The New York Rangers are largely done with NHL Free Agency this offseason. New York didn’t make a major splash on the open market this summer. In fact, their biggest move on July 1 came through the trade market. The Rangers traded for Reilly Smith in a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The Rangers are looking to make a return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the year ahead. New York returned to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 after one season away. Unfortunately, they came up short in their quest for the Stanley Cup. New York lost to the Florida Panthers in six games. And the Panthers went on to win the Stanley Cup over the Edmonton Oilers.
It’s been a while since the Rangers directly competed for the Stanley Cup. New York last made the Stanley Cup Final back in 2014 when they lost to the Los Angeles Kings. The last time they actually won the Stanley Cup came back in 1994. To put this in perspective, the Panthers had not played their first season in the NHL when New York last won it all.
The Rangers want to put an end to their Stanley Cup drought sooner rather than later. They could swing a massive trade for a game-breaking player to aid in that effort. However, those sorts of deals are complicated to pull off. It may be too late in the offseason to make that sort of move. However, there is one trade they can make before the 2024-25 season that could benefit the Rangers roster.
Rangers, Kings could swap young forwards
Speaking of the Kings, Los Angeles is a potential trade partner for the Rangers. New York should consider trading forward Kaapo Kakko to Los Angeles before the season. In exchange, the Kings would send forward Arthur Kaliyev to Broadway.
Both Kakko and Kaliyev entered the offseason as restricted free agents. To this point, Los Angeles has not signed Kaliyev to a contract. However, the Rangers did sign Kakko to a one-year contract earlier this summer. He is set to make $2.4 million this upcoming season.
Both players have experienced their share of struggles in the NHL. Kakko is a former second-overall pick of New York from the 2019 NHL Draft. There were high expectations around him as he entered the league. But the Finnish forward has not lived up to expectations. Outside of a 40-point season in 2022-23, he has never recorded 25 or more points in a single campaign.
Kaliyev, meanwhile, is a former second-round pick of the Kings from the 2019 draft. He made his debut in the NHL during the 2020-21 season. He has played parts of four seasons with Los Angeles to this point. Kaliyev has two 25+ point seasons in the league but does not have a 40-point campaign under his belt like Kakko.
The Rangers would get a potential middle-six scorer in this deal. If Kaliyev develops positively, he could factor into the team’s top six down the line. Given their need for top-six wing depth, it could be the sort of move New York goes for. They would need to sign Kaliyev to a contract, but moving Kakko’s $2.4 million frees up the space to do so.
The Kings, meanwhile, also get a potential middle-six contributor in this deal. Kakko needs a change of scenery, and Los Angeles is not opposed to adding those sorts of players. They traded for Darcy Kuemper in a deal involving Pierre-Luc Dubois this summer. Kakko is on a one-year contract, but he is a restricted free agent this time next summer.
Overall, this is a trade that gives both players a fresh start. Both the Kings and Rangers are attempting to make the playoffs this upcoming season. This is a low-risk, high-reward trade that could certainly help both teams make that playoff push if everything goes to plan in 2024-25.
