I mentioned doing an article like this after the New York Rangers were eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals about two weeks ago. And now here it is. I’m going to try to answer the Rangers’ biggest offseason question: What to do with Ryan Strome and Kaapo Kakko?
Alright, I guess I should start off by looking at their contracts. Both are out of a contract now that the Rangers’ postseason is over, with Ryan Strome set to become a UFA and Kakko to become an RFA (this was the last year of his entry-level deal).
With Strome’s former contract cap hit at $4.5M/season, Kakko up for his first NHL payday, and the Rangers sitting on about $11M in free cap space, the decision for one of these guys is pretty easy.
The other one, though, is a lot more difficult.
I’ll start with the easy choice first: Ryan Strome. If I was Chris Durry (New York’s GM), I’d let Strome walk into free agency without a new deal. Or try to trade his exclusive negotiating rights come draft night. In other words, I’d let Strome go.
Why? Well, it is rather simple. The Rangers offensive deficiencies against the Lightning showed that the Blue Shirts need an upgrade at center and on the wing. With having to resign Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano, the Rangers don’t have the cap flexibility to give Strome another $4.5M/year type deal if they want to upgrade their forward core.
Ryan Strome is not a bad player. In fact, he had the second-best season of his career points wise this year. The only issue is that he scored 54pts. That’s not a bad haul for a 2nd-line center/winger if they were doing it season after season. However, this is only the 3rd time Strome has hit 50pts (2nd with Rangers). And his career average is 35.7pts per season, which is not great for a 2nd-line player.
In fairness, I should add that Strome has played his best hockey with the Rangers, but if New York has the opportunity to drastically upgrade that 2nd-line center/winger spot, they should trade/release Strome to do it. With Filip Forsberg, Nazem Kadri, and Evander Kane all set to test the market, the Rangers should use the Strome-money to sign one of them.
Okay, now onto Kaapo Kakko. He is a far more difficult conundrum to figure out. On one hand, he is a former 2nd overall pick from 2019. On the other, he has struggled mightily fitting into the NHL game, only putting up 23pts as his single season career high in an injury-riddled career so far.
If the Rangers are able to resign Vatrano, Copp, and the rest of their pending-free agents they wish to keep, they should be left with $6-7 million in cap space. More than enough to sign Kakko to a $2-4 million bridge deal. The only issue is, do they want to? Yes, Kakko was a massive investment for the Rangers, as they did draft him 2nd overall three years ago. Nonetheless, he has struggled to develop the way they would have wanted.
Personally, I would let Kakko test free agency, similar to how his native Finish countryman Jesperi Kotkaniemi did last year, and see what RFA compensation offers come in for him. Kakko’s situation is very similar to Kotkaniemi’s last offseason. The former Montreal center was also a high draft pick (3rd overall in 2018), who had consistently underperformed in his years following his draft.
Nevertheless, his potential and reputation as a high draft pick caused the Carolina Hurricanes to come swooping in for him (they also came in for him as a means of revenge against Montreal because they tried to sign Sebestian Aho, though that’s a whole different story), offering him a 1-year, $6.1M contract.
And, it worked. Montreal accepted the RFA compensation package of a 2022 1st Round Pick and a 2022 3rd Round Pick, while Carolina got Kotkaniemi.
I believe the Rangers should let Kakko test the market and look for a new team, which would give the Blue Shirts another chance to draft another high-ranked prospect in the upcoming draft. However, I could see the Rangers giving Kakko a one-year bridge deal to give him one last chance in a Rangers’ jersey to justify his high selection.
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