Midseason trade between Rangers and Kraken has worked out favorably for both teams
By Jackie Daly
West coast, best coast... that's the saying, right?
It is certainly panning out to be the better home coast for Seattle Kraken winger Kaapo Kakko, who was traded from the New York Rangers to the Kraken on Dec. 18 (right before the holiday roster freeze) in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen plus a third and sixth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Kakko was drafted second overall by the Rangers in the 2019 NHL Draft.
In just 18 games so far with the Kraken, he has found the score sheet the exact same amount of times he did with the Rangers this season, with almost double the amount of games played with New York (30 games played). His four goals and 10 assists already with the Kraken are also in combination with more ice time - with the Rangers he saw an average of 13:17 per game, but now he's averaging almost 17:00 (16:53 TOI/game).
What will the Kraken do come free agency on July 1, 2025? Kakko signed a one-yeal deal in June of 2024 with the Rangers, allowing him to avoid free agency as a restricted free agent (RFA). Will the Kraken sign him long-term or allow him to hit the market?
Rangers, Kraken trade involving Kaapo Kakko, Will Borgen has worked out favorably for both teams
What about Borgen? East coast, best coast?
Doesn't have the same ring to it, but I can take a guess that Rangers' blueliner Will Borgen may think this after signing a five-year, $20.5 million contract with the team. The $4.1 million AAV contract is the longest contract offer of his career so far, and he's earned it. Clearly the Rangers didn't want to risk Borgen hitting free agency, so they tied things up in-season; he would have become an RFA this July.
Borgen was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the fourth-round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He only played 14 games over two seasons with Buffalo before being claimed by the Kraken in the 2021 Expansion Draft, which is where he has remained until this trade in December.
Since the trade, Borgen has ranked third on team in blocked shots (29), he has already doubled his scoring in half the amount of games (two goals, two assists in 18 games), and has seen his ice time increase by over three minutes to an average of 18:31/game. He is playing a crucial top-4 role on the blue line, often paired on the second line with another physical teammate, K'Andre Miller.
Both the Rangers and the Kraken are on the outside looking in on the post-season, each ranking sixth in the Wild Card race in their respective conferences. Will Kakko and Borgen's successes with their new teams pay off this season with a playoff birth?
feed