Prospect Info: Kaapo Kakko, RW, 1st round, 2nd overall, 2019

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

https://nypost.com/2019/06/22/how-rangers-fans-should-manage-kaapo-kakko-expectations/

larry is right...as excited as we all are. we need to remember he's still a kid

He’s gonna drop 30 next year.

Bank on it.

 

[PuckLuck3043]

Kind of a 'duh Larry' piece.

Of course this is going to take time. But holy f*** when this team comes together it's going to be beautiful.

This team is going to be very hard to play against in a few years.

 

[Ukkosenjumala]

You betcha! I have also arrived. We Finns are like magnets. You pick one of our best and we'll be there. Call it bandwagon or whatever, Rangers just got a new fan.

There's a lot to like with the roster, they didn't half ass the rebuild and went all the way. There's only three guys who were born in the 80's on the whole roster, Lunqvist, Shattenkirk and Staal.

 

[Doctyl]

Keep trying to temper expectations, but then I remember that he has better numbers than Laine in his draft year

 

[ThirdEye]

The guy doesn't look anywhere close to being physically mature and he's already brushing off dudes like it's nothing. Anyone know the stats on Jagr when he was drafted? He's going to be an absolute monster in 2-3 years

 

[Ori]

I posted a long time back that I believed we'd try Kakko at center if we couldn't get another soon.

We'll see what we can do next year, or via trade, but it's definitely our weakest position this season otherwise and I'd be shocked if they didn't at least give it a go.

I highly doubt it, because Kaapo has always played a wing role in Finland, and it`s not ideal to use a player and play him out of position, and then demand a star production in his first NHL season.
We drafted Chytil & Lias to fill that 2 c 3 c positions - if they can`t Rangers will continue to build.

 

[Zibanejbread]

 

[ijuka]

I highly doubt it, because Kaapo has always played a wing role in Finland, and it`s not ideal to use a player and play him out of position and then demand a star production in his first NHL season.
We drafted Chytil & Lias to fill that 2 c 3 c positions - if they can`t Rangers will continue to build.

What? He played center in juniors, center in some international junior tournaments, even center in a few games in Liiga, unlike Kotkaniemi for example. Your post is objectively false.

 

[haveandare]

Keep trying to temper expectations, but then I remember that he has better numbers than Laine in his draft year

Yeah, brooks saying JD would do cartwheels if Kakko ends up as good as Rantanen is a little silly imo.

He’s a 2 OA with a better pedigree and a historic pre-draft season in a professional league.

Yeah, anything can happen and they shouldn’t pencil him in for that production, but him eventually being that caliber of player should be somewhat expected.

 

[fr9dd9]

CANT wait to see this guy in october, is the summer over soon?

 

[Ori]

What? He played center in juniors, center in some international junior tournaments, even center in a few games in Liiga, unlike Kotkaniemi for example. Your post is objectively false.

I added you ignore first person this summer 2019 in trolling attempt @ijuka - so don`t bother to reply to this, but last season and most prospects info websites have him as RW, and we know by stats that he played LW as well so a versatile winger.

Kaapo Kakko at eliteprospects.com

 

[Lepardi]

Kaapo Kakko looked PISSED off majorly that he went #2.

He didn't look pissed off. He looked like a Finnish person. Smiling and small talk aren't nearly as popular here in Finland as they are in the USA.

Panthers fans made the same mistake when Barkov got drafted. They assumed Barkov didn't want to go to Florida because he wasn't smiling. They didn't understand Finns either.

 

[McRanger]

I celebrated us taking Kakko like I was half my age.

And now I am paying for it.

 

[Kocur Dill]

Hot take for today.

I gotta admit. My boner went sub-atomic after we picked Kakko and McGuire compared him to Huberdeau.

Huberdeau had a lot of hype his draft year and while he's a heck of a player, we ain't winning any cups with that type of player as our Marquee Talent.

I have a little better expectations then that when Kaapo hits his full stride as a young vet.

 

[Leetch3]

Hot take for today.

I gotta admit. My ***** went sub-atomic after we picked Kakko and McGuire compared him to Huberdeau.

Huberdeau had a lot of hype his draft year and while he's a heck of a player, we ain't winning any cups with that type of player as our Marquee Talent.

I have a little better expectations then that when Kaapo hits his full stride as a young vet.

its pierre mcguire...guy is a clown.

 

[ijuka]

I added you ignore first person this summer 2019 in trolling attempt @ijuka - so don`t bother to reply to this, but last season and most prospects info websites have him as RW, and we know by stats that he played LW as well so a versatile winger.

Kaapo Kakko at eliteprospects.com

Okay, you said he has always played a winger role, which is incorrect. Great that you think I'm trolling for correcting your faulty info, though. Rather trust EP than a Finn whose primary team would be TPS.

But wait, you're that same person who had Kakko at like #4 in the spring? No wonder. You probably have never watched him.

 

[CasusBelli]

I’m no scout, but if we sign Panarin, a 30G/50P season doesn’t seem unreasonable for the K-man. Wouldn’t be surprised to see him peak at 40/80 — but maybe that’s just over-exuberance on my part.

 

[Anzi]

I highly doubt it, because Kaapo has always played a wing role in Finland, and it`s not ideal to use a player and play him out of position, and then demand a star production in his first NHL season.
We drafted Chytil & Lias to fill that 2 c 3 c positions - if they can`t Rangers will continue to build.

It sounds like he will most likely start at wing and possibly transition to center depending on how things go.

Davidson: "He doesn’t really have a weakness. He can play wing, he can play center — which is always a good thing anytime you find somebody that can play center, that’s wonderful. But we’ll see where that goes with the coaching staff and things along the way."

Gorton: "We drafted him based on what he’s done on the wing. He hasn’t played center since he was 15 or 16. We talked to him about that, and he’s comfortable with both. We’ll see what happens. I think right now, the way he’s playing as a wing and the plays he’s made — the goal-scoring ability he’s shown off the wing — we’ll take a long look at that and go from there."

NHL Draft: NY Rangers executives John Davidson and Jeff Gorton evaluate Kaapo Kakko

 

[Lepardi]

I think a lot of Finnish fans will hop on the Rangers train with Kakko being there.

A lot of Finns will also hop on the Finnair plane from Helsinki to JFK. There's a direct flight every day. Those planes have been pretty full already but now we have one more reason to visit NYC.

 

[ijuka]

Hot take for today.

I gotta admit. My ***** went sub-atomic after we picked Kakko and McGuire compared him to Huberdeau.

Huberdeau had a lot of hype his draft year and while he's a heck of a player, we ain't winning any cups with that type of player as our Marquee Talent.

I have a little better expectations then that when Kaapo hits his full stride as a young vet.

I mean, Huberdeau scored 92 points, not the worst player you could compare to. Although I agree that Kakko is much more talented than Huberdeau, and their styles aren't that close, either. Pierre also didn't think that Kakko's more NHL ready than Hughes.

 

[duhmetreE]

https://nypost.com/2019/06/22/how-rangers-fans-should-manage-kaapo-kakko-expectations/

larry is right...as excited as we all are. we need to remember he's still a kid

I disagree completely with his Ratanen comparison. Kakko is the superior prospect. Being Finnish doesn't mean they are the same players/prospects. JD should expect, eventual Rantanen type of production... not doing cartwheels

I'd say he's somewhere in between Forseberg and Jagr.

 

[BKGooner]

I celebrated us taking Kakko like I was half my age.

And now I am paying for it.

So you’re looking for a strong binge drinker from major junior or us college for next years draft.

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Hot take for today.

I gotta admit. My ***** went sub-atomic after we picked Kakko and McGuire compared him to Huberdeau.

Huberdeau had a lot of hype his draft year and while he's a heck of a player, we ain't winning any cups with that type of player as our Marquee Talent.

I have a little better expectations then that when Kaapo hits his full stride as a young vet.

Pierre McGuire also said he was Swedish

 

[broadwayblue]

The future is bright with K2. So pumped to watch him grow up in front of us on Garden ice.

 

[ijuka]

I disagree completely with his Ratanen comparison. Kakko is the superior prospect. Being Finnish doesn't mean they are the same players/prospects. JD should expect, eventual Rantanen type of production... not doing cartwheels

I'd say he's somewhere in between Forseberg and Jagr.

Yeah. Kakko's from TPS and Rantanen is from TPS. So I guess that's why they're similar prospects in his mind. Kakko, however, is far ahead of Rantanen as a player for the equivalent age. I think Rantanen's AHL season actually was above expectations for him. For Kakko, I fully expect him to be playing in NHL in a major role right from the get go.

Pierre McGuire also said he was Swedish

Yep, said he's Swedish and talked about his production in the Swedish Elite League. A total embarrassment.