Vitali Kravtsov and Kaapo Kakko need to get big minutes with the New York Rangers (Kravtsov photo: Mandatory Credit: Bruce Bennett/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports / Kakko photo: Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)
the new york rangers I don’t have many options next season. After letting Andrew Copp and Frank Vatrano walk through free agency, they need to give Kaapo Kakko and Vitali Kravtsov big minutes on the right wing.
That doesn’t mean everyone will get the best six minutes or power play time, but the Rangers need to know what they really have in these talented wingers.
While it’s true that head coach Gerard Gallant is being paid to win games next season, that’s an oversimplification. The big picture in a salary cap world dictates a team plan up front to figure out how to win games in the future as well.
A critical season for the New York Rangers
The Rangers’ roster, like many other teams in the NHL, will look a little different in 2022-23.
Now that the Frank Vatrano acquisition at the trade deadline is gone, the top lane will likely have one of last season’s left wingers making a switch to the right. Alexis Lafrenière scored 19 goals playing mostly LW third-row minutes. The first overall pick in the 2020 Draft is up for the chance to move up. Either he’ll make the move to the right to play Mika Zibanejad, or we may see veteran Chris Kreider slide.
The second row lost Ryan Strome and Andrew Copp to free agency this summer. Chris Drury reportedly offered neither of them contracts at the end of the year and went hard after Carolina Hurricanes center Vincent Trocheck. By giving the 29-year-old center a 7-year deal at $5.625 million per season, he sent a clear signal of how strong he is for the upcoming postseason run.
Trocheck’s style of play contrasts with Strome’s. The latter was an east-west type player and was better suited to Artemi Panarin’s style of play. That’s why we got to see Lafrenière stay LW with Trocheck and Breadman line up with Mika Zibanejad and Kreider to form one of the most powerful lines in the NHL in 2022-23.
So who should Rangers put on the right flank with Lafreniere and Trocheck to fill out the second row?
Time to shine by Kaapo Kakko
Kaapo Kakko had a really tough 2021-22 season just trying to stay on the ice. He missed 39 games due to three separate injuries but he scored 18 points in the 43 games.
The 21-year-old, who was selected second overall by the New York Rangers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, finished with 5 points in 19 playoff contests. Although those aren’t great numbers, Kakko played a complete game and was strong on both sides of the puck. There’s no question that the great Finn impressed in the early playoffs of his NHL career.
Despite being ruled out of the final game of the Eastern Conference finals, Kakko didn’t pout.
“I like to play here,” Kakko said. “I think [the scratch] It gives me more motivation. I want to prove that I’m better than that. You should put me in the lineup because I’m a good player.”
The Rangers also think the same.
Kakko recently signed a two-year contract with an AAV of $2.1 million per season and will be given a big break. Now it’s time to put him in either of the top two lanes to see what he can do playing around 18 minutes a night.
Vitali Kravtsov needs a long look
It’s time for Vitali Kravtsov to prove he’s NHL ready after a tumultuous few years in the Rangers system. The issues between the former first-round pick, ninth overall, in the 2018 NHL Draft, and the organization are well-documented. Kravtsov raced twice for Russia after failing to get the team out of camp, feeling he deserved to be in the lineup.
Kravtsov is under a lot of pressure going into this season to prove him right and there couldn’t be a better time to do it.
Salary-cap issues have forced the Rangers to rely on cheaper, younger talent. Kravtsov signed a one-year, $875,000 extension this summer and should play a prominent role in the team’s back row. The fact that his new deal is a one-way contract requires that he have to go through waivers to get shipped. That should mean he’ll get more track than a young player who’s exempt from waivers.
Kravtsov, 22, had a strong 2021-22 campaign in the KHL. In 19 regular season games, he had 6 goals and 7 assists for 13 points. During the playoffs, he had 7 goals and a total of 10 points in 15 games.
Having played 20 games for Rangers at the end of the 2020-21 season, he scored two goals and added two assists. That experience will be beneficial to both Kravtsov and the Blueshirts this year.
“I don’t think we’ve ever doubted our stance that he’s a world talent. He does a lot of things on the ice that a lot of people can’t.” General manager Chris Drury said. “Like everyone else, your game dictates where you end up. But we’re certainly happy to have him back in the mix.”
One thing I can’t stress enough to wrap up this story is that the Rangers can’t move Lafreniere to right wing and then have Kravtsov play either of the top two lanes. Placing Kakko in the third row after paying his dues for three seasons to get this opportunity would be a huge mistake.
The Rangers need to see what they have on Kravtsov, and maybe even increase his trade value by the deadline. They just can’t do it at the expense of Kakko, who has done everything the organization has asked of him with little to no complaints for three years.
Considering how close the next wave of prospects like Brennan Othmann, Will Cuylle and Nils Lundkvist are to making their mark, it would send a bad message to the entire organization.
