Rangers trade Kaapo Kakko to Kraken for Will Borgen, draft picks
The New York Rangers traded forward Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday for defensemen Will Borgen, as well as third- and sixth-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.
With Kaako’s departure creating an opening up front, the Rangers recalled forward Matt Rempe from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League and assigned defenseman Victor Mancini to Hartford.
The trade comes at a time when the Rangers are 3-11-0 in their past 14 games. Kakko, who was a healthy scratch in New York’s 3-2 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, voiced his displeasure to the media with the decision after the morning skate in Nashville on Tuesday. He played just 10:14 that night in what would be his final game as a Ranger, a 2-0 road loss to the Predators.
NHL insider Kevin Weekes says that the trade is unrelated to the comments made by Kakko, and that the Rangers and Kakko ended things on good terms. Kakko, who signed a one-year contract with the Rangers in June and can become a restricted free agent on July 1, 2025, simply needed a fresh start somewhere else.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 draft has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 30 games this season. His NHL career high is 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists), set in 2022-23. Kakko, who was in his sixth season with the Rangers, totaled 61 goals and 131 points in 330 games. While he was always a solid depth player, he never really lived up the hype of being the second player taken in his draft year.
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Rangers acquire defenseman Will Borgan in Kaapo Kakko trade
Kakko is the second domino to fall in what will likely be a series of moves made by general manager Chris Drury. With the season spiraling downward, something needs to be done to turn things around in New York.
The Rangers traded captain Jacob Trouba less than two weeks ago to the Anaheim Ducks.
After starting the season 12-4-1, New York now sits at NHL .500 with a 15-15-1 record. They’ve fallen to sixth in the Metropolitan Division, and 23rd League-wide.
In return for Kakko, the Rangers acquired Borgen, a 27-year-old defenseman. The 2015 fourth-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres brings 247 games of NHL experience to the Rangers, all but 14 with the Kraken, who selected him in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. He has nine goals and 55 points, all with the Kraken, including one goal and one assist in 33 games with Seattle this season while averaging 15:12 of ice time — down sharply from 17:35 last season, when he had an NHL career-high 25 points (three goals, 22 assists).
Borgen has played all 82 games in each of the past two seasons.
With Mancini sent back to Hartford, Borgen will likely serve as a bottom-pair/depth defenseman for the Rangers along with Chad Ruhwedel and recently acquired Urho Vaakanainen, who made his debut with New York on Tuesday.
The Rangers also stock up on draft capital, acquiring two more picks in 2025. Whether Drury holds on to these choices or uses them in future trades, they are solid assets coming back to New York in the deal.
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