The New York Rangers won the NHL’s Presidents’ Trophy award as the best regular-season team but fell short of winning the Stanley Cup Final.
While the Rangers were not far from reaching the final round of the playoffs, falling in the conference finals to the Florida Panthers, it feels they still need at least one more piece to get over the hump.
Peter Baugh of The Athletic discussed a trade idea submitted by reader Jeff F. in a mailbag published on June 17 that could land New York that final star from the Ottawa Senators.
“K’Andre Miller and Kaapo Kakko for Brady Tkachuk and a pick: who says no?” reader Jeff F. asked Baugh.
The reader reasoned that such a trade would work as the salaries exchanged are “close to a wash.” Moreover, he thinks this trade would have the Rangers’ “Right wing solved,” while also fixing other issues present in New York’s roster.
“Zac Jones moves into Miller’s spot with Braden Schneider, and Trouba has a low-cost free agent partner,” the reader said.
The trade idea and the reader’s explanation allowed Baugh to comment on the potential idea. For Rangers fans, however, the answer wasn’t the one they’d probably want to read.
“Ottawa’s front office would hang up immediately. That’s not nearly enough for Brady Tkachuk, who is on a long-term deal and has 30-plus goals each of the past three seasons,” Baugh wrote.
First Hurdle: Senators Are Not Shopping Brady Tkachuk
The Senators drafted Tkachuk with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 draft. He’s been with the team ever since, appearing in 440 games after making his debut in the 2018-19 season already playing 71 games.
Tkachuk, 24, scored a career-high 37 goals in the 2024 season, adding 37 assists for 74 points in 81 games. In 440 career games with Ottawa, he has 162 goals and 349 points.
The Senators’ brass quickly dismissed the possibility of a trade of late when whispers started to grow louder regarding Tkachuk’s availability in potential trades.
General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Steve Staios denied such rumors when talking to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on May 27.
“Complete B.S.,” Staios said, via LeBrun. “We are building this team around Brady. His leadership and unique skill set are rare. There is absolutely no validity to it.”
As LeBrun pointed out in his story for context, the rumors about Tkachuk’s availability initially emerged from a tweet sent by Spittin’ Chiclets host Ryan Whitney on February 24.
Staios, once again, denied the truth of Whitney’s statement saying the Senators “maybe move” Tkachuk when speaking to LeBrun on February 28.
“Ah yeah, that could not be further from the truth,” Staios said. “There’s obviously no truth to that. Like, we’re building the team around Brady Tkachuk.”
Tkachuk signed a seven-year, $57.5 million contract with the Senators in October of 2021, with a cap hit of $8.2 million. He is under contract through June 2028, and his deal will have a No Move Clause from the 2025-26 season on, per CapFriendly.
It takes two to tango, and judging by Staios’ words, it’s fair to assume the Senators are convinced of keeping Tkachuk in Ottawa.
Second Hurdle: Kappo Kakko Just Signed A Contract Extension
Kappo Kakko’s performance with the New York Rangers has been inconsistent since he entered the league, contrary to Ktachuk’s case in Ottawa.
The Rangers drafted Kakko with the No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft and after he completed his entry-level deal at the end of the 2024 season, they unexpectedly re-signed him.
New York announced the contract extension on June 13, signing Kakko to a one-year, $2.4 million deal that matched the value of his qualifying offer. Kakko will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2025.
Kakko scored 13 goals and provided 6 assists in 61 regular-season games in 2024. After that, however, Kakko’s production in the playoffs was subpar with only 1 goal and 1 assist in 15 games.
Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette also made Kakko a healthy scratch in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Kakko showcased his potential in the 2022-23 season, scoring 40 points and appearing in all 82 regular-season games. Through 300 career regular-season games, Kakko has accumulated 117 points, split into 57 goals and 60 assists.
Is There Any Way this Rangers-Senators Trade Could Work?
As far as things stand two weeks before the start of free agency on July 1, this trade scenario looks like a long shot to materialize.
“The Senators have no interest in trading Tkachuk,” Baugh wrote addressing the trade proposal in his mailbag. “He’s their captain and under contract for four more years.”
As explained above, Baugh advised Rangers fans not to get overly excited about the possibility of this move taking place any time soon.
“Tkachuk might not be a lifelong Senator, but I’d temper any hope of the Rangers acquiring him this offseason,” Baugh said. “And, if Ottawa for some reason did change course and engaged in trade talks, Tkachuk would fetch a much bigger package than Miller and Kakko.”
Miller, for what’s worth, is a young (he won’t turn 25 until January) defenseman with upside and a minute eater averaging at least 20:36 TOI in each of his four NHL seasons. He’s appeared in 294 career games scoring 29 goals and assisting 76.
If the Rangers want to land Tkachuk they will need to offer alternative trade packages. And if they want to land a bonafide superstar forward, another trade idea sees them swapping Artemi Panarin for Mitch Marner of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
