Kaapo Kakko's future with the New York Rangers has been cleared up after the former No. 2 overall pick agreed to a two-year extension with the club, the team announced Thursday. The Rangers will pay Kakko an average annual value of $2.1 million over the course of his new deal, keeping the young Fin in the Big Apple for a couple more seasons.
BACK. ☑️#NYR have agreed to terms with Kaapo Kakko on a two-year contract extension. https://t.co/HHTHZbYwn4 pic.twitter.com/VVHCPUoPt1
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) July 28, 2022
Kakko was facing somewhat of an uncertain future in New York after he was left out of the lineup as a healthy scratch in Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Rangers would lose the series in that game, while Kakko was watching from the sidelines.
He's never quite lived up to his potential as a former No. 2 overall pick, but at 21 years old, Kakko has plenty of time to continue developing. Now, he'll be doing that with a bit of stability in the form of his two-year deal.
Kakko registered just 18 points across 43 games during the regular season in 2021-22. He's failed to play in more than 66 games in any of his three NHL seasons, and injuries, as well as the COVID-19 shortened season, have limited him to just 91 games over the past two years.
He was a mainstay on the Rangers' beloved “Kid Line” alongside Alexis LaFreniere and Filip Chytil. The youngsters provided the Rangers with some much-needed sparks during the playoffs. Whether that line remains intact for the 2022-23 season remains to be seen, but fans will be pleased that the Rangers aren't giving up on the 21-year-old Kakko just yet, offering him another chance to reach his potential.
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