The New York Rangers still haven’t given up on Kaapo Kakko, their second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. The franchise announced on Thursday that Kakko, who was a restricted free agent, signed a two-year extension.
The deal between the two sides is worth $4.2 million and will see Kakko earning an annual salary of $2.1 million.
Kakko finished 2021-22 with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points in 43 games. While this is far from what Rangers were expecting when they drafted him, the team obviously still sees some potential in the 21-year-old player. The next season will be a perfect chance to show it, as Kakko is expected to have a more prominent role due to the lack of competition resulting from the Rangers’ salary cap issues.
Prior to coming to NHL, Kaapo Kakko was considered a top European prospect following several encouraging seasons with TPS and a strong performance at the 2019 World Championship, where he won a gold medal with Finland. This prompted the Rangers to take him second in 2019 and sign him to an entry-level contract shortly after.
Kakko had a great start to his NHL journey, playing in 66 games in his rookie season and contributing with 23 points (10 goals and 13 assists). However, he failed to build upon this initial success the way everyone predicted and managed just 35 points in the following two seasons.
