Kaapo Kakko signed a one-year, $2.4 million contract with the New York Rangers on Thursday.
The forward was in the last season of a two-year contract he signed on July 28, 2022 and could not have become a restricted free agent on July 1.
“We’ll see but all the things over here I like,” Kakko said June 4. “The team’s great. Everyone wants to win. I feel there is a chance to win. … I like it here.”
Kakko had 19 points (13 goals, six assists) in 61 regular-season matches and two points (one goal, one assist) in 15 Stanley Cup Playoff matches. He was scratched for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Florida Panthers but played the final four matches of the series, which New York lost in six.
“Playoffs were different,” Kakko said. “Of course everyone wants to play. … I was not happy I [was] not in the lineup, but I still wanted to win. I was hoping for the win for the team and keep going and then get back to the lineup at some point, but I can say I was not happy and I think all the guys in this room, like everyone, want to play.”
Kakko was chosen by the Rangers with the No.2 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He has 117 points (57 goals, 60 assists) in 300 regular-season matches and nine points (four goals, five assists) in 44 playoff games.
