Former No. 2 overall pick reaches crossroads with Rangers

A divorce could be looming between the New York Rangers and winger Kaapo Kakko.

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft has dealt with injury issues, lineup-deployment problems and struggles with confidence . Let's look at how we got to this crossroads.

Kakko scored 22 goals in 45 games at age 17 while facing players in Liiga, the top league in Finland. Coupled with strong international play, he parlayed that to become the second pick behind American center Jack Hughes.

The Rangers selected Kakko deep in the midst of a rebuild. He joined the team immediately, and year one did not go well, as he struggled carving out a role in New York.

Defensively, Kakko was one of the worst forwards in the league as a rookie during the COVID-19- shortened 2019-20 season. He finished 380th in goals against per 60 minutes and 426th in expected goals against per 60 minutes out of 428 forwards who played at least 200 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick .

Kakko's defensive issues melted away over the next four seasons as he became one of New York's more trustworthy defensive forwards. The issue for most of his career has been on the other side of the ice. Kakko's career-high is 40 points.

In 2022-23, the Rangers rewarded Kakko with increased playing time with the top players. He played nearly 230 minutes with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider on New York's top line. The Rangers won 59.5% of the expected goals during those minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick .

When Peter Laviolette took over as head coach in 2023, he vowed to give more playing time to the  youngest players, including Kakko. When the 2023-24 season started, Kakko was on the top line once again with Kreider and Zibanejad.

Beneath the surface, the numbers looked pretty good for Kakko in that role. The Rangers opened the season winning in essentially every metric with that line on the ice. There was one problem: They didn't score much . New York's de facto top line scored only two goals in the first 11 games of the season before Laviolette made lineup changes.

Kakko is big (6-foot-2 and 205 pounds), strong and defensively responsible. He also has never scored more than 18 goals in a season while playing a non-premium position. Most of his production is coming away from the top of the lineup, and when he's called upon to go higher in the lineup, the offense falters.

Training camp begins Thursday, and Kakko will return after surviving another round of summer trade speculation . He signed a team-friendly one-year deal — likely a prove-it deal — and comes into camp with the backing of GM Chris Drury.

During the summer, after a difficult playoffs in which Kakko scored two points in 15 games and was scratched once, Laviolette said he needed to do more to "unleash" Kakko and other players. The question is if "unleash" refers to giving Kakko increased playing time or if that means sticking Kakko where he's done his best work: on the third line next to center Filip Chytil.

The Rangers have looming salary-cap issues . They also have a farm system deep at wing. There may not be a path forward for the former No. 2 overall selection in New York.

Kakko hasn't turned into the NHL star many believed he could be when he was drafted. He still might, but the reality of the league's financial structure and his own offensive limitations have brought the organization and player to a crossroads they couldn't have anticipated five years ago.