New York Rangers trade grades: Assessing Kaapo Kakko deal to Kraken for Will Borgen, 2 draft picks
What’s seemed inevitable for quite a while became reality Wednesday when the New York Rangers traded forward Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken for defenseman Will Borgen and third- and sixth-round picks in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Kakko, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2019 draft, has been mentioned in trade rumors for years. The 23-year-old finished his Rangers tenure with 131 points (61 goals, 70 assists) in 330 games, including 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 30 games this season.
Borgen, who turned 28 on Thursday, has been a physical middle-six defenseman ever since the Seattle Kraken claimed him in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. He has 55 points (nine goals, 46 assists) in 247 games with the Kraken and Buffalo Sabres. After recording an NHL career-high 25 points (three goals, 22 assists) in 2023-24, Borgen has one goal and one assist in 33 games this season.
Related: Rangers Daily: Will Borgen among several NHL defensemen traded Wednesday
Grading the Rangers trade of Kaapo Kakko for Will Borgen, draft picks
Members of the Forever Blueshirts staff analyze and grade the Rangers trade of Kaapo Kakko and acquisition of Will Borgen and two draft picks in 2025. Trade grades reflect from Rangers point of view.
Jim Cerny – Executive Editor – C
If it wasn’t apparent already, it certainly became obvious the past week that Kakko needed to be traded. So, off the top, this trade is the right thing to do for the unhappy player and the struggling team, that’s been long frustrated with Kakko not living up to high expectations. Overall, Kakko’s tenure in New York was a failure. Blame goes to both the organization and player, as well as injury issues and beginning his NHL career during the unfortunate time of the coronavirus pandemic. Now we move on. Despite proving to be a reliable two-way forward in the middle-six, Kakko’s actual production was middling again this season, and the Rangers no longer saw fit to provide him more ice time to try and juice the results. In the Kraken, the Rangers found a partner willing to believe that a change of scenery could untap Kakko’s potential. They’re trading for what could be, not what Kakko is or has been. Really, Kakko was a devalued asset, but in selling low the Rangers were able to land a right-shot, physical defenseman in Borgan, who can basically assume the recently-traded Jacob Trouba’s spot on the roster. Borgen is also in need of a fresh start after the Brandon Montour signing this summer dropped him to the third defense pair in Seattle. As his role shrunk, so did the quality of his play this season. Borgen, a UFA this coming July 1, is not a sexy acquisition, but will allow Victor Mancini to marinate in the minors. There’s time to see if Borgen fits in on the Rangers defense corps or if he’ll be flipped ahead of the trade deadline. That third-round pick is a plus and could come in handy for a future trade.
John Kreiser -Senior Staff Writer – B
Kakko is the type of player who, if you chose him late in the first round, would be an excellent pick. He’s a useful two-way forward who’s an ideal third-liner and can play up on the second line in a pinch. His biggest shortcoming has always been a lack of speed – and the fact that he was picked No. 2 behind Jack Hughes (by the New Jersey Devils) in the 2019 NHL Draft, instead of, say, No. 22. He never reached 20 goals or more than 40 points. With numbers like that, a need on the blue line, and with Kakko potentially an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season, the Rangers felt the time had come to part ways with him. Borgen is not going to produce a lot of offense; he’s never scored more than three goals in a season, and his 25 points in 2023-24 were a career high. But his play has dropped off this season; his ice time is down to 15:12 from 17:35 last season, and he had just two points (one goal, one assist) and was minus-13 in 33 games. Realistically, he’s a bottom-pair D-man who shows up every night (216 consecutive games played). With Trouba traded to Anaheim on Dec. 6 and K’Andre Miller out with an injury, Borgen fills a hole on the blue line and lets the Rangers send Mancini to AHL Hartford for more experience. The third-round and sixth-round picks the Rangers received give them some extra lottery tickets in June or some additional chips for future trades.
Dane Walsh – Staff Writer – C
I think the trade hurts in the moment, but it was necessary. I just wish general manager Chris Drury did it closer to the deadline last season, when teams would have given up a lot more to get Kakko. Acquiring Borgen fills a need on defense, but he’s been having a rough year to this point. The picks are nice to have, but Drury could have easily gotten more last season. Instead, he takes one of New York’s leaders in plus/minus and better defensive forwards and ships him out. I think the return is fine, but I don’t think it makes New York better overall in the slightest.
Tom Castro – Staff Writer – B-
The Rangers did OK in picking up Borgen, a big, tough, right-shot defenseman who competes and plays with fire, and should help them replace the minutes and physicality lost in the Trouba trade. They also might have grabbed a typical trade-deadline commodity for less capital by acquiring him in December instead of March. The 2025 third-round draft pick that came back in the Kakko deal is a much-needed middle-round selection in next year’s draft, since the Rangers didn’t have a second- or third-rounder. It’s a pick that could be used in another trade, and the sixth-rounder they received gives them two next year and could be employed to improve draft positioning. Borgen, however, is a pending unrestricted free agent that the team might not want or be able to re-sign, and at least for now will likely be relegated to the third pair. His grit, willingness to fight for the puck in the defensive zone and decent mobility will unquestionably upgrade the Rangers blue line, but it’s the Kraken who got the player with legitimate upside in the trade. Kakko likely won’t ever develop into a dynamic scorer, but he does a lot of things well and a badly-needed change of scenery might allow him to find a level he never did in a Blueshirt. The Rangers could possibly have held onto the No. 2 overall pick in 2019 in order to include him in a larger deal, but given that he had become something of a distressed asset in New York who had to move on, Drury may have done as well as he could have here.
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Alan Selavka – Staff Writer – C
Though the return might seem mediocre on the surface, the organization needed the draft picks in 2025. Right now, they have their own first, no second, Seattle’s pick in the third, the lower of Anaheim or Detroit’s fourth, Minnesota’s fifth, Seattle’s and their own in the sixth round, and their own seventh. A depth defenseman was also needed after the Trouba trade. Borgen is his replacement for the time being, and he can be flipped ahead of the deadline for more assets. Kakko was a pending RFA, who the Rangers weren’t going to commit to long term. Fans can be disappointed with the return, but, unfortunately, this was Kakko’s value as a middle-six forward with an NHL career high of 40 points. He just wasn’t living up to his potential or draft pedigree in New York and a change was needed.
Benjamin Lefkowitz – Staff Writer – C
Do you recall the date June 21, 2019? If you don’t, then I will remind you. That day was the first round of the NHL draft held in Vancouver. Back at Madison Square Garden, fans erupted after the New Jersey Devils selected Jack Hughes first overall, which allowed the Rangers to select Kakko. Fast forward to December 18, 2024, when Kakko became a member of the Kraken. The former No. 2 overall pick never panned out in New York and finished his career with only 131 points in 330 games. Seattle receives a B for the deal based on the potential that Kakko brings. He is still only 23 and has a chance to break out with more opportunities. Kakko could play top-six minutes with Jordan Eberle out of the lineup. For the Rangers, a return of mid- to late-round picks could help with trades before the deadline, and Borgen is a solid replacement for Trouba. But the handling of Kakko is something management will regret if he pans out in Seattle.
Deborah Seymour – Staff Writer – B-
Although Kevin Weekes reported that the Kakko trade would have happened even if he hadn’t called the Rangers out for making him a healthy scratch last weekend, the timing of the trade may have a worse impact on team confidence level than immediate upside. It’s true the Rangers need more defensemen who actually block shots, which Borgen seems to do quite well; but his presence on the ice will likely not provide more inspiration and leadership for the team, which is what most seems lacking right now. Graded B- for the overall timing, type of player, and draft picks received from Seattle. Good luck to Kakko with the Kraken; perhaps he can find a fresh, new start there.
Madison Hutchinson – Staff Writer – C-
It was inevitable that Kakko was going to be traded, especially as tensions between him and Rangers management soured recently over playing time. The hope was that the Rangers could flip the former first rounder for some sort of useful piece for their currently struggling lineup. Instead, the Rangers offload Kakko for future draft picks and Borgen, a defenseman who has size but hasn’t demonstrated notable skill. Clearly the priority for Drury was to move Kakko, but I would have liked to see more in return. The Rangers have moved on from a discontented Kakko who struggled to find his role in New York but still have to figure out a way to get their offense going.
Nick Vazquez – Staff Writer – D
While getting Borgen does help the defense, the cost was too much. Kaako was part of an effective third line that was arguably the Rangers best 5-on-5. To trade him for a depth defenseman and a few mediocre draft picks is definitely selling low and could be potentially creating one leak while trying to plug another. It reeks of a GM who is trying to do anything to save his team’s suddenly sinking ship.
Richard Pereira – Staff Writer – B-
If the Rangers were going to commit to making changes, this trade had to be made. The recent stretch of losses has been tough for the team, especially Kakko, who saw his role diminished and included a healthy scratch despite performing better than many, per the advanced numbers. Getting draft capital from Seattle certainly helps the Rangers pursuit in navigating the trade market and Borgen could provide stability to the team’s blue line. It may not stop the losses from coming this season, but it could put the Rangers in position to be better in the long run.
Ricky Milliner – Staff Writer – C-
The Rangers received an underwhelming return for Kakko. Though his game was a work in progress, the young forward has a high ceiling. His development struggles involved multiple aspects, from opportunities to coaching. The Rangers could have done more to make Kakko flourish. Furthermore, Drury does not have the upper hand in the trade market, since this move felt forced. Drury was not dealing from a potion of strength. From a long-term perspective, the key part of the trade is the draft picks. The Rangers needed to replenish those as they were used often under Drury for trades. There’s a lack of defensemen in the prospect pool and these picks could be geared towards replenishing defenseman.
Tara Salvati – Staff Writer – B
Though Kakko never became the player the Rangers hoped he would, the organization’s failure to allow him to come into his own stunted his development. Kakko turned out to be a solid player, and if given the proper ice time and boost of confidence from upper management, he might have been a late bloomer. It’s likely that if Kakko had any kind of regular power-play time, he might have been able to accumulate more than his 131 career points. Kakko’s tenure with the Rangers finished with plus-13 rating, something impressive considering his rookie season—amidst a Rangers rebuild—he was a minus-26. Kakko didn’t do what the Rangers and their fans expected after he was drafted second overall, but he is not the bust some make him out to be. But it was time for a trade, and the Rangers did their best in a difficult situation.
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