Look, you can laugh all you want about it.
Kakko always has and does have all the tools, the brains, the size, the strength to become an absolute monster in this league for a long time. His game isn't dependent on depreciating qualities that Hughes has as they age.
Kakko is going to fill out and his legs and hips are going to be damn near impossible for midgets like Hughes to knock him off the puck.
Hughes has hands and he's fast, I'll grant him that. But every mother f***er coming out of every draft in every round has that these days. Not every one has the package Kakko does.
The pundits, who generally always talk out their ass, said Kakko would be the one more ready while Hughes develops but it's ALWAYS the opposite way around with these two types of players. The guy with the frame always needs more time to fill it out. The small fast guy is always the small fast guy until his body breaks down and then he's just the small guy. Guys like Kakko once they fill out can play the game a long time like Jagr, Malkin, Nash...
Don't agree, that's fine. I believe, and always have, even before the draft, that Kakko in his mid to late 20s will be the better player and then in their 30s will be the one continuing his career as the smaller guy phases out because his legs aren't what they were.
Kakko's issues right now are a dipshit coach who prioritizes the scrubs that remind him of his scrub self over high draft picks, and he's been incredibly unlucky with his shots hitting every molecule and atom on their way to the net.
No fault of their own, I know people these days want instant gratification, but look out a few years. Kakko's ability to handle and control the puck by a Rangers pick down low hasn't been seen since Kovalev. This kid is going to be a beast once his face pubes start growing and he becomes a man. Hughes will always be a scrawny little bitch even after his speed stops being his biggest weapon.
theathletic.com
