Kaapo Kakko, Alexis Lafreniere eyeing very different Rangers leaps
NY Post
The Rangers had a top-two pick in successive drafts in 2019 and 2020, the kind of lottery fortune designed to alter a franchise’s fortunes if those selections pan out favorably.
Neither Kaapo Kakko, taken second overall in 2019, nor Alexis Lafreniere, the following year’s top pick, were immediate stars for the Blueshirts.
The latter finally enjoyed a breakout in his fourth NHL campaign while aligned mostly with All-Star linemates Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, posting career highs in goals (28), points (57) and shots (217) while appearing in all 82 regular-season games.
The Blueshirts still await a similar upward trajectory for the 23-year-old Kakko, who was re-signed in June to a one-year deal worth $2.4 million.
The winger registered only 19 points (13-6) in 61 regular-season appearances one year ago, missing nearly seven weeks bridging November and January with a lower-body injury. He also was a healthy scratch in Game 2 of an Eastern Conference Final elimination at the hands of the Panthers before returning to play the final four games of the series.
“I feel like that’s the question every year when I come back in,” Kakko said over the weekend when asked if he expects to take a leap forward in 2024-25. “I felt like two years ago, I had kind of my best season, and I was ready to do that last year. I feel like that’s the question after every summer.
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