Around the NHL - Part XLIII

[Cmox]

Man, he went grey quickly. Does it have to do with that white patch he had?

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Man, he went grey quickly. Does it have to do with that white patch he had?
View attachment 909798

 

[NYR94]

https://x.com/i/web/status/1839133447840821411

 

[RangersFan1994]

I will always love Torts.

He is one of the better coaches in hockey. He sometimes cares too much but that might rub the players the wrong way, but he does get results. If they keep with Torts, I can see them being a wild card team within the next few years. Patience is the key.

 

[RangersFan1994]

Kakko had a lot of issues his first year. He was too easily gassed for one. He was getting knocked down all the time and his play away from the puck was horrific.

I think what would have been better for him back then was one more year in Liiiga. He wasn't ready for the NHL that year and IMO he lost his alpha personality and has never really gotten it back. There is almost always a degree of cockiness with the best players on a hockey team. They know their teammates look to them when things get tough to make the plays necessary and they can handle that kind of pressure on them. It can be a real hard thing to get back once you've lost it.

The fact the he never improved much is not on the coaches. Maybe it’s Kakko’s training and workout routine. We had multiple coaches and Lafy improved while not getting much special team time. He still thrived. He did other things when he is not scoring, played with some bite and got involved. When has Kakko made a statement to improve or maybe change his game to get results. Big guy plays small.

 

[eco's bones]

The fact the he never improved much is not on the coaches. Maybe it’s Kakko’s training and workout routine. We had multiple coaches and Lafy improved while not getting much special team time. He still thrived. He did other things when he is not scoring, played with some bite and got involved. When has Kakko made a statement to improve or maybe change his game to get results. Big guy plays small.

Some coaches are certainly better than others. Some coaches whether the best ones or not work better with younger players.

The thrust of what I said about Kakko not developing into the scorer we'd hoped he become is not really about coaching or even about our coaches turning him into a more responsible defensive player. I don't think that has anything to do with why Kaapo hasn't become a very productive player. It's mental---and it's not stupid mental, it's self belief mental and it was always a danger that happening with the Rangers just because he didn't have to be the guy like Jack Hughes or Stutzle with their teams because we had other guys that were already doing that for us like Panarin and Zibanejad etc. that weren't standing in the way of Hughes or Stutzle and so no one that those players had to defer too and the second part was we rushed him. He wasn't really NHL ready in his first year and our team was a mess then as well with guys not fitting well into roles and no I don't believe the AHL would have been better for him. The AHL is a hard checking and nasty league and a 1st liner there is more often than not a 40-45 point scorer. It often eats up hot shot prospects.

But anyway the skillset is there.....the confidence that he can play in the NHL is there---but he hasn't developed the confidence that he can produce like everyone expected. He's a player that if we don't move he might always be the way he is now.....but if you do move him and we probably won't get a great return.....a new team, a new situation he could finally blossom and FWIW if and when that happens we may (operative word) finally see him become a big time player. It seems to me he's stuck in a mudhole and spinning his wheels here.

 

[Profet]

Hopefully Tony can pick up a paycheck and play well . So much natural ability . All the tools and no toolbox as they say . I still root for him as I would never wish any person misfortune .

Nashville's Anthony Angello:

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

You’d think Laf getting stapled to the top line and finally breaking out would be enough to convince people that coaching has had a huge impact on the development of our young forwards (and in the case of Kakko and Laf, completely stunted their growth).

But no, it’s still always the player’s fault apparently.

 

[Profet]

You’d think Laf getting stapled to the top line and finally breaking out would be enough to convince people that coaching has had a huge impact on the development of our young forwards (and in the case of Kakko and Laf, completely stunted their growth).

But no, it’s still always the player’s fault apparently.

Stupid question...

When IS IT the player's fault?

We're on Kakko's third coach.

 

[RempireStateBuilding]

You’d think Laf getting stapled to the top line and finally breaking out would be enough to convince people that coaching has had a huge impact on the development of our young forwards (and in the case of Kakko and Laf, completely stunted their growth).

But no, it’s still always the player’s fault apparently.

People act as if Kakko has never had a chance with anyone besides like Bonino and Brodzinski. Kakko hasn't been able to run with any of the prime chances he has been gifted yet. Laf also got numerous chances and finally ran with one - He made it easy for the team to make the decision to leave him on the 1st line. Kakko has made it equally easy for the team to decide to shuffle him around the middle 6 with no real defined role. It would be awesome to see Kakko do it this year, but at some point we may have to accept that Kakko isn't the NHLer everyone hoped he would turn into, or at least that it won't happen while he's a Ranger. Almost that entire 2019 1st round has turned into garbage, it's not outside the realm of possibility that Kakko would be among that. Kirby Dach was 3OA right behind Kakko and was traded 2 years ago.

IF Kakko can develop his game to be an elite PKer or top tier chaos creator and provides some tangible positives for this team outside of "cycles a lot and is decent defensively" it would be a lot easier to accept the dearth of offense.

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

Stupid question...

When IS IT the player's fault?

We're on Kakko's third coach.

Chicken or the egg.

Kakko absolutely deserves blame today, but I don’t think we’d be having this conversation if he was put into a position to succeed from the get-go.

Some players can break through that negative feedback loop, like Laf. Others can’t.

I find it hard to believe we were unlucky enough to just coincidentally draft the worst 1st and 2nd overall picks in recent history. Laf proved last year that it wasn’t bad luck.

Young players are incredibly fragile and a few wrong moves can stunt their development. How is that any different from managing someone in the workplace or raising a puppy? If you give someone a shit assignment from day one, they’ll lose enthusiasm and their performance will suffer. It’s like people development 101.