Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko: Part IV

[Synergy27]

Tonight was nice. When he fell down and ruined that odd man rush in the first period I could do nothing but shake my head in disbelief. Really great to see him break through.

Kid needs to soak up some joy from Panarin though. Hopefully he can string together a few good games in a row and start being happy again.

 

[will1066]

Is this guy going to produce for us or trade him and give Kravtsov a shot?

 

[IronBloodedLion]

I said it in the Post Game thread, but he really needs to stay with Strome and Panarin. He completes that line.

I also know the coaching staff has an “earn your ice time” mentality, and Kakko has certainly earned it.

 

[Synergy27]

I said it in the Post Game thread, but he really needs to stay with Strome and Panarin. He completes that line.

I also know the coaching staff has an “earn your ice time” mentality, and Kakko has certainly earned it.

Completely agree.

 

[rdhstlr23]

Happy for Kaapo. Hopefully, the production is coming.

 

[Scott r]

It was vs a team that lost 15 in a row....we will see

 

[Row I Goon]

It was vs a team that lost 15 in a row....we will see

correction - the BACKUP tendy of a team that lost 15 in a row....

 

[Nickmo82]

correction - the BACKUP tendy of a team that lost 15 in a row....

We should only be happy if he gets goals against peak Hasek-level goalies on true contenders huh? Nothing else counts.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

We should only be happy if he gets goals against peak Hasek-level goalies on true contenders huh? Nothing else counts.

Yes. The same way Strome's points don't count if Panarin is involved

 

[pld459666]

Loved seeing the conversation between the three guys before Kakko's 1st goal.

Its an amazing feeling when you talk about strategy and it works.

Quinn really needs to stop his meddling with line combos in game

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

disagree. when he was on that line earlier in the season its clear he was in way over his head. he’s earned it now. he has an idea of what to do and is defensively responsible.

I don't know what you've been watching.

This is who he has been all year. In terms of consistency Kakko has been one of our most consistent players all year.

It's amazing what scoring a few goals will do to public perception. He got pretty significant ice time with them pre covid and he looked great with them at that time too.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

I'd rather have Kakko with Panarin than Blackwell. Blackwell is quicker and might be more aggressive, but Kakko is our future. They simply swap spots, 2 vets get a kid, and 2 kids get a vet wandering pitbull.

KZB
Panarin Strome Kakko
Laffy Chytil Blackwell

CALLED IT

Kakko looked great last night. You could see the confidence take off after the goal he scored. If he could just get rolling with goals in consecutive games i think we would see him take another step offensively. They should absolutely 1000% keep him on Panarins line.

 

[CupSeeker]

I don't know what you've been watching.

This is who he has been all year. In terms of consistency Kakko has been one of our most consistent players all year.

It's amazing what scoring a few goals will do to public perception. He got pretty significant ice time with them pre covid and he looked great with them at that time too.

Absolutely. He is one of our most responsible forwards and his takeaways may be best on the team. He is winning battles; hopefully he starts to get on the score sheet.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

Kakko's expected goals against so far is just stunningly good. On a per 60 basis he is 14th best in the entire NHL among forwards who have played at least 200 min this season (Chytil also right there with him FYI).

He's ranked 111th in expected goals for, which is also impressive. Would be ~3rd-4th on any given team on average.

When you get into scoring chances (#255 for, #26 against) / high danger chances (#164 for, #84 against)he grades out less favorably which is not super surprising.

But his solid offense coupled with strong defense is relatively rare. Only 50 forwards across the league are top-120 for both xGF / 60 and xGA / 60 and include some really high end players. MacKinnon, Rantanen, Landeskog, Pasternak, Marchand, Bergeron, Barkov, Benn, Jack Hughes, Barzal, Kuznetsov, W Nylander, Giroux, Point, Suzuki, Hertl to name a few. Kakko is the only NYR forward that meets this criteria.

 

[Crease]

Kakko's expected goals against so far is just stunningly good. On a per 60 basis he is 14th best in the entire NHL among forwards who have played at least 200 min this season (Chytil also right there with him FYI).

He's ranked 111th in expected goals for, which is also impressive. Would be ~3rd-4th on any given team on average.

When you get into scoring chances (#255 for, #26 against) / high danger chances (#164 for, #84 against)he grades out less favorably which is not super surprising.

But his solid offense coupled with strong defense is relatively rare. Only 50 forwards across the league are top-120 for both xGF / 60 and xGA / 60 and include some really high end players. MacKinnon, Rantanen, Landeskog, Pasternak, Marchand, Bergeron, Barkov, Benn, Jack Hughes, Barzal, Kuznetsov, W Nylander, Giroux, Point, Suzuki, Hertl to name a few. Kakko is the only NYR forward that meets this criteria.

Sounds like he's on the right track, just needs to work on his shot.

 

[CupSeeker]

Sounds like he's on the right track, just needs to work on his shot.

He needs to just shoot more when in the slot. I haven't seen him take shots where i thought, what a weak effort. He gets in tight and always looks to dish the puck. Just bury it young man.

 

[Profet]

Is this guy going to produce for us or trade him and give Kravtsov a shot?

 

[TheGortonConspiracy]

Kakko's expected goals against so far is just stunningly good. On a per 60 basis he is 14th best in the entire NHL among forwards who have played at least 200 min this season (Chytil also right there with him FYI).

That's because the kids are never deployed for defensive zone faceoffs. I was shocked when I saw Kakko out there late last night that must have been a first. I mean we've seen the coaching staff put Lemieux and Co if the top 6 need rest over Kakko/Chytil for late game scenarios etc

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

That's because the kids are never deployed for defensive zone faceoffs. I was shocked when I saw Kakko out there late last night that must have been a first. I mean we've seen the coaching staff put Lemieux and Co if the top 6 need rest over Kakko/Chytil for late game scenarios etc

Agreed it's likely a contributing factor. Kakko has started 58% of his 5v5 shifts in the offensive zone...114th easiest in the league. However he clearly has not been ceding a lot of ground, either.

Fun fact for context, Jack Hughes has started 75% of his 5v5 shifts in the offensive zone or 21st easiest in the league.

 

[LOFIN]

That's because the kids are never deployed for defensive zone faceoffs. I was shocked when I saw Kakko out there late last night that must have been a first. I mean we've seen the coaching staff put Lemieux and Co if the top 6 need rest over Kakko/Chytil for late game scenarios etc

That's just false. Of course, I don't know how they gather these stats but:

Yes, Kakko is #3 when it comes to offensive zone start percentage on this team, but it's not like every faceoff they start is on the O-zone.

 

[GAGLine]

Kind of amazing that it only took Knoblach like a handful of games to put Kakko on Panarin’s line.

It isn't the first time this year he has been on that line. In previous stints, he wasn't producing and Panarin and Strome weren't at their best either. The priority was to get them going. Now that they are, they can help get Kakko going.

 

[True Blue]

Is this guy going to produce for us or trade him and give Kravtsov a shot?

Time to change up the dosage again.

 

[Lua]

I'm inclined to stay away from this kind of speculation, but in this instance I feel that I have a level of expertise that would allow me to posit a theory that will almost certainly seem like hogwash to some, but I definitely think it's something to consider.

Anyone who has looked at KK last year vs. today and has any experience with the drug would be able to tell you he is in the middle of an Accutane regimen. This is a drug that takes anywhere from 6-10 months to run its course, and it absolutely has the potential to impact one's ability to play a sport, especially at a professional level.

For those who don't know, it is a very intense medication used to treat severe acne, and it temporarily changes your body's physiology in a way that causes no small amount of discomfort—for some this discomfort can be extreme, almost alarming.

I’ve done a 7-month Accutane regimen when I was 22. I’ve always been really lucky with things like soreness, aches, back pain, joint pain, eyesight, etc.

After the second month, I would wake up every day with pain and tightness in my lower back, shoulders, and especially my groin. It would often be uncomfortable to walk; I can only imagine what it would be like to try to skate for a living.

It dries you out. The skin literally falls off your face in flakes. You need to apply moisturizer and Chapstick all day. Some people get hemorrhoids because their you-know-what gets so dry. More importantly in Kaako’s case, it dries out your eyes, causing blurriness of the vision. It makes it hard to drive at night. It makes it hard to see in environments with high levels of brightness, e.g. an ice surface with a bunch of stadium-grade lights reflecting off of it.

Really effective for treating acne though, would do it over 10 times out of 10. The side effects are temporary, but it takes some time. I’d bet dollars over donuts that Kaako is experiencing the kind of Accutane side effects that would impact his play.

Just a theory of course, but anyone who has been through an Accutane regimen can verify the fact that the side effects (soreness, stiffness, dryness) are no joke.

 

[Inferno]

I'm inclined to stay away from this kind of speculation, but in this instance I feel that I have a level of expertise that would allow me to posit a theory that will almost certainly seem like hogwash to some, but I definitely think it's something to consider.

Anyone who has looked at KK last year vs. today and has any experience with the drug would be able to tell you he is in the middle of an Accutane regimen. This is a drug that takes anywhere from 6-10 months to run its course, and it absolutely has the potential to impact one's ability to play a sport, especially at a professional level.

For those who don't know, it is a very intense medication used to treat severe acne, and it temporarily changes your body's physiology in a way that causes no small amount of discomfort—for some this discomfort can be extreme, almost alarming.

I’ve done a 7-month Accutane regimen when I was 22. I’ve always been really lucky with things like soreness, aches, back pain, joint pain, eyesight, etc.

After the second month, I would wake up every day with pain and tightness in my lower back, shoulders, and especially my groin. It would often be uncomfortable to walk; I can only imagine what it would be like to try to skate for a living.

It dries you out. The skin literally falls off your face in flakes. You need to apply moisturizer and Chapstick all day. Some people get hemorrhoids because their you-know-what gets so dry. More importantly in Kaako’s case, it dries out your eyes, causing blurriness of the vision. It makes it hard to drive at night. It makes it hard to see in environments with high levels of brightness, e.g. an ice surface with a bunch of stadium-grade lights reflecting off of it.

Really effective for treating acne though, would do it over 10 times out of 10. The side effects are temporary, but it takes some time. I’d bet dollars over donuts that Kaako is experiencing the kind of Accutane side effects that would impact his play.

Just a theory of course, but anyone who has been through an Accutane regiment can verify the fact that the side effects (soreness, stiffness, dryness) are no joke.

I'm sure @Amazing Kreiderman can check his medicine cabinet to verify.

 

[Peltz]

I'm inclined to stay away from this kind of speculation, but in this instance I feel that I have a level of expertise that would allow me to posit a theory that will almost certainly seem like hogwash to some, but I definitely think it's something to consider.

Anyone who has looked at KK last year vs. today and has any experience with the drug would be able to tell you he is in the middle of an Accutane regimen. This is a drug that takes anywhere from 6-10 months to run its course, and it absolutely has the potential to impact one's ability to play a sport, especially at a professional level.

For those who don't know, it is a very intense medication used to treat severe acne, and it temporarily changes your body's physiology in a way that causes no small amount of discomfort—for some this discomfort can be extreme, almost alarming.

I’ve done a 7-month Accutane regimen when I was 22. I’ve always been really lucky with things like soreness, aches, back pain, joint pain, eyesight, etc.

After the second month, I would wake up every day with pain and tightness in my lower back, shoulders, and especially my groin. It would often be uncomfortable to walk; I can only imagine what it would be like to try to skate for a living.

It dries you out. The skin literally falls off your face in flakes. You need to apply moisturizer and Chapstick all day. Some people get hemorrhoids because their you-know-what gets so dry. More importantly in Kaako’s case, it dries out your eyes, causing blurriness of the vision. It makes it hard to drive at night. It makes it hard to see in environments with high levels of brightness, e.g. an ice surface with a bunch of stadium-grade lights reflecting off of it.

Really effective for treating acne though, would do it over 10 times out of 10. The side effects are temporary, but it takes some time. I’d bet dollars over donuts that Kaako is experiencing the kind of Accutane side effects that would impact his play.

Just a theory of course, but anyone who has been through an Accutane regiment can verify the fact that the side effects (soreness, stiffness, dryness) are no joke.