The long wait is over. The Rangers made it official, drafting Finnish winger Kaapo Kakko with the second overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. We ran his draft profile two months ago when it became clear the Rangers were going to take him, and I’m assuming by now you all know how big this pick is.
Kakko is an elite, franchise level player. He’s not generational like McDavid, but he’s a bonafide top line winger who is set to make the jump to the NHL this year. He dominated the Finnish league as a 17/18 year old, finishing with a line of 22-16-38 in 45 games.