First 300 games: Yakupov vs Kakko

[ViD]

Who has been a better player 300 games into their career?

Nail Yakupov: 123 points (56 + 67)

Kaapo Kakko: 117 points (57+60)

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[SnowblindNYR]

Kakko has very very limited offensive skill or a mind for the game offensively, at least compared to what we thought. Plus his confidence is not good. But he's a much more complete player. Kakko is an average 3rd liner, maybe a little below average. Yakupov was not an NHL player.

Edit: Also why would you offer the option for neither? Both were disappointments/busts, lots of people will take that choice but what will that tell you?

 

[ViD]

Yakupov was not an NHL player.

I don’t think that’s a fair statement about a player with 350 games and 136 points. He was an NHL player, just not a very good one

 

[SnowblindNYR]

I don’t think that’s a fair statement about a player with 350 games and 136 points. He was an NHL player, just not a very good one

He played a lot of games because he was a 1st overall pick. Most of his success came in his first season and he wasn't an NHL player because he didn't score enough for someone that didn't bring anything else to the table.

 

[Albatros]

Kakko is a useful part of a very good team, even if his contribution is mostly defensive.

 

[DitchMarner]

Similar offense, but Kakko isn't a total trainwreck defensively. Yak has the best season between the two ('13), however.

 

[Cup or Bust]

I picked Kakko because Yakupov was good at very little. If not for his draft status he likely would have never made an NHL team if it was based on actual performance and ,merit in any training camp. Both Kakko and Lafreniere on the Rangers had this unique situation where they were drafted very highly to a team that had a much stronger roster then teams typically have when they draft that high and were ready to start winning immediately and it makes it much tougher to gain traction and earn ice time. Edmonton was so lousy they could just hand Yakupov ice time whether he played well and earned it or not.

 

[Fledgemyhedge]

I picked Kakko because Yakupov was good at very little. If not for his draft status he likely would have never made an NHL team if it was based on actual performance and ,merit in any training camp. Both Kakko and Lafreniere on the Rangers had this unique situation where they were drafted very highly to a team that had a much stronger roster then teams typically have when they draft that high and were ready to start winning immediately and it makes it much tougher to gain traction and earn ice time. Edmonton was so lousy they could just hand Yakupov ice time whether he played well and earned it or not.

I mean yakupov had a pretty solid rookie year. Was worth a shot trying him in the NHL

 

[joestevens29]

He played a lot of games because he was a 1st overall pick. Most of his success came in his first season and he wasn't an NHL player because he didn't score enough for someone that didn't bring anything else to the table.

That and considering the amount of PP time he was getting the guy really didn't add much of anything

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Kakko is the boy who cried wolf. He always asks for more ice time. Then the team wins 6-0, he misses a breakaway, he has a nice assist called back for offside, and he’s like the only player to not get a point.

He can’t score. It’s that simple. It’s actually so pathetic watching. But he’s an okay NHL’er. You just aren’t hoping for a middle six defensive winger when you draft 2OA. I don’t see him ever putting it all together. I don’t even know what he would be putting together. He doesn’t have offensive ability. I don’t think that’s an overstatement.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Kakko is the boy who cried wolf. He always asks for more ice time. Then the team wins 6-0, he misses a breakaway, he has a nice assist called back for offside, and he’s like the only player to not get a point.

He can’t score. It’s that simple. It’s actually so pathetic watching. But he’s an okay NHL’er. You just aren’t hoping for a middle six defensive winger when you draft 2OA. I don’t see him ever putting it all together. I don’t even know what he would be putting together. He doesn’t have offensive ability. I don’t think that’s an overstatement.

Still better than Yakupov.

 

[LOFIN]

Kakko is the boy who cried wolf. He always asks for more ice time. Then the team wins 6-0, he misses a breakaway, he has a nice assist called back for offside, and he’s like the only player to not get a point.

He can’t score. It’s that simple. It’s actually so pathetic watching. But he’s an okay NHL’er. You just aren’t hoping for a middle six defensive winger when you draft 2OA. I don’t see him ever putting it all together. I don’t even know what he would be putting together. He doesn’t have offensive ability. I don’t think that’s an overstatement.

He scored more than Patrik Laine on his draft year. 1 goal less in the mens worlds at the same age.

He at least had the ability.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He scored more than Patrik Laine on his draft year. 1 goal less in the mens worlds at the same age.

He at least had the ability.

I agree. I'm so perplexed what happened to it. Hasn't translated to the NHL.

I don't even think it's a "he's so close" thing. Like sure, there are definitely some chances that don't go in that could turn him into a 50 or 60 point scorer. Rangers fans probably harp excessively on him being close. Maybe in his best year or two these "close plays" are goals and that's what he becomes, but that's obviously not what his potential was billed as.

I don't see the high level passes (he actually made one for a goal that was barely offside last night, go figure) or shots on a consistent basis that suggest a player who can easily put up points to the point that we wouldn't even be talking about the times he was close.

It just doesn't make sense to me how the offensive ability looks a shadow of what it was before he was drafted. I truthfully cannot figure out what happened.