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Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko

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Foxy said:
That's part of it, but I think acquiring Tarasanko has given Gallant an excuse to play the kid line even less. With the 15 games prior to the trade averaging 17:30 to only 15mins since. They were fine in the Seattle and Cane games and still saw reduced ice time.

It might be, hope he can stop this from becoming one of his typical 1 in 8 or scoreless in 5+ stretches'.
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I'm sure that Gallant spammed Panarin-Tro-Tara since they were put together but he should have. It's been 4+ periods, but they've been fire.

They had more ES minutes than Kreider, Zibanejad vs Calgary (In total, Chytil and Laf were over 17 and Kakko was just a touch under.) They got less in Vancouver bc they should have gotten less, they got less yesterday because that was the first objectively terrible game that they've played as a unit in a while.

They will have a game where they carry the offense again at some point. IF that happens and they get 13 minutes then it's something to complain about. Until then it's really just distributing the minutes as they really should be.
 
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I thought Lafreniere played well last night, but Kakko was really bad. Passing up shots, a turnstile in the neutral zone. Some of it was just a one off, things he's usually good at, but the total unwillingness to shoot is getting out of hand for me.
 
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TheDirtyH said:
I thought Lafreniere played well last night, but Kakko was really bad. Passing up shots, a turnstile in the neutral zone. Some of it was just a one off, things he's usually good at, but the total unwillingness to shoot is getting out of hand for me.
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Kakko was bad, Chytil was worse.

I don't even think Laf was good, he was just the best of the 3.

But yeah, sometimes he just needs to let it rip. It doesn't matter if it doesn't go in.
 
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TheDirtyH said:
I thought Lafreniere played well last night, but Kakko was really bad. Passing up shots, a turnstile in the neutral zone. Some of it was just a one off, things he's usually good at, but the total unwillingness to shoot is getting out of hand for me.
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I kind of agree he needs to shoot more, but he needs to be in a better position to do so. It's one of the weaknesses of the current approach the forwards don't shoot from higher up in the slot, Zib and sometimes Fil apart. The team had 50 shitty shots straight at Helleybuck's belly or pads from up close so what difference would 2-3 more have done? But yes, Kakko HAS to attack the open ice and the goal with purpose too, playing the o-zone possession game is fine *up to a point*. That game used to be his bread and butter but it's gone missing far too often. It's also a team issue. Boston eg is much better at working the o-zone setting up quality shots, that is something for the coaches to work on.
 
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Fitzy said:
I'd like for Kakko to be a bit more assertive on the man advantage. He almost always defers rather than trying to make the play himself. Ends up largely being a passenger/placeholder on the unit who isn't looking to directly create a play via pass, shot, or movement.

More confidence in his own game would help there.
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He at least is great at puck control , but yeah I don’t think he’ll ever be an alpha on the ice
 
Who did all the shooting v Jets? We posted a season high 50+ shots and I don’t think the kids had many of those at all
 
Row I Goon said:
Who did all the shooting v Jets? We posted a season high 50+ shots and I don’t think the kids had many of those at all
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Every Ranger except Goodrow recorded a shot. Tro lead the way with 8, Zib with 6, and then Chytil, Fox and Kreider with 5

Laf had 2, KK had 1, so their line had as many shots as Tro did
 
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LOFIN said:
What the f*** does that mean lol
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Means he’ll never be the one who wants the puck, who wants to drive to the middle and to score . He at least does a lot of other things well. But Laf is kind of the same way and now that Chytil is in a scoring funk there’s no one on that line who can turn all that possession into goals. Which is why I think the kid line should get split up but I know that will never happen
 
KirkAlbuquerque said:
Means he’ll never be the one who wants the puck, who wants to drive to the middle and to score . He at least does a lot of other things well. But Laf is kind of the same way and now that Chytil is in a scoring funk there’s no one on that line who can turn all that possession into goals. Which is why I think the kid line should get split up but I know that will never happen
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He's done that a lot more this season and I think will continue. I don't see Kakko as a perimeter player. Nobody on that line is.
 
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Kid line is slumping
It happens..
KK especially
Hopefully they r aloud to play out of the funk they're in as oppose to gg benching kk or putting laf on the 4th line or something else dumb.
 
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RagFinMet said:
Kid line is slumping
It happens..
KK especially
Hopefully they r aloud to play out of the funk they're in as oppose to gg benching kk or putting laf on the 4th line or something else dumb.
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I dont think they're slumping... they're getting some chances.

I'd give them a couple more games.
 
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CLW said:
I kind of agree he needs to shoot more, but he needs to be in a better position to do so. It's one of the weaknesses of the current approach the forwards don't shoot from higher up in the slot, Zib and sometimes Fil apart. The team had 50 shitty shots straight at Helleybuck's belly or pads from up close so what difference would 2-3 more have done? But yes, Kakko HAS to attack the open ice and the goal with purpose too, playing the o-zone possession game is fine *up to a point*. That game used to be his bread and butter but it's gone missing far too often. It's also a team issue. Boston eg is much better at working the o-zone setting up quality shots, that is something for the coaches to work on.
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I think he in general isn't willing to take a shot he isn't convinced he'll score on and it's a detriment to his game. He turns a strength to a weakness. Last night hellybuyk swallowed everything; if you can rip a shot low at his pads, that's how you create some chaos in the middle of the ice. Kakko and Zibanejad have the best wrist shots on the team as far as pure velocity and heaviness go, and both of them really failed themselves and the team last night in refusing to just shoot in order to try to loosen things up rather than pick the perfect shot which never came.
 
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He needs to pick up the urgency again. A lot of NHL players have physical skills. The difference between many are not physical. Its how they are used. He has had a solid season so far but can't start relaxing.
 
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Wanted him and Laf to hit 40 points this season in their roles this season and they both may do that.

Even if they both top out as 2nd line players- that's disappointing given their draft status, but it's still far better than having Pavel Brendl and Nail Yakupov.
 
Fitzy said:
Wanted him and Laf to hit 40 points this season in their roles this season and they both may do that.

Even if they both top out as 2nd line players- that's disappointing given their draft status, but it's still far better than having Pavel Brendl and Nail Yakupov.
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Only issue , with Kane and Tarasenko here, it’s going to knock one of them off the PP. Unless Gallant decides to go with 4F, and one D on the 2nd unit.
 
Fitzy said:
Wanted him and Laf to hit 40 points this season in their roles this season and they both may do that.

Even if they both top out as 2nd line players- that's disappointing given their draft status, but it's still far better than having Pavel Brendl and Nail Yakupov.
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I can't speak for Brendl that was before my time but Laf was considered a very good first overall. Yakupov was an underwhelming one even at the time of the draft. Given that the bar is a lot higher for Laf so he can be a bigger disappointment while being a better player.
 
SnowblindNYR said:
I can't speak for Brendl that was before my time but Laf was considered a very good first overall. Yakupov was an underwhelming one even at the time of the draft. Given that the bar is a lot higher for Laf so he can be a bigger disappointment while being a better player.
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Let's safely say he's 1000% better at everything Brendl wasn't good at. Brendl wouldn't have made it in the NHL. Lafreniere could be a very good middle six.
 
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My biggest problem with Kakko is not his skillset or his development, but how he plays. We've seen talented players do this before. Look at Jakob Silfverberg, and the highlight reel goals he'd score. Guy's never even put up 50 points in the league.

My problem with Kakko right now is that there was a brief stretch where this wasn't true, but in general:
-He is scared to take the puck hard to the net.
-He doesn't really win battles in front of the net despite improving strength.
-He plays like a third or fourth line grinder.
-He takes too long to release the puck, and his shot is still quite the muffin most of the time (except on the rare times he one times it).
-He's still slow as molasses.

I still see physical improvement to his game from the offseason, but nothing else, and he's reverting back to being a perimeter player, or a player that when he goes to the net without the puck, he's neutralized immediately and can't win the physical battle to get open again.
 
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