Kaapo Kakko, drafted second overall in 2019, has been a solid bottom-six forward, but his production is underwhelming considering how highly he was drafted. He has 14 points in 29 games this season, and 131 through his 329 game NHL career. He’s currently on the trade block, according to TSN insider Darren Dreger.
The San Jose Sharks currently have five former top-10 draft picks on their roster– Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, Mikael Granlund, William Eklund, and Logan Couture (although he’s injured)– and now they’ve been listed as a potential landing spot for another in Kakko by Michael DeRosa of The Hockey News. The struggling New York Rangers might be forced to move on from the former high draft pick as they scramble to right the ship and get back to being a team in contention for the Stanley Cup.
Why it would work
Kakko would probably benefit from a change of scenery, and San Jose offers that in abundance. He’d move from an Original Six team trying to contend, to a Sharks team in the middle of a rebuild. The Sharks aren’t going to make the playoffs this season, so Kakko would have room to try and meet his lofty pre-draft expectations in a more laid-back environment.
Sooner than later, San Jose is going to be a very, very good team. They have so much young talent, and Kakko would be a low-risk, high-reward addition.
Why it wouldn’t work
Well, the Sharks don’t really have room for Kakko in the top-six. There’s no guarantee that he would slot in on the top powerplay unit. Thus, he would be in the same spot he’s currently in in New York, except, you know… he’d be on the West Coast.
What he would cost
New York doesn’t have the upper hand here. Every General Manager worth their salt knows that the Rangers are on the verge of making a panic trade. The Sharks could probably send them a third round pick and an average prospect and call it a day.
