trim_14028474-D033-4FF6-B654-3A09671C9AFC Within a five-day span, the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] and their cross-town rival, New York Rangers, moved on from two of their former first-round selections. Last Friday, the Islanders decided to waive forward Oliver Wahlstrom after the 2018 11th overall pick had just two goals with two assists in 27 games. Wahlstrom's childhood team, the Boston Bruins, claimed him on Saturday afternoon. He has yet to appear in a game for them. Then, a day after the Rangers' 2019 second-overall pick, Kaapo Kakko voiced his displeasure about being a healthy scratch against the St. Louis Blues, general manager Chris Drury made a trade. With little to no leverage due to Kakko's struggles and his essentially requesting a trade with his words, the Rangers moved him to the Seattle Kraken: That's a tough return for a second-overall pick, but Kakko's four goals in 30 games didn't help the cause. While Wahlstrom and Kakko are different players, both were expected to develop into top-six options for their respective teams. Wahlstrom's elite shot rarely showed itself, and when forced into a bottom-six role, he struggled to not only create offense but also play the style of hockey needed to secure that spot in the lineup. Kakko's size allowed him to be a grinding forward, but he struggled to be effective enough. And with the Rangers nose-diving -- the Islanders are struggling, too, but didn't have the same expectations -- they elected to make a change. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjExNTA3NTUyNjY2NTI3NzMy/image-1.jpg] While Rangers fans aren't happy with the Kakko trade, it's a move that made the Islanders' faithful a bit more furious, given that they lost Wahlstrom for nothing. Both are 23, but Kakko showed an ability to win board battles and be effective in that regard, a style that is kind of the Kraken's identity with guys like Brandon Tanev and Yanni Gourde. Wahlstrom did not, and with the ACL injury on top of the weak play, his value was nowhere close to that of Kakko's. Both players can thrive with their change of scenery. The question is, which player will take advantage?
