I'm rewatching Kakko's highlights from the World Championships and he looks so quick when he was playing in them. We keep talking about his speed being an issue here, but the guy was flying out there and make quick smart decisions with the puck. He's involved on the forecheck. Everything we have been complaining about what he isn't doing, he did here. And to me it doesn't seem like the rink size is the reason. He looks like a totally different player on the rangers. It doesn't make any sense.
He's winning battles all over the ice, causing turnovers, moving his feet, attacking the guy with the puck, attacking the net with the puck. He's faking guys out to get pucks to his teammates. There is more space in the big ice where he has to go through less contacts, and tighter checks. Depending on who you are playing in the NHL you will have teams that are a little looser, so some games are easier than others from a match-up perspective. But Kakko's got another level in him. He's put in the time with Prentice to be able to play a power game, a speed game, or a skill game.
I think with both Kakko, and even Fil as well, they are playing more of a skill game every time trying to deke through tight checks without having a step on their guy. This works in EA's NHL, but does not work in the pro. Unless you have the speed advantage on a guy (in that moment, not in their measurables), it's hard to deke through guys in the NHL. Same with Gauthier last year in the playoffs. They could get away with that in lower leagues where their athleticism was just simply better, but you can't do that at the NHL level too often. Happens with a lot of young players, and Kakko can look to the left and right of him in the locker room to see that a number of his teammates are or have experienced the same thing. Mika went up down early in his career, Kreider. The difference is that the stage wasn't as bright in the minors to work through their game.
You know they used to call Voracek Baby Jagr. Fil and Kakko should study some tapes of Jagr and how he protected pucks. Using their body more to shield pucks, to keep the puck on their stick to open up more plays. Jagr worked with Barkov and Huberdeau on this aspect of the game, the one year Florida actually made it to the playoffs in the last decade or so. Since then, both Barkov and Huberdeau have been stars. Neither one of those guys has a lot of mass either so it's not a matter of needing that to play a skillful power game. All those grueling hours with Prentice is designed to help them succeed here. Being able to roll a guy off your back to create a defensive zone breakdown is going to get you a lot more points than trying to beat guys off the rush.
We all know Kakko's got several gears in him. When you've won the way he has, leading his country to gold in the world juniors, and in the men's before even being drafted, you know he has it in him to play winning hockey. It's just a different game in the NHL, and I'm sure he'll adapt.
