Kaako has not panned out well with the Rangers at the 23-year-old who stands at six foot 2 and 205 pounds was drafted in 2019, first round, that can pick overall. During his five years with the Rangers he has yet to eclipse twenty goals and has only managed 18 in 2022.
He's only had one season at 40 points and this year he only had 19 through 61 games. It's becoming clear that he needs a change of scenery and with the draft looming on June 28th and Drury looking to be aggressive in the offseason, it's quite possible he may use Kakko in a package to move up in the draft.
With his age and potential still yet to be seen, some feel that he may go as high as 13th overall as a return for trading for him. Given the cost certainty that Drury has given other teams with the signing of his contract, it's likely other teams may look add him to acquire his services.
Many young teams including the Chicago Blackhawks, the Utah hockey team, Seattle Kraken make call Drury to see what it would take to make a deal happen.
With the draft only three days away and with the Stanley Cup awarded to the Florida Panthers earlier this evening, trades will begin to surface very quickly, and Rangers fans may see Kaako in another uniform in October.
Source: Empire Sports Media
Rangers could package Kaapo Kakko in a draft trade-up
POLL | ||
Will Chris Drury trade Kaapo Kaako at the draft? | ||
Yes | 178 | 75.7 % |
No | 57 | 24.3 % |
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