Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko

[LOFIN]

If Kakko turns out to be a 70 point, 2 way monster I’ll absolutely take that.

Val Nichuskin got into that form at the age of 26. I don't think we'll have to wait that long for Kakko.

 

[QJL]

IMO he's going to be a better player than Hughes. Hughes puts up points because he's put on the ice for every situation. He gets a ton of ice time. Always has. He's been getting 19+ minutes since his rookie season.

Kakko is elite defensively. Stronger. Bigger. Has more ability to control and protect the puck down low.

If Kakko and Lafreniere were getting more PP time and more ice time overall they'd also be putting up more points.

I’m sorry but Hughes is ALREADY a top 10 center in the league. He is the best player on a top 2 team so far this season. He’s absolutely dynamic and has outstanding underlying metrics (which he had last year as well). He’s also above average defensively already.

Hughes is 100% unequivocally going to be better than Kakko. His ceiling is a top 5 player in the league.

This is painful to write.

 

[LOFIN]

I’m sorry but Hughes is ALREADY a top 10 center in the league. He is the best player on a top 2 team so far this season. He’s absolutely dynamic and has outstanding underlying metrics (which he had last year as well). He’s also above average defensively already.

Hughes is 100% unequivocally going to be better than Kakko. His ceiling is a top 5 player in the league.

This is painful to write.

I may concede that he's going to be better than Kakko, I think pretty much everyone here agrees on that. But I do take serious issue on the bolded claims.

 

[QJL]

I may concede that he's going to be better than Kakko, I think pretty much everyone here agrees on that. But I do take serious issue on the bolded claims.

Better centers:

McDavid
Matthews
Draisaitl
MacKinnon
Crosby
Barkov
Bergeron
Thompson
Eichel

I have Hughes right above Point, Zibanejad, Pettersson, Hintz, Aho, and Barzal.

He’s the best center in the league 24 and under at age 21. His ceiling is enormous.

 

[LOFIN]

Better centers:

McDavid
Matthews
Draisaitl
MacKinnon
Crosby
Barkov
Bergeron
Thompson
Eichel

I have Hughes right above Point, Zibanejad, Pettersson, Hintz, Aho, and Barzal.

He’s the best center in the league 24 and under at age 21. His ceiling is enormous.

I would take Hintz and Point before him still. But you can make the argument for him being in the top-10 so I take that back.

But a top-5 player? Nah, don't buy it. I don't think he surpasses the 4 centers on that list, and then you start add in the wingers and defencemen...

He's a damn good player now and going to get even better. But in the absolute top tier of the league? I still don't buy it.

 

[GAGLine]

I’m sorry but Hughes is ALREADY a top 10 center in the league. He is the best player on a top 2 team so far this season. He’s absolutely dynamic and has outstanding underlying metrics (which he had last year as well). He’s also above average defensively already.

Hughes is 100% unequivocally going to be better than Kakko. His ceiling is a top 5 player in the league.

This is painful to write.

Who cares? We didn't have the option of picking him.

 

[QJL]

Who cares? We didn't have the option of picking him.

Well, I’m in an online forum where people are arguing Kaapo Kakko is going to be better than Jack Hughes, so I commented.

 

[LOFIN]

Who cares? We didn't have the option of picking him.

From the objective POV, it's ludicrous because even if some people said (and there were plenty, myself included) that Kakko will be the better player, in the end the picks went this way and no harm done. People make wrong assessments, but this time it didn't cost a thing. Same can't be said about the Flyers in the 2017 draft for an example...

But the shit throwing will continue forever, because it's the Devils vs Rangers. And that's a good thing. Not all things in rivalries need to make sense.

In the end, we should feel bad for Jack and the Devils fans because of this:

 

[GENESISPuck94]

This is wishful thinking. KK doesn't look anything close to a 100 pt player that drives play like Hughes does. Please for everyone's sake never express this opinion on the main boards.

Hughes isn't a 100 point player. So I don't see the relevance. He's off to a hot start as is that whole team. Let's see how sustainable that is. And we will see how they are when they're in their primes. Kakko's defense is light-years better. His size and strength is ahead. He hasn't had the same opportunities.

 

[IceColdOx]

Hughes isn't a 100 point player. So I don't see the relevance. He's off to a hot start as is that whole team. Let's see how sustainable that is. And we will see how they are when they're in their primes. Kakko's defense is light-years better. His size and strength is ahead. He hasn't had the same opportunities.

He's not going to wow us points wise. However, he's improved so much on defense. They just need to trust him on the opposing zone more.

 

[IDvsEGO]

Well, I’m in an online forum where people are arguing Kaapo Kakko is going to be better than Jack Hughes, so I commented.

I think kakko will be able to do things hughes cannot. Hughes is running up points. and is flying. The panthers did the same thing last year.

They then absolutely got destroyed in the playoffs. Hughes is tiny, and tiny players don't do famously well in the playoffs.

Kakko did well in the playoffs last year, and he's looking even better now. Kakko is better defensively than hughes is now. Thats not to say I think kakko will ever put up the offensive numbers hughes does, but I think kakko will shrink the gap quickly enough. I think the offensive comparison is probably going to be better between laf and hughes eventually.

 

[mas0764]

If he works hard on his shot, like all the elite goal scorers do, I can see him potting 50 occasionally.

50 goals?

 

[mas0764]

Kakko is my boy but we are 4 years in now and he’s still at 0.3ppg and he’s been jerked around by two coaching staffs. Sometimes you don’t recover from that.

Maybe panning out only looks like a 25-25 player which is still way ahead of his D+4 pace right now. But if that’s all he turns into we are still f***ed because we needed him and Laf and another young center to be named to turn into superstars and right now we are 0 for 3.

 

[duhmetreE]

50 goals?

yeah like Chris Kreider

 

[LeetchisGod]

IMO he's going to be a better player than Hughes. Hughes puts up points because he's put on the ice for every situation. He gets a ton of ice time. Always has. He's been getting 19+ minutes since his rookie season.

Kakko is elite defensively. Stronger. Bigger. Has more ability to control and protect the puck down low.

If Kakko and Lafreniere were getting more PP time and more ice time overall they'd also be putting up more points.

I doubt it. Hughes has elite skating and playmaking. He also plays a more important position.

 

[QJL]

I think kakko will be able to do things hughes cannot. Hughes is running up points. and is flying. The panthers did the same thing last year.

They then absolutely got destroyed in the playoffs. Hughes is tiny, and tiny players don't do famously well in the playoffs.

Kakko did well in the playoffs last year, and he's looking even better now. Kakko is better defensively than hughes is now. Thats not to say I think kakko will ever put up the offensive numbers hughes does, but I think kakko will shrink the gap quickly enough. I think the offensive comparison is probably going to be better between laf and hughes eventually.

Kakko is definitely a built for the playoffs with his style, but small forwards have been very successful recently. Kucherov, Point, Guentzel, and Marchand have been 4 of the best playoff forwards for quite some time now.

 

[ThirdEye]

If Kakko was in his D+4 season and was approaching his mid-20's I'd be worried. He's 21

Kakko to me looks like a prototypical late bloomer. Especially late because he joined a playoff team.

Will he ever live up to his pre-draft hype? I think at this point it's safe to say no, but I'd wager money on him becoming at least a player of Buchnevich's caliber in 2-3 years. He's already a bull at 205lbs and will only get stronger and his confidence will keep growing

 

[TheGortonConspiracy]

Half a page on Jack Hughes. Who f***ing cares it's a hypothetical we won the #2 pick and took Kaapo it's time to move on from fantasy land

The kid has played very well this season. GG needs to keep him with Mika, somehow that elevates his game big time

 

[egelband]

If Kakko converted 0.01% of all the chances he generates he’d score 57 goals a year.

If just 1% of KK’s HD chances went in he’d have over 100 goals already. I did the math. Don’t bother checking.

 

[Jaska]

If just 1% of KK’s HD chances went in he’d have over 100 goals already. I did the math. Don’t bother checking.

5700 by that math. "If Kakko converted 0.01% of all the chances he generates he’d score 57 goals a year."

 

[tbassler]

5700 by that math. "If Kakko converted 0.01% of all the chances he generates he’d score 57 goals a year."

jumala outa.

You didn't graduate at the top of your class, did you?

 

[Jaska]

If just 1% of KK’s HD chances went in he’d have over 100 goals already. I did the math. Don’t bother checking.

Compared to earlier post converting 0,01% of changes to 57 goals, he would score 5700 goals converting 1%.

 

[The S5]

Kakko is my boy but we are 4 years in now and he’s still at 0.3ppg and he’s been jerked around by two coaching staffs. Sometimes you don’t recover from that.

Maybe panning out only looks like a 25-25 player which is still way ahead of his D+4 pace right now. But if that’s all he turns into we are still f***ed because we needed him and Laf and another young center to be named to turn into superstars and right now we are 0 for 3.

Being in his D+4 is irrelevant. He is only 21 years old! If people can't see this kids potential and skillset, I really have lost hope.
Look at a kid like Tage Thomspon. He's 25 and it took him until his D+5 season to start putting up points. Was he a bad player earlier or does it take time to develop? Not every player comes into the NHL ready to break out.

 

[egelband]

Compared to earlier post converting 0,01% of changes to 57 goals, he would score 5700 goals converting 1%.

I think this is right. Just a tiny bit of puck luck…!

 

[Fitzy]

Being in his D+4 is irrelevant. He is only 21 years old! If people can't see this kids potential and skillset, I really have lost hope.
Look at a kid like Tage Thomspon. He's 25 and it took him until his D+5 season to start putting up points. Was he a bad player earlier or does it take time to develop? Not every player comes into the NHL ready to break out.

And even if he doesn't find another gear offensively, he is a very solid 3rd line RW. He plays great defense, holds the puck, and makes our team better.

If he was a 3rd round draft pick named John Sehorn we'd be thrilled with what we were getting from him as a two way winger. Unfortunately where he was picked and perhaps the overhyping of him early on based on performances in a slower league will always tarnish that image based on what could have been- I think we were all hoping at least for a 30-30-60 forward.

Ryan Murray never really lived up to his billing as the 2nd overall pick, but he has had a long and successful NHL career as a #5 defenseman.