DALLAS — The Rangers retool has officially begun.
Kaapo Kakko was traded Wednesday to Seattle in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen, a third-round pick and a sixth-round pick in the 2025 draft, marking the end of the 23-year-old Finn’s six-year tenure in New York.
The move helps the Blueshirts replenish some of their draft stock, as well as acquire some more depth on the back end.
Kaapo Kakko was traded to the Kraken on Wednesday.
Most importantly, however, Rangers president and general manager Chris Drury ensured that another disgruntled player didn’t sit in the locker room for too long.
Kakko expressed immense frustration with serving as a healthy scratch in St. Louis, essentially saying that he didn’t understand how it boiled down to him amid the Rangers’ 3-11 downward spiral.
It’s not the first time Kakko was a scapegoat for the Rangers lineup, after he was benched in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final in the 2022 and 2024 playoffs.
Two different head coaches, Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette, made the same decision two years apart.
Rangers right wing Kaapo Kakko (24) when the New York Rangers held their training camp.
The public display of unhappiness from Kakko was a clear indicator that it would probably be best for the Rangers to move on.
Plus, since Kakko is a pending restricted free agent and a year away from unrestricted free agency, the Rangers thought a trade was the best decision for both parties.
Kakko never quite lived up to where he was drafted as the No. 2-overall pick in 2019, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying or opportunities.
The chances he received in top-six roles were just never seized, which he consistently acknowledged over the course of his time with the Rangers.
Will Borgen #3 of the Seattle Kraken chips the puck into the offensive zone.
Though it wasn’t the first- or second-line minutes he envisioned, Kakko turned into an effective third-liner who could be a possession machine.
He was one of the Rangers’ most consistent forwards this season and played his way into a spot on Team Finland for the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February.
Finishing with 330 games played for the Rangers, Kakko totaled 61 goals and 70 assists for 131 points.
Borgen, who turns 28 on Thursday, has been a target of the Rangers for some time.
Drafted 92nd overall by Buffalo in 2015, the Minnesota native has primarily been a bottom-pair defenseman in Seattle the past four seasons after the organization selected him in the 2021 expansion draft.
After setting a career high in points last season with 25, Borgen’s game has taken a drastic dip both offensively and defensively.
He’s currently a minus-nine on the season, and the more advanced defensive metrics don’t paint a prettier picture.
Similarly to how a change of scenery may benefit Kakko, the same can presumably be said for Borgen.
Bringing in Borgen also allows the Rangers to give rookie Victor Mancini more time to develop in his first full year of professional hockey.
Mancini was assigned back to AHL Hartford after the Kakko trade was announced.
A veteran of 247 NHL games across six seasons, Borgen has accumulated nine goals and 46 assists.
