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Rangers sign Kaapo Kakko to his entry-level contract

July 11, 2019, 2:53 PM ET [175 Comments]
Jan Levine
New York Rangers Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
All the handwringing and concern amongst some of the Rangers’ faithful can now end. Kaapo Kakko, the second overall pick in this year’s NHL draft, has signed his entry-level contract. I think nearly – if not – all of us knew this was a foregone conclusion, but good to have this out of the way.



Kakko is expected to compete for a roster spot in training camp. The main question is more so where he slots into the lineup, rather than if. You know my view on that, as I would start him on the third line and have him move up the ladder as his performance warrants. But I have seen several, including many on this blog, penciling Kakko in on the first line. His ultimate placement will help decide if Kakko meets any of the performance bonuses in his entry-level contract. Kakko’s base salary is $925k, but the key for future cap management purposes will be if he meets/exceeds those performance bonus levels, see screen shot below from Cap Friendly showing the $2.65 million in bonuses. If Kappo does hit those marks, I believe the way it works is that New York absorbs the cap hit it the team has enough room. If there is an overage, it hits the Rangers’ cap for next season.

Performance Bonuses:


Category A and B bonuses defined:


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