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Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko: Part II

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NYRangers0723 said:
He is only 18. You can see the skill though...he just needs to start finishing more.
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I don't understand how a kid who has been the best of his peers for his entire life, an elite player with many accolades can be so lacking in confidence when he gets to the NHL. He seriously looks so bad , just his demeanor, like he's scared to be out there. When you are so shook, its impossible to do anything out there, your shot is bad, your passing, puck control, everything. He has the skills, I just wish we could ever for once get a kid in there with ice in his veins who plays like he know's he's the sh*t , like how Pettersson looked from the moment he entered the league last season. Even J. Hughes, who may not be physically ready and hasn't been scoring much, at least plays with confidence, he wants the puck on his stick, he attacks the defense. Being "NHL ready" is more than just your physique.
 
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KirkAlbuquerque said:
I don't understand how a kid who has been the best of his peers for his entire life, an elite player with many accolades can be so lacking in confidence when he gets to the NHL. He seriously looks so bad , just his demeanor, like he's scared to be out there. When you are so shook, its impossible to do anything out there, your shot is bad, your passing, puck control, everything. He has the skills, I just wish we could ever for once get a kid in there with ice in his veins who plays like he know's he's the sh*t , like how Pettersson looked from the moment he entered the league last season. Even J. Hughes, who may not be physically ready and hasn't been scoring much, at least plays with confidence, he wants the puck on his stick, he attacks the defense. Being "NHL ready" is more than just your physique.
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Because he is an 18 year old learning an entirely new game. He is being coached to do things he has never really had to do, and it is not unreasonable to think he feels tremendous pressure knowing if he makes a mistake, he is going to get demoted. He also does have the upper body of an 18 year old who has never lifted weights his entire life. He is going to get bigger, stronger, faster, and more reliable in all ends of the ice. There is really no reason to be too worried about him at this stage of his NHL career.
 
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All the talk about sending Kakko down to HFD needs to be squashed right now.
 
bondra said:
Kakko trained hard whole summer and improved his strenght and skating. His skating will continue to improve and he will lose some of that babyfat which he has and which is normal to teenager his size..
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He had like one month to train during summer. That's nothing. This is basically the same Kakko from last spring.
 
I missed the Ducks game. Was he held out because of taking that shot off his foot or was he healthy scratched?
 
He’ll be fine but kind of wish we sent him to the world juniors. Think it would have been good for him to dominate on a big stage for a couple weeks against guys his own age.
 
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He's pacing for pretty similar totals to Svechnikov's rookie season (35 points vs. 37). Fast forward to Svechnikov's second season, and he currently leads the Canes in points.

Would've loved for Kakko to step in and make an impact on the scoresheet from day 1, but in the long term we have no reason to be concerned.
 
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He looks completely different from the first part of the season, to now. And not in a good way.

Was very against sending him down early on but he just cant even find open ice to ever get the puck on his stick. Send him down.
 
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gump116 said:
He’ll be fine but kind of wish we sent him to the world juniors. Think it would have been good for him to dominate on a big stage for a couple weeks against guys his own age.
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I think he needs to learn how to play in the NHL. I don't see a confidence boost doing anything to actually help him.
 
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nyr2k2 said:
I think he needs to learn how to play in the NHL. I don't see a confidence boost doing anything to actually help him.
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I agree, but he’s also probably feeling discouraged with himself right now. A little renewed confidence couldn’t hurt. But if he just pots a couple that’ll do the trick.
 
Loki Dog 74 said:
I agree, but he’s also probably feeling discouraged with himself right now. A little renewed confidence couldn’t hurt. But if he just pots a couple that’ll do the trick.
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I've just never been a fan of taking guys that have been playing in the NHL all year and then sending them to beat up on other teenagers. I don't know that the confidence boost really helps, because they come back and face the same NHL players they were struggling with before. And what if they have an underwhelming tournament? I just never liked it.
 
nyr2k2 said:
I think he needs to learn how to play in the NHL. I don't see a confidence boost doing anything to actually help him.
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Fitness, skating, speed of play... for sure.

Panarin can rip up and down the ice for 22 minutes but Kakko plays 14 and looks absolutely hunched over at the end of every shift.
 
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nyr2k2 said:
I've just never been a fan of taking guys that have been playing in the NHL all year and then sending them to beat up on other teenagers. I don't know that the confidence boost really helps, because they come back and face the same NHL players they were struggling with before. And what if they have an underwhelming tournament? I just never liked it.
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I don’t think I’d have sent him either. I would really like to see him get a couple bounces. Back to back games with a goal or something would probably bring him back to life a little. He’s got stuff to work on but I’m not worried about him. Just seems a bit down on himself right now.
 
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Idk but could it be better for him to have an AHL stint, playing top-line minutes? I think he needs top-line minutes, ain't getting them/not ready in NHL.
 
Thoughts on whether the Rangers will send him down on paper around the deadline just to allow him to play in the AHL playoffs? That would be a good way for him to finish the season.

As for right now, I’d seriously consider sending him down to the AHL for about 10 games. Skill wise he’s NHL level but he looks like he just needs to be more decisive. I also think 20 minutes per game would be a good idea for him to build some game endurance.
 
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Kakko should be in the WJC in my opinion. I don't see how it couldn't help his game. It's not like he is scoring now for NYR. He can use a confidence boost. Rangers should have let him go.
 
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NHL schedule is hard, even on veteran players yet alone a newbie. Half the battle in this game is properly being conditioned to play at such a high level. He needs to play among the best just to know what it will take physically to compete at this level. At 18, he still has a couple of years to put this all together. The skill is there.
 
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