Quoting: Fox_Czar_Cup
Zero chance we give away Kakko's career for Vat, zero. He's very solid and will improve. Vat is getting good minutes, but like you said we saw him, he's Grabner 2.0.
The Rangers are in a win-now mode. Now, I'm not comparing you to the Pens, but Arty and Kreider are 32. They're not old, but the clock is ticking. Mika and Trocheck are 30. The time is now. You have the defense, the goaltending and Arty is having a crazy year, but your depth is an issue and will catch up with you in the playoffs. It's why a lot of good teams fall short in the playoffs. Adding Vatrano and Henrique, at least to me, probably make you guys the favorite in the East.
There's absolutely no guarantee Kakko's production will improve, none. Yes, he's excellent defensively, but the league is full of good defensive forwards who don't produce. We had ZAR. He some of the top defensive metrics of forwards in the league for a couple of years, but dude couldn't hit an open net if he was standing right in front of it.
Your time is NOW and shouldn't be hindered by waiting out one player.