Caufield vs Kakko
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Stewie Griffin
What the deuce
It's not like either are offensive juggernauts at the moment, so I choose Kakko. He's much bigger and a great two-way player, and his offensive potential is probably just as high as Caufields.
Lays
Registered User
- Jan 22, 2017
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His defensive game for starters was among league best last year. His puck protection is already elite as well, pretty sure he led the league last year in giveaways/takeaways ratio and that can only improve from here on out. Kakko at the age of 20 was nearly impossible to knock off the puck one on one. Think about how his game looks in 2-3 years when he’s even stronger. His skating is his main issue, he’s slower and plays a power game, which usually translates to a prospect breaking out later. At times he looks like Peter Forsberg 2.0. Also Kakko didn’t get consistent linemates or PP time. He’s played 3RW over the last 2 years with a shuffled deck of linemates in an awful system.
Now with Buch traded, Kakko will take his spot on the top line with Zibanejad and hopefully will get consistent minutes. As far as I know Gallant doesn’t shuffle his lines as much as DQ.
CraigsList
RIP #13
Techcoockie
Registered User
The kid went 12p-8g in 20playoff and your like " they are not offensive juggernaut" lmao what ?
Stewie Griffin
What the deuce
You realize that production would equal 49 points over an 82 game season. Sure it's impressive for a young kid but in no world at all is that worth being an "offensive juggernaut".
- Jul 25, 2012
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How dare you put kakko in the same poll as future all time goal leader caufield
Stewie Griffin
What the deuce
Which is why I said Kakko because of other aspects like his two-way game and size since neither have made huge offensive impacts yet...
- Apr 27, 2005
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TheHelmet
Registered User
Because those aren't juggernaut playoff stats
kerrabria
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- May 3, 2018
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For me, it's easily Caufield.
Caufield has 8 goals in 30 NHL games.
Kakko has 19 goals in 117 NHL games.
Caufield also looks way more noticeable when he plays.
When we're talking about 20-year-olds wings, I don't care much about defense. That's something than can be taught/coached down the line, and it isn't even something all that important in a wing tbqh.
If Kakko slid out of 2019's top 5 like Zadina did the year before, I don't think that this would even be a discussion.
Caufield has 8 goals in 30 NHL games.
Kakko has 19 goals in 117 NHL games.
Caufield also looks way more noticeable when he plays.
When we're talking about 20-year-olds wings, I don't care much about defense. That's something than can be taught/coached down the line, and it isn't even something all that important in a wing tbqh.
If Kakko slid out of 2019's top 5 like Zadina did the year before, I don't think that this would even be a discussion.
Techcoockie
Registered User
it was more to be sarcastic and that you see your irony, but oh well you passed right by it.
IT was more that you cannot say "offensive juggernaut" when the kid has played 30 games and only 10 seasonal games... it's sooooo disingenuous.
Gurglesons
Registered User
Yep. I understand COVID and shortened seasons likely are impacting Kakko, but he's getting extremely overrated due to his draft status. Seems like Malholtra 2.0. Which is funny given who drafted Malholtra.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
Don't even waste your time. The OP is as biased as it comes. When you make a poll, you should try to be somewhat neutral to the result, and not openly campaigning strongly for one side over the other. Clearly he doesn't care, and will try to rig the results in his team's direction.
The results of this poll show how reactionary this website is. I don't think it's impossible that Caufield becomes better than Kakko. While Kakko did improve from his first season to his second season, he still need to show offensive improvement. All Rangers fans know that, and I don't think anyone would say he's done anything other than underperform expectations of a 2OA.
However, where does this idea that Caufield is suddenly better than him come from? Caufield was shockingly bad at the WJC. Habs fans were calling him a bust after that. He has been very good in his two college hockey seasons, but put Kakko at that level and he'd score just as much. Caufield comes into the NHL and they load him up with great situations, linemates, PP time. He puts up about average numbers, and they start asserting that he's a superstar and one of the best young players in the league. It's insane. This is why Habs fans get a bad reputation. They are so reactionary. He's a bust after he has some bad shooting luck at the WJC, and then he's a star six months later. Crazy.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
He put up the same numbers as Hughes and Dach his first season.
In his second season, they were marginally better with better situations, line-mates, TOI, and PP time.
Are you calling them busts? It's amazing the narratives this website crafts. Certain players get favored status and others are hated for nothing other than dumb groupthink.
Gurglesons
Registered User
I don't think he's a bust. I just think his offensive skills are not what we thought when he was drafted.
Also, I think there is an argument to be made for Hughes in that regard too, but I feel like he's having to adapt to the NHL game given his size.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
I think a good argument can be made that Kakko doesn’t become Rantanen. I also think if he played last season or the one before in a lesser league he’d have scored a lot and this Malholtra comparison wouldn’t be occurring. Kakko is very disadvantaged in these discussions because he’s been a bit-part NHL player from the time he was drafted. It’s about the least prestigious role a young player can have. You get a better reputation being inefficient in a big role on a terrible team or scoring a lot in a lesser league. It also leads to people being very over-reactionary about them because the points column suffers.
Gurglesons
Registered User
Maybe the Malholtra comparison is unwarranted, but he seems like a solid defensive player that will probably be a 40 - 50 pt guy at his peak.
In the topic of Caulfield versus him I think its pretty obvious that Caulfield has the more impressive skills at the moment.
Benttheknee
Registered User
I choose Kakko, but am really very close on this. The thing about Caufield is is that he may get "figured" out. Once people see his patterns his effectiveness may diminish. Kakko just needs to figure it out.
Xspyrit
DJ Dorion
Congratulations to Caufield for having the 126th best playoffs scoring pace in history among 20 y/o players. Tied with 8 others, including JG Pageau in 2012-13!
Caufield will be a good player but can you imagine for a second what the hype would be if he went PPG in the playoffs?
8g? Does the "g" mean goals? In that case, it was 4 goals 8 assists.
Caufield will be a good player but can you imagine for a second what the hype would be if he went PPG in the playoffs?
8g? Does the "g" mean goals? In that case, it was 4 goals 8 assists.
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biturbo19
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- Jul 13, 2010
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I'd still take Kakko. I find it a bit strange, how quickly some people have seemingly come to believe that all of the offensive potential Kakko showed to merit his high draft slot, has just evaporated, over the course of two shortened, stop-n-start, role playing seasons with the Rangers. He hasn't immediately set the world on fire offensively, coming in as a kid (albeit, in a grown man's body). But we can see it with Lafreniere too, those Rangers teams just weren't necessarily the most prime spot to post huge offensive numbers as a young winger. Watching Kakko, i think the flashes have been there. He still very much looks like a guy with a pretty decent clue offensively, and has shown plenty of indication that he understands how to use his tools and especially his size, to advantage. The scoring will come, with a bit of time, and the right situation/opportunity to play more offensively inclined hockey.
Caufield had a nice little playoff run for himself. Everything fell right into place for him to thrive, and he rose to the occasion. But it was hardly the sort of thing that represents certain insurmountable greatness. He still projects for me, as a diminutive scoring winger with some iffy defensive inclinations to iron out. That's great, that it looks like he's trending toward the more "boom" trajectory of his boom/bust projection. But even if Kakko only gets most of the way to his lofty projected "ceiling" coming out of the draft...that's still a player i take over what Caufield's projected "ceiling" looks like to me at this point. If i watched Kakko and came away thinking he looked entirely lost and clueless, i'd be reevaluating things. But that hasn't been the case, so...he's still the pick for me.
Caufield had a nice little playoff run for himself. Everything fell right into place for him to thrive, and he rose to the occasion. But it was hardly the sort of thing that represents certain insurmountable greatness. He still projects for me, as a diminutive scoring winger with some iffy defensive inclinations to iron out. That's great, that it looks like he's trending toward the more "boom" trajectory of his boom/bust projection. But even if Kakko only gets most of the way to his lofty projected "ceiling" coming out of the draft...that's still a player i take over what Caufield's projected "ceiling" looks like to me at this point. If i watched Kakko and came away thinking he looked entirely lost and clueless, i'd be reevaluating things. But that hasn't been the case, so...he's still the pick for me.
