SEATTLE (AP) — Forward Kaapo Kakko signed a three-year contract with the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday with an average annual value of $4.525 million.
The Kraken acquired the 24-year-old Kakko from the New York Rangers on Dec. 18 in exchange for defenseman Will Borgen, a 2025 third-round pick and a 2025 sixth-round pick. The Finland native was the No. 2 overall pick by the Rangers in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Kakko had a career-high 44 points with 14 goals and 30 assists in 79 games with the Rangers and Kraken last season. His 30 assists were also a career-best.
“Getting a contract done with Kaapo was a top priority this summer,” general manager Jason Botterill said in a statement. “We knew quickly he’d be a big part of our team moving forward. He’s got size, skill and tremendous playmaking ability, and isn’t afraid of going to the net. He fit in immediately with our group, and we’re thrilled to have him under contract.”
With the Kraken, he had 10 goals and 20 assists in 49 games. He also tied his career-high for points in a game with three assists in Seattle's 4-2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 18. Kakko was tied for second in points, third in assists and power-play goals, and sixth in goals for Seattle.
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FILE - Seattle Kraken right wing Kaapo Kakko looks on during an NHL hockey game against the San Jose Sharks, Jan. 30, 2025, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The New York Knicks might get a trophy. Tyler Kolek's dad might get a car.
The NBA Cup final will have San Antonio against the Knicks on Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The game won't count in the standings, and the stats won't be added to any official totals. But there is a trophy, bragging rights and money at stake.
By making it to the final, the Knicks and Spurs already have secured $212,373 per player from the NBA Cup prize money pool. The losing team on Tuesday gets nothing extra. Players on the winning team get an additional $308,560 — pushing their Cup winnings to $530,933 each. Two-way players get half of what players on standard contracts get.
“It means a lot to some," Kolek said. “Maybe not as much to others, obviously.”
He's in the “some” group.
Kolek, a backup guard for the Knicks, is making $2.2 million this season. In the real world, that's a lot of money. In the NBA world, not so much. Take a look at some other Knicks players' salaries: Karl-Anthony Towns is making $53.1 million this season, OG Anunoby is making $39.6 million, Jalen Brunson is making $34.9 million, Mikal Bridges is making just under $25 million and Josh Hart around $19.5 million.
Those guys — and plenty of the Spurs players, too — are used to seeing checks exceeding $500,000. Kolek surely isn't. But he's earned his shot to win big in Vegas, by being a big reason why the Knicks got to the final.
New York outscored Orlando by 18 points in Kolek's 16 minutes in Saturday's semifinals. When Kolek wasn't on the floor, the Magic outscored the Knicks by six. He finished with four points and four assists; the stats might not seem impressive, but his energy was a huge plus for New York.
“Tyler did a fantastic job today, our young fella, of impacting winning,” Towns said after the game. “And he did that on a big stage. ... One of his finest games as an NBA player was tonight, and it may not show up on the stats sheet, but everybody in our locker room knows how important he was to us.”
Kolek took his NBA Cup quarterfinal bonus from last season, a little over $50,000, and bought his mother a car. This year, he has said it could be his father's turn for a new vehicle. The question is, will the bigger bonus this year lead to a better car for his dad.
Knicks coach Mike Brown — who raves about Kolek's competitive juices and has rewarded him with a bigger role in recent weeks — can't wait to find out.
“I just want to know if his dad’s going to get a better car than his mom or vice versa, because we’ll find out soon which parent he likes more,” Brown said, laughing. “Better be his mom. ... Hey, I’m not causing trouble. I've just got two eyes open. Wait to see what he’s going to do. Just take care of your mom. Just remember that. Take care of your mom.”
It's a nice problem to have, for sure.
“That's a big amount of money for a guy like myself," Kolek said. “It’s not only about the money. We want to win this to hold up the trophy and for the fans.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) passes the ball between New York Knicks' Tyler Kolek (13) and Og Anunoby (8) in the second half of an NBA Cup semifinals basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) dribbles the ball during the first half of an NBA Cup semifinals basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill)
