New York Rangers Former First-Round Pick Avoids Arbitration With Hefty Three-year Extension

This offseason there have been seven arbitration hearings set between players and their respective NHL organizations, one being Former New York Rangers' Kaapo Kakkko with the Seattle Kraken going first.

Back on December 18th Kaapo Kakko was traded to the Seattle Kraken and the New York Rangers got defenseman Will Borgen in return. However, ever since the New York Rangers traded Kaapo Kakko to the Kraken, they have been straightforward about how they felt about proceeding with Kakko, sharing that they knew finding a compromise would be difficult when it was time for an extension.

Since Kakko was acquired by the Kraken during the 2024-25 season, he managed to tally 10 goals and 30 points in 49 games. The 24-year-old enjoyed his best stretch of games with the Kraken and developed chemistry with Matty Beniers.

According to reports by Elliotte Friedman, Kaapo Kakko and the Seattle Kraken have reached an agreement on a three-year contract extension worth a hefty $4.525M a season.

Some fans believe that this might be a bit of an overpay considering the struggles he has been facing throughout the early stages of his career, but its clear that Kaako has found a new grove ever since being traded out New York, and clearly believes he can still get better and prove doubters wrong moving forward.