New York Rangers: Kakko is a better fit if Slats and Gorton were right.
By Ed Stein
The New York Rangers are less than four weeks away from what shapes up to be a franchise-altering draft. Ironically the way the alteration will shake out isn’t entirely on their own hands.
The New York Rangers will be waiting with bated breath on June 21 for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to announce the top pick of the 2019 draft by the New Jersey Devils. There are two elite talents available and the Rangers who are selecting second overall will get the player New Jersey passes on with the top selection.
Going into the 2018-19 center Jack Hughes was labeled as the gem of this year’s draft class and described as a generational talent, much like both, Sidney Crosby, and Connor McDavid were during their respective draft years. The Orlando native was always supposed to go first in this draft but always lurking in Hughes rear view mirror was Finnish wing Kaapo Kakko.
Kakko was seen as an outstanding talent and the clear second best player in the draft. But like the warning on the side view mirror said, “objects in mirror may be closer than they appear.” Since December of 2017, Kappo has closed the gap on Hughes, but NJD is still going with the American.
That leaves the New York Rangers with the “Finnish Flash 2.0,” who may wind up as the greatest consolation prize in NHL history. Even if Hughes eventually turns out to be a better player, Kakko is a perfect fit for the Blueshirts. That is if former team president Glen Sather and current general manager Jeff Gorton were right about the way they were building their team for the future.
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It started in 2017 when they chose a pair of centers in the first round. Swede Lias Andersson went seventh overall, while Czech Filip Chytil was selected 23rd. That pair combined with likely next team captain Mika Zibanejad and Brett Howden (acquired at the 2018 deadline) could form a deep pillar down the Rangers middle for years to come.
Where the Blueshirts have a strong demand is offensive help is on the wing. The respective futures of veteran wingers Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich, Jimmy Vesey, and Vladislav Namestnikov are respectively uncertain, due to either pending free agency, disappointing play, and/or trade value. Additionally, highly touted 2018 first round pick Vitali Kravtsov is an outstanding prospect, but he can’t be the only scorer NYR has on the wing.
This is why the New York Rangers need Kakko so badly. If Slats and Gorton chose their centers wisely, there is still a huge scoring void that can be absorbed by the 18-year-old. Last season, he scored 22 goals and 38 points in 45 games with TPS of SM Liga, Finland’s top professional league. At the time, Kakko was a boy among grown men. Continuing the theme, he had six goals and seven points in 10 games for Gold Medal-winning Finland at the recently concluded IIHF World Championships.
As nice as it may be to think about Jack Hughes wearing Rangers colors, Kaapo Kakko is the player new team president John Davidson must add to continue the rebuild his predecessor started. There won’t be much of a dropoff, if any, and he plays a position of need.
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