled in the Big Apple, tallying just 117 points in 300 total games over his first five yers.
Kakko’s best season came in 2022-23, when he tallied 18 goals and 40 points. Injuries limited him to 61 games last season, however, so the 23-year-old Kakko finished with only 13 goals and 19 points.
A user on PuckPedia proposed a blockbuster trade idea in which the Rangers would send Kakko, center prospect Bryce McConnell-Barker and a 2025 fifth-round pick to the Calgary Flames in exchange for sniper Andrei Kuzmenko. In this proposal, the Flames would retain $2.8 million percent of his $5.5 million cap hit.
In his 2022-23 rookie season with the Vancouver Canucks, Kuzmenko tallied 39 goals and 74 points, albeit with an unsustainable 27.3 shooting percentage. He was traded to the Flames in a blockbuster deal that brought Elias Lindholm to Vancouver last season, finishing the year with 22 goals and 46 points.
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Kuzmenko would join the reigning Presidents Trophy winners, who fell just two games short of a Stanley Cup Final appearance. With a stacked forward group led by Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider and Alexis Lafrenière, Kuzmenko would be in an excellent spot to regain that 30-goal form we saw in Vancouver.
Kaapo Kakko Needs A Fresh Start
This trade proposal makes perfect sense for all parties involved. A team in win-now mode like New York would have a star sniper to help their deep scoring unit, while the rebuilding Flames would get the chance to unlock Kakko’s potential once and for all.
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