Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko: Part V

[mas0764]

Say he keeps this level of play up.

What's his contract? 7x6? 8x6? 5x5?

I feel it's very important to nail these contracts.

Vital. Would love to get him on a bargain long term.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Just realized he got a point on the Hunt goal. That's a 3 game point streak. Oh baby

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Confident, patient, huge goal

3, 2 in last 5

 

[duhmetreE]

All that panic and worrying paid off.

He wouldn't have been this player without it.

Gallant is building up these forwards again, after they were torn to shit by the coach that wont be named

 

[Synergy27]

I sincerely hope that Laf is on the Kakko schedule.

 

[duhmetreE]

I sincerely hope that Laf is on the Kakko schedule.

He is. He's probably ahead of schedule. I'm seeing the signs of life already over the past few games.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Laf looked better I agree. More engaged. He’s on the right line, let’s hope Chytil stays on the ice and let ‘em roll

 

[CLW]

I sincerely hope that Laf is on the Kakko schedule.

I believe so. He's learning how to support other players, and from that support he will get his own offense going. He can't be another cherry picking forward no matter how talented, he needs to be engaged in all aspects of the game. He will be a fantastic player in a few years.

 

[Kords]

He is. He's probably ahead of schedule. I'm seeing the signs of life already over the past few games.

Totally agree. People on the ledge over Laf need not look any further than Kakko for some reassurance.

 

[Row I Goon]

KK may not have “arrived” but he’s knocking on the door. Kid’s done good last few games and appears to have a bit of swagger.

 

[Kocur26]

The goal he scored tonite was the most patient act of goalscoring I’ve witnessed… Not only did he ditch the puck off but then he took his time sniping it home.

 

[Kodiak]

The goal he scored tonite was the most patient act of goalscoring I’ve witnessed… Not only did he ditch the puck off but then he took his time sniping it home.

It was the perfect play for that situation. Don’t panic and fire it into the d man’s shins. Don’t try to stickhandle through everyone and tap it into an empty net. Make one move and then fire a quick shot before they can adjust.

 

[duhmetreE]

Quick hands and quick release is more than enough up close.

He could work on his 'snipes ability' from further out but he has more than enough already imo. He seems driven so I'd expect him to keep improving year over year.

 

[doomscroll]

Kakko is going to bet on himself with a reasonable 2-year bridge, and a sizable proportion of the fan-base is going to be livid he didn’t extend long-term because they don’t understand that NHL players have agents trying to maximize their profit in the same way franchises do.

 

[cwede]

The Curious Case of Kaapo Kakko

 

[mas0764]

The Curious Case of Kaapo Kakko

What made Kakko one of the best Finnish prospects in NHL draft history was his ability to play a skilled game with assertiveness and aggressiveness seldom seen by a teenager playing against men.

Coming into the Rangers lineup under David Quinn, he was a round peg being forced into a square hole. Quinn wanted his players to play simple hockey. No stick handling on a two-on-one, get the puck in deep, sprint to your position defensively and sit down. The game Quinn asked his New York Rangers teams to play was archaic in the modern NHL.

A dynamic, aggressive offensive threat was told to play like a passive, dump-and-chase college hockey kid. Kakko was unable to utilize his toolset because he was unable to play his game, right from the start.

The creativity was taken out of his game. The aggression that was once there, was no longer there. He was often demoted or had his minutes cut because he would attempt to play hockey in a modern and puck-possession style, carrying the puck over the offensive blueline in order to set up a chance. If you get your minutes cut, you generally end up doing what the coach asks, which in this case was stunting the growth of a promising young player.

The chart below shows that the only time that Kakko has been given a run of 140 minutes with any line in a season is this season, under new coach Gerard Gallant, where he has played the vast majority of the season with Artemi Panarin and Ryan Strome. Constant line shuffling is clearly not beneficial when it comes to building any chemistry.

He has all of the tools and was forced into a role and style of play that wouldn’t have suited any player taken near the top of the draft.

So what happened to Kakko, as the article asks?

The above quotes from said article answer it pretty clearly.

F this "defensive, responsibility first," hockey. Score first. Period. Teach defense later.

I'm no expert but I'd guess it's the exact same thing with Lafreniere. Quinn almost ruined these kids.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

That was a big goal for Kakko IMO.

It wasn't a rebound or breakaway, a tap-in, wrap around or tip-in.

It wasn't an empty net from a pass from Panarin, a deflection off his shin guard or a screened shot that found its way through.

He purposely set himself up for the give and go with Strome showing good awareness and then had the patience to get himself into a prime shooting area, which we all talked about him needing to do more often all offseason.

Get to the inside and get a hard shot off.

But most of all, he fired a low accurate shot and beat the goalie clean on his terms. It may have been one of the first ones we've seen from him like that. I remember a similar one on a PP last year but it wasnt as clean. There have been questions about his shot and while its not a barn breaker, he has the accuracy if he can get into the right areas of the ice.

 

[Crease]

The way he cut inside just before shooting to put the goalie off angle was a thing of beauty.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Fantasy hockey top 100 forward rankings

Cracked the top 100 at 94

 

[Rongomania]

The best thing is, is that he's not 'Strome-ing' points off of Bread. He's become a driver on that line already, he's not even 21 yet. The kid has made huge strides.

Also Jack Hughes has a weaker body than Gaborik.

 

[CLW]

The Curious Case of Kaapo Kakko

Reading this has my blood boiling again. The author is basically making the same points I've made in these HFNYR threads but underscores it with statistics. Thank Goodness *he who shall not be named* is gone. His approach was a point by point check list on how to ruin a prospect.

Kakko was saved (1) by having a strong support base in Finland and (2) the COVID break, which allowed him more time away from ***** and time to work on his defensive game, and (3) the fact he finally has a real coach (same for other kids *especially* the forwards) to guide him along.

Then there is the point that this Q-lash between coach and stud prospect shows how important it is for a talented prospect to come into the right environment when they come to the NHL, if you are looking for a prospect to have immediate impact. Had Kakko gone to a team like the Avs or the Panthers, freewheeling offensive teams his first year would no doubt have looked different. "Right environment" in this context meaning that there is no round hole, square peg problem between the vision of the organization, the coach and the prospect.

Zegras looks a great fit on Anaheim, same as Mercer fits right in with the Devils' approach, Lundell on the Panthers fits hand in glove etc. But did Turcotte e.g. come into his natural game environment when chosen by LA? I don't think so, but that doesn't mean he will bust, only that it will take longer for him to make an impact as the Kings build him up to fit into the gritty, grindy game they want to play. No doubt Zegras would have gotten the same treatment by LA, whereas he is free to be himself in Anaheim. For the Rangers, Kakko is finally free to become Kakko.

 

[will1066]

The Curious Case of Kaapo Kakko

Good article!

 

[CLW]

Good article!

I swear I have QPTSD.

 

[will1066]

Reading this has my blood boiling again. The author is basically making the same points I've made in these HFNYR threads but underscores it with statistics. Thank Goodness *he who shall not be named* is gone. His approach was a point by point check list on how to ruin a prospect.

Kakko was saved (1) by having a strong support base in Finland and (2) the COVID break, which allowed him more time away from ***** and time to work on his defensive game, and (3) the fact he finally has a real coach (same for other kids *especially* the forwards) to guide him along.

Then there is the point that this Q-lash between coach and stud prospect shows how important it is for a talented prospect to come into the right environment when they come to the NHL, if you are looking for a prospect to have immediate impact. Had Kakko gone to a team like the Avs or the Panthers, freewheeling offensive teams his first year would no doubt have looked different. "Right environment" in this context meaning that there is no round hole, square peg problem between the vision of the organization, the coach and the prospect.

Zegras looks a great fit on Anaheim, same as Mercer fits right in with the Devils' approach, Lundell on the Panthers fits hand in glove etc. But did Turcotte e.g. come into his natural game environment when chosen by LA? I don't think so, but that doesn't mean he will bust, only that it will take longer for him to make an impact as the Kings build him up to fit into the gritty, grindy game they want to play. No doubt Zegras would have gotten the same treatment by LA, whereas he is free to be himself in Anaheim. For the Rangers, Kakko is finally free to become Kakko.

I'm here. I can see your post.

 

[CLW]

I'm here. I can see your post.

Go away!