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Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko: Part III

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Granted despite playing against near universal NHL talent, obviously the USA WC team is not going to probably be as defensively sound as a team that has been playing together in a system they've studied, like in the NHL.

Also granted it's a bigger ice surface.

But let's not pretend there is no difference to how Kakko is attacking the defense here. There is definitely a difference. It's pretty obvious, despite that Kakko has been playing better this year, he put on a complete show against NHLers in the WC, that's just clear.

He's not playing the same right now as he is in that video, but perhaps there are non-Quinn based explanations as to why that is? Maybe he had better chemistry with his Finnish teammates, for example?
 
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True Blue said:
One can certainly interpret things they way that they want to. And frequently do.
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You definitely did say

You are comparing a picture of him receiving a medal to him two years later in the NHL? Ok.
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Not sure what sense that statement makes, perhaps you did not notice it was a video when you wrote that?

Certainly the rest of that post was a better argument than that line.

Though if we are going to split hairs, you said the players in the WC are "not the caliber," you'll see in the NHL every night, and I don't think that is per se true... the better point is, they aren't playing like a team. But as athletes they are definitely the very same caliber you'll see in the NHL since most of them in fact ARE in the NHL. So if Kakko blows by someone in that video, it's not cause he's playing inferior competition. But if he finds a hole in a zone, that might be because the team as a whole isn't used to playing together.
 
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While I want him to play more and think it's a crime he's not on either PP, I will wait to judge his play once the Rangers play a normal ES game and not when one team is taking 6+ penalties each game.
 
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mas0764 said:
Though if we are going to split hairs, you said the players in the WC are "not the caliber," you'll see in the NHL every night, and I don't think that is per se true... the better point is, they aren't playing like a team. But as athletes they are definitely the very same caliber you'll see in the NHL since most of them in fact ARE in the NHL. So if Kakko blows by someone in that video, it's not cause he's playing inferior competition. But if he finds a hole in a zone, that might be because the team as a whole isn't used to playing together.
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The point was and remains that most NHL teams beat the that team pretty handily. So, citing it as evidence of Kakko's superior play before and inferior play now is faulty. At least to me.
 
DoingItCoolKiwi said:
I've been watching Paul Maurice handling Laine, Connor and Ehlers for the last 4 years and there has been very few times he has benched them like Quinn does every other game. Punishing every little mistake is not the way to go. Kakko looks terrified to make a mistake at this point

TDA on point. I'd use Kakko and Laf on walls, but I imagine Laf would also be excellent in front of the net so Kakko - Buch on walls, would work well too
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Yeah I don’t recall Jets fans ever griping about Maurice’s usage of Laine. Not once. Ever.

:laugh:
 
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True Blue said:
The point was and remains that most NHL teams beat the that team pretty handily. So, citing it as evidence of Kakko's superior play before and inferior play now is faulty. At least to me.
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You're right about the teams but I don't see how going one-on-one against Hanafin or Severson or whoever at the WC is drastically different than going one-on-one against them in a regular season NHL game, especially close to the net where the ice size matters less. The things that made him a top prospect and pick, he wasn't doing. And it wasn't that he was not executing them, it was that he wasn't even attempting them, even when he had the time and space to. He looked slow (the biggest issue, which was probably conditioning) but he also looked tentative with the puck.

At least that was the case last year. Its too early to know what he's going to do this season. He hasn't had the puck enough to really see whats what.

Assuming he can keep his legs under him all season I am not worried.
 
DoingItCoolKiwi said:
I have never bought this argument. Most top athletes either absolutely hate losing or love winning. Even the national level ones I know. They wont just go on a vacation to risk of career altering injuries vs guys that will play very hard
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Don't believe it all you want, but in the last 10 years Canada has three second places finishes, and two first place finishes, and the USA just has three third place finishes
 
aufheben said:
Yeah I don’t recall Jets fans ever griping about Maurice’s usage of Laine. Not once. Ever.

:laugh:
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Good point :laugh:

But on a more serious note, while people (and he himself ) havent been happy with his linemates but he has always got stable +15 minutes per game, and most importantly he has always been given a huge leash before getting his minutes cut or demoted. Overall, Maurice has handled the young players very well outside some good old vet favoritism
 
GeorgeKaplan said:
Don't believe it all you want, but in the last 10 years Canada has three second places finishes, and two first place finishes, and the USA just has three third place finishes
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I mean I do believe that many don't care, and those stats do prove that, but the difference here is that you think the players who don't care go and play anyways, and I think they just stay home and take a real vacation.
 
DoingItCoolKiwi said:
I mean I do believe that many don't care, and those stats do prove that, but the difference here is that you think the players who don't care go and play anyways, and I think they just stay home and take a real vacation.
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Well there's the real vacation with their family that they pay for, then there's the free trip with the boys that also looks good to the organization who's going to pick the Olympic roster every 4 years
 
GeorgeKaplan said:
Well there's the real vacation with their family that they pay for, then there's the free trip with the boys that also looks good to the organization who's going to pick the Olympic roster every 4 years
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It's a negative look for the olympic decisions if you're not performing well and/or don't care about winning
 
True Blue said:
The point was and remains that most NHL teams beat the that team pretty handily. So, citing it as evidence of Kakko's superior play before and inferior play now is faulty. At least to me.
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Faulty to an extent. I think you can see some things there that he should be able to do at this level and hasn’t yet. I suspect there is more of a reason than “It’s harder here.” But point taken that while he’s up against NHL caliber athletes, he’s not up against NHL caliber cohesion and defensive schemes.
 
Looked like a first liner tonight. The physical weaknesses are still evident, but he showed great IQ and made some solid plays, in addition to scoring the goal. Looking forward to more from him.
 
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One thing I liked was he was aggressive. Usually he looks to dump and change. This time he's forechecking hard and skating, not just looking to make the right play and change.
 
mas0764 said:
Faulty to an extent. I think you can see some things there that he should be able to do at this level and hasn’t yet. I suspect there is more of a reason than “It’s harder here.” But point taken that while he’s up against NHL caliber athleHe tes, he’s not up against NHL caliber cohesion and defensive schemes.
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He is not up against stars like he was right now.

I see absolutely nothing that he SHOULD be doing that is not being done.
 
I cannot believe that Kakko is so overwhelmed. He is clearly not progressing and is being ruined.
 
LOFIN said:
Skating is obviously an issue still. Luckily, it's an issue that is fixable. Unfortunately, not during this season but still. Today was a good game from him.
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What specifically about his skating needs fixing?
 
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