Confirmed Trade: [SEA/NYR] Kaapo Kakko for Will Borgen, 2025 3rd, 2025 6th

[3074326]

Seravelli doesn’t know anything about anything.

One could argue that he knows a lot about nothing

 

[TheGreenTBer]

One could argue that he knows a lot about nothing

This...is actually a good point.

 

[FIRE DRURY]

Chris Drury is a f***ing moron.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I mean the last time he got 15+ minutes of ice time per game and his shots were going in was 22-23 and he had 40 points that season and was on the cusp of a breakout according to many.

I am not sure he's fundamentally different in Seattle, he's just getting better usage (16 minutes of ice time per game and more PP usage) and his shots are going in.

Not saying that's a bad thing - just that most Rangers fans probably saw this coming from a mile away.

Yeah, honestly none of us ever said he’s a bad hockey player.

That was opposing fans. We just said he’s probably never going to be a Rantanen because he doesn’t have the scoring skills people thought he did when he was drafted. If it goes as well as it possibly can, he can be Nichushkin.

I wish him well, but I still don’t think he’s all of a sudden flipped a switch. Not like he hasn’t had 7 points in 10 games for the Rangers. He’s still very slow and struggles to finish chances or register shot assists.

And no one is mentioning that Borgen has been really solid for us and our defense has stabilized recently (3 goals allowed total againat the Devils and Knights the last two games).

Did we lose the trade? Sure, but I don’t think it’s as bad of a loss as some want to make it seem. Kakko’s still a work in progress and Borgen has been a good addition for us.

 

[Fjordy]

The trade helped both players.

 

[Kiekura]

Yeah, honestly none of us ever said he’s a bad hockey player.

That was opposing fans. We just said he’s probably never going to be a Rantanen because he doesn’t have the scoring skills people thought he did when he was drafted. If it goes as well as it possibly can, he can be Nichushkin.

I wish him well, but I still don’t think he’s all of a sudden flipped a switch. Not like he hasn’t had 7 points in 10 games for the Rangers. He’s still very slow and struggles to finish chances or register shot assists.

And no one is mentioning that Borgen has been really solid for us and our defense has stabilized recently (3 goals allowed total againat the Devils and Knights the last two games).

Did we lose the trade? Sure, but I don’t think it’s as bad of a loss as some want to make it seem. Kakko’s still a work in progress and Borgen has been a good addition for us.

The biggest problem with this trade is that teams were interested in Kakko last year with MASSIVELY better returns than Borgen. But then this year happens and shit hits the fan, Drury panics and sells him.

 

[Vitto79]

The biggest problem with this trade is that teams were interested in Kakko last year with MASSIVELY better returns than Borgen. But then this year happens and shit hits the fan, Drury panics and sells him.

Nah Kakko was never going to be more than a 3rd liner in NY

He’s now in a not great F group so stats go up with more ice and PP time

Borgen has been great so if he resigns it’s a good deal for both

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Keep up it up Kakko!

 

[elmaco]

Nah Kakko was never going to be more than a 3rd liner in NY

He’s now in a not great F group so stats go up with more ice and PP time

Borgen has been great so if he resigns it’s a good deal for both

Yeah need to give the Zibs and Panarins all the ice, for a whole lot of nothing

 

[Guy Larose]

The biggest problem with this trade is that teams were interested in Kakko last year with MASSIVELY better returns than Borgen. But then this year happens and shit hits the fan, Drury panics and sells him.

The biggest problem with this post is that fans make up fantasy trades on here and then think they're fact.

 

[Vitto79]

Yeah need to give the Zibs and Panarins all the ice, for a whole lot of nothing

I mean be serious. Panarin is a top 10 player over the past 5 years

You can crap on Zib but he’s on a good roll now and has 700 plus career pts

 

[elmaco]

I mean be serious. Panarin is a top 10 player over the past 5 years

You can crap on Zib but he’s on a good roll now and has 700 plus career pts

Past accomplishes hardly matter if you fall off a cliff.

 

[The Real JT]

Past accomplishes hardly matter if you fall off a cliff.

Agree completely but as someone who has seen the Rags get value for what seems like a negative asset (e.g. Trouba) nothing would surprise me.

 

[TGWL]

"Kakko has no value. Ranger fans are clueless if they think they can get anything for him. He's a bust"
*Rangers trade Kakko*
"HAHA, Rangers are so stupid for trading Kakko..."

Can't win... In the end it makes no difference and we all hope he succeeds elsewhere. It wasn't happening here, whether the player and organization shared or held majority of the blame.

 

[Vitto79]

Past accomplishes hardly matter if you fall off a cliff.

You are overreacting let’s see how 40 more games go

 

[OysterForever]

"Kakko has no value. Ranger fans are clueless if they think they can get anything for him. He's a bust"
*Rangers trade Kakko*
"HAHA, Rangers are so stupid for trading Kakko..."

Can't win... In the end it makes no difference and we all hope he succeeds elsewhere. It wasn't happening here, whether the player and organization shared or held majority of the blame.

But if everyone agrees Kakko is a quality player why NYR management doesn't even try to help him establish himself as one?

 

[MoneyManny]

But if everyone agrees Kakko is a quality player why NYR management doesn't even try to help him establish himself as one?

Players establish themselves.

 

[TGWL]

But if everyone agrees Kakko is a quality player why NYR management doesn't even try to help him establish himself as one?

Not everybody agrees with that. That's why you had fans ripping his value.

Kraken have won 3 our of their last 12. NYR, while struggling, are still trying to win games and turn this around. They aren't putting Kakko out to get the tying goal. They aren't giving Kakko top line minutes to play, pad stats, and not worry about losing the game. In the end, the environment wasn't great for him. The gap between what the organization needs out of the the vets is a lot higher than the progress Kakko was making.

The Kakko never got a chance is a false narrative. Kakko got his chance. Kakko got plenty of chances but couldn't make anything of it. Was the leash short? Yes, very short, but NYR are trying to win games and never went into a full rebuild where the young players got to play for a few years, becoming their top players.

I also don't think the structure we had was best for him.

 

[Sisu4ever]

But if everyone agrees Kakko is a quality player why NYR management doesn't even try to help him establish himself as one?

They are trying to be a cup contender which doesn't leave enough room for developing their young players.
They are a country club afraid of hurting the feelings of high-cost vets, no matter how bad they play, which also hampers the development of the young players. For example they benched Kakko even though some of the vets should have been benched. Kakko had enough of it and was able to get traded to a team where he has better opportunities to develop properly.

 

[LOFIN]

Players establish themselves.

This is really not the case. High picks who are expected to be future top players for a team, are usually put in big roles and given a long leash so they will actually learn how to play those positions on an NHL level. That's what a rebuild is, you are not worried about the results of a single game and how many mistakes your prospects and young players make. More important for them to be given the ice time and role to learn.

 

[Foxy]

You are overreacting let’s see how 40 more games go

Kakko was also a notoriously streaky player with the Rangers. He had numerous 10 game, point per game streaks, and just when you thought he had figured it all out, he would follow it up with 5 points in his next 20.

So there is a chance this is it, and He'll maintain his 55 point pace forever, but I need a bigger sample then 10 games.

 

[n8]

Kakko was also a notoriously streaky player with the Rangers. He had numerous 10 game, point per game streaks, and just when you thought he had figured it all out, he would follow it up with 5 points in his next 20.

So there is a chance this is it, and He'll maintain his 55 point pace forever, but I need a bigger sample then 10 games.

You left out that two of those hot streaks were ended by injuries.

 

[DelZottoHitTheNetJK]

The biggest problem with this trade is that teams were interested in Kakko last year with MASSIVELY better returns than Borgen. But then this year happens and shit hits the fan, Drury panics and sells him.

Yeah? What were the offers?

This is a flash in the pan for Kakko. You know how I know?

He can't skate. The numbers will even out.

 

[Foxy]

You left out that two of those hot streaks were ended by injuries.

Maybe I'm forgetting some early career injuries, but last year he had 3 points in his first 20 before missing 2 months, then he had a stretch in Feb where he went 7 in 9 then followed it up with 1 in 10, then in March he goes 7 in 10 and follows it up scoreless in the last 5 and only gets 2 pts in 15 games for the playoffs.

The main streak I remember where I thought he was breaking out, was in 22-23, he was on a 11 game ppg streak, was up to 30 points in the first 55 games, I remember thinking if he keeps it up can hit 50. He then proceeded to get 3 in his next 15 and finished with 40 while playing all 82 lol.

 

[wintersej]

I remember when Ryan Spooner went off and was a PPG player for the Rangers for a stretch after the Nash trade. Like Rangers fans then, it seems a bit early for the anti-Rangers crowd to say a peep.