Is Kaapo Kakko going to be a game-changer with the Kraken?

The New York Rangers continued to make drastic changes to their roster, dealing 2019 second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko to the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday. The Kraken are hopeful Kakko can dig in to his untapped potential and help spark their hockey club offensively.

Kakko has recorded 14 points in 30 games with the Rangers this season, with his best year coming in 2022-23, when he scored 18 goals and 40 points in 82 games. Kakko ends his tenure in the Big Apple dressing in 330 games, registering 61 goals, and 70 assists, for 131 points. In 44 Stanley Cup Playoff games, the 23-year-old winger chipped in with just nine points.

The Kraken rank 21st in the NHL, averaging 2.88 goals scored per game. Seattle is hopeful with a change of scenery, and much less ‘noise’ around Kakko, he’ll be able to find his role and contribute up front.

On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and Frank Seravalli discussed the potential of Kakko finding his groove with the Kraken.

Yaremchuk: Frank, let’s dig into things and start with the Kaapo Kakko trade. The Rangers moving on from the 2019 second-overall pick.

Seravalli: That brings us to an easy transition of – what do the Kraken get out of this? Look, they take a flyer. I get why it makes sense for them to do it. They’re a team looking for more juice, more offense, more skill, more potential star power is easy to sell to your fanbase. Hey – we got the number two overall pick from five years ago, this is intriguing guy to add to our lineup.

I just think we know enough now about Kaapo Kakko, to know that he’s really not an impact player to add to your team. Does a new change of scenery, does opportunity, whatever else that comes with that, could that change it? Yes. But, I just think we know enough now to know, he’s a middle-six forward in the NHL.

Yaremchuk: Yeah, I mean, I saw some people say – what if this works out for them the way Patrik Laine worked out for Montreal? And, it’s like, whoa, whoa, whoa, Patrik Laine actually did the damn thing in his career. He has put up 40 goals in a season, Kaapo Kakko has put up 40 points…once.

Seravalli: And, Laine’s had a couple of weeks in Montreal, what are we talking about here?

Yaremchuk: Exactly, I saw that being thrown around, but let’s walk before we run here. With Kaapo Kakko, do I think this is a good bet for the Kraken? Sure, I think the stage they’re at, kind of stuck in hockey’s purgatory, do you want to just trade Will Borgen at the deadline for a second-round pick? Yeah, I mean I guess you could, but as you said, this move excites your fan base, there is some upside with it, can Kakko realistically be a 20 to 25-goal guy for the next few years? Yeah, maybe, but even that I think is the max of his upside at this point. Only 23, sure, but six years in the league, we kind of know at some point don’t we?

Seravalli: Yes, and I think even saying he can be a consistent 20-goal scorer is a reach.

For more on the flurry of trades across the NHL, Kakko’s outlook in Seattle, and much more, watch the full episode below.