Kakko will join the Kraken in exchange for defenceman Will Borgen, as well as a 2025 third round draft pick, and a 2026 sixth round pick. The Finnish international scored four times for the Rangers this season, adding 10 assists in 29 games. The 23-year-old was surprisingly axed from the Rangers' team on the weekend in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Kakko was again left out of the team's game on Tuesday, where they fell 2-0 to the Nashville Predators. The Finn did not take kindly to being left out again, claiming that he is not part of the problem. "I have not been the worst guy, but that was me out of the lineup," he said ahead of Tuesday's game.
It has been a turbulent run for New York, who have lost 10 of their last 13. As a result of their dip in form, they are now 11th in the Eastern Conference, three points behind the Ottawa Senators for the last playoff spot. They are next back in action on Friday as they away to the Dallas Stars.
The first chance Kakko could have to play in a Kraken jersey is on Thursday, when they head to Chicago to take on the Blackhawks. That may be too quick a turnaround though, with Saturday's away trip to Las Vegas being a likelier scenario.
Kakko was chosen as the Rangers' number two draft pick back in 2019, playing for four full seasons, plus a part of this one. In 344 total games, across the regular season and playoffs, the former TPS player scored 61 goals and 65 assists. His last goal for his now-former team came on 30 November during a 4-3 success over the Montreal Canadiens.