Bantering Points: 12/19/24

Here are today's news and links:

Rangers News:

Mollie Walker relays word of the end of Kaapo Kakko's time on Broadway, as the former second overall pick was dealt to the Seattle Kraken for defenseman Will Borgen and a pair of draft picks (NY Post)

Colin Stephenson ponders whether Kakko's recent comments about him being healthy scratched rather than some of his teammates he felt he was playing better than were the straw that broke the camel's back (Newsday)

Vincent Mercogliano offers his take on the Kakko deal (LoHud)

Alex Wiederspiel examines the moves the team has made since the conclusion of last season and wonders if the players are harboring ill feelings towards Chris Drury (YardBarker)

Anthony Russo examines the pros and cons of firing Peter Laviolette if the Blueshirts opt to go down that path (The Hockey Writers)

Stan Fischler wonders if New York's sharp downward turn as of late could prompt James Dolan, who is notoriously hands off with the Rangers, to step in (The Hockey News)

Remy Mastey details how Kakko, once heralded as a future cornerstone player upon his arrival to the franchise in 2019, saw his time with the Blueshirts end unceremoniously (The Hockey News)

$hayna Goldman and Harman Dayal give their grade$ on the Kakko trade (The Athletic)

Around the NHL:

The St. Louis Blues acquired future considerations from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for defenseman Pierre-Oliver Joseph (TSN)

Justin Blades reports that the Montreal Canadiens acquired defenseman Alexandre Carrier from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenseman Justin Barron (Habs Eyes On The Prize)

Justin Bourne makes the case for why teams looking to reset should stay away from traditional "tear down" rebuilds and opt for other strategies (Sportsnet)

Veteran defenseman Justin Schultz terminated his contract with HC Lugano of the Swiss league and announced his retirement from hockey (ESPN)