Between the Rangers losing 11 out of their last 14 games, Jacob Trouba being traded, management making it clear that New York was open for business, and Kaapo Kakko's comments critical of the way the coaching staff was handling healthy scratches, it was clear there was another shoe to drop on the trade front. That shoe dropped on Wednesday night as the Rangers dealt Kakko to the Seattle Kraken for defenceman Will Borgen, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick:

According to PuckPedia, Kakko is an RFA after this season, a UFA after the next, and Will Borgen is a free agent at the conclusion of this season.

What Seattle Gets

Kakko hasn't really developed into the offensive player the Rangers, and fantasy managers, were hoping for. His career-high marks are 18 goals and 40 points back in the 2022-23 season. That kind of belies some good production, though. He has averaged 0.88 even strength goals per 60 minutes over the last 2.5 seasons, a mark that ties him with names like Anze Kopitar, Nick Suzuki, Mark Stone, and Kevin Fiala. It is firmly a second-line rate, as is his even strength points per 60 minutes. His problem is that he's often been used in a third-line role, and has gotten minimal power play minutes.

That is kind of the issue in going to Seattle. The middle-6 guys like Oliver Bjorkstrand, Jared McCann, and Eeli Tolvanen will earn anywhere from 12-14 minutes a game at even strength. So far this season, Kakko earned 12:17 per game at even strength with the Rangers. At best, he'll add about a minute to that, and an extra minute of even strength time for two-thirds of a season won't amount to much.

Also, Seattle has started to use their top PP unit a bit more of late, being closer to a 60/40 split than the 50/50 split it has often been in their franchise's tenure. Assuming Kakko is on that second unit, maybe he adds a minute per game of power play ice time compared to his New York usage.

All told, Kakko could see a couple more minutes per game in ice time. In a full season, that could add about a half-dozen points to what he's done, so there is 50-point upside, but I would expect him to settle between 40-50 points. For someone that also doesn't hit or shoot very much, it's not a lot in most fantasy leagues.

He can help Seattle defensively. We will see where he lands, but he'd be a good fit in a checking/shutdown role with Matty Beniers, as the team has used Beniers more in that spot of late.

Just with increased usage, this is an improvement for Kakko, but it will likely mean guys like Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde will be used more on the fourth line from now on.

Borgen being moved should mean a more consistent role for Josh Mahura, but the Kraken are down to two right-handed defencemen on the roster. This might mean a Cale Fleury call-up, but it doesn't really change a whole lot as Borgen was getting minimal minutes anyway.

What New York Gets

To be clear: Borgen is a solid third-pair defencemen. He is legitimately good defensively, and as a right-handed shot, slots nicely on the third pair behind Adam Fox and Braden Schneider. It allows the Rangers to put Victor Mancini back in the AHL while not having to rely on Chad Ruhwedel game in and game out. Also, with Borgen a UFA at the end of the season, it opens a roster spot that they can save for Mancini, or go get another player (or just re-sign Borgen). It also isn’t near enough to improve what is a flailing roster.

Kakko being gone likely means Brett Berard is going to get a lot more run in the NHL. It is good for Berard, but Kakko had been part of a third line that was usually very good for years now, and that's over with. Considering all the struggles the team has had, it might be the least of their worries, but there's no guarantee that whatever they come up with is helpful.

Who This Helps

Kaapo Kakko

Brett Berard

Josh Mahura

Matty Beniers

Who This Hurts

Brandon Tanev

Yanni Gourde

Victor Mancini

Filip Chytil