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Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko

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Row I Goon said:
Watching the game again I like the new improved Kaako - getting in good positions, not afraid to shoot. The first goal was moving in from higher in the slot, Sandstrom wasn’t screened but KKs release was so quick it beat him. Second was a Kreider special from almost point blank. Hoping it’s not an anomaly and he continues putting up points.
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He backed up 2-3 feet nicely on the second one. Went from on top of the goalie with no room to shoot to prime position, and he did it right as Chytil was passing so no chance for the D to have him completely covered. If he just parked himself in a shooting spot waiting for Chytil's pass then he would have been covered. Need to keep shifting positions and end up in the right spot at the right time, not easy and takes smarts. Subtle things to being a successful NHLer, good signs.
 
Mugless said:
Seems pretty clear that no kids will be in the top six for the playoffs.
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Not all to happy about it, but we are very deep atm, even with Motte out.

Issue is, Laf-Goods-Kakko was terrible, Chytil worked way better on the line ... which would put Laf on the 4th ... and we don't know if he can effectively play that role (1st OV pick, kid better be ready, jk not a hater)

I can't see Chytil on the 4th line. He's on fire lately.
 
will1066 said:
Not a good idea to put Chytil with Panarin. This current straight-line Chytil is the best version of Chytil, and that's how he should be to have an NHL career as a tweener 3C/2C. Put Chytil with Panarin, and he might regress to being an east-west Midtown Globetrotter like Breadman, who can get away with it because of his otherworldly skill set. Chytil is no Panarin.
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Straight line Chytil is the best Chytil. His best fit is actually with Kreider and Zibanejad (if we are talking about line shuffling)
 
romba said:
He backed up 2-3 feet nicely on the second one. Went from on top of the goalie with no room to shoot to prime position, and he did it right as Chytil was passing so no chance for the D to have him completely covered. If he just parked himself in a shooting spot waiting for Chytil's pass then he would have been covered. Need to keep shifting positions and end up in the right spot at the right time, not easy and takes smarts. Subtle things to being a successful NHLer, good signs.
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Kakko still doesn’t have his man strength the way Kreider does, but he’s got almost as much physical ability to be in those down and dirty areas, but he’s also got better hands.
 
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IDvsEGO said:
His best fit is with Kreider and Kakko probably. I don’t want him on the wing.
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He’s always played well with Kreider. Don’t think it matters if he is on the wing or not. he is basically a utility forward for them. He’s has not shown he is the answer as top six center but he still can be a nice piece as long as his contract is in check.

I don’t think Kakko is a good fit on that line though. He can’t keep up with them. It’s hard to find a good spot for Kakko. He isn’t a fit with Kreider and Zibanejad. Don’t think he has looked great with Panarin and Strome either except in preseason either.

I still think he makes the most sense with Goodrow, and there is nothing wrong if he starts being used more defensively. Is Chytil the right center for that? Maybe? Still doesn’t feel like the puzzle pieces fit together in the bottom six.
 
romba said:
He backed up 2-3 feet nicely on the second one. Went from on top of the goalie with no room to shoot to prime position, and he did it right as Chytil was passing so no chance for the D to have him completely covered. If he just parked himself in a shooting spot waiting for Chytil's pass then he would have been covered. Need to keep shifting positions and end up in the right spot at the right time, not easy and takes smarts. Subtle things to being a successful NHLer, good signs.
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He had a couple other good shots and a really nice pass to chytil he couldn’t finish on. I really think Laf/Chytil/Kakko could be a good line. All 3 players have improved significantly since last season, which can happen when you’re 19/20 years old. This is Laf’s 1st full season and Kakko still hasn’t really had a full season bc of the pandemic and injuries.
 
Really happy for Kakko too.

He obviously was finding his way the first two games getting back into the flow.

After he hit that crossbar I was like "oh man, that wouldve been great for his confidence. Damn." Then the seas part and he rifles one home. Good strong shot if there was any doubt about his wrist.

He did look a little meatier in the presser. Gallant said he put on some muscle. I did notice a patch or something under his form fitting shirt. Maybe something to do with Celiacs. There is always this weird mystery about his health, especially after how long he was out.

Whatever. Love the slapper he threw in there as well. Really hoping he builds on this game and the next thing I'd like to see over the course of the next few games is his puck possession on the wall. He still is getting his hands/feet/conditioning timing back. That is to be expected.

The thing about him I keep coming back to is its really hard for me to give up on him. I know what he is capable of and its pretty damn magical. Im willing to be as patient as possible with him, especially this season given the time hes been out. Hope the coaching staff is too
 
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he looked pissed off last night. didn't even seem happy when he scored. he needs to keep that going.
 
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Savant said:
He’s always played well with Kreider. Don’t think it matters if he is on the wing or not. he is basically a utility forward for them. He’s has not shown he is the answer as top six center but he still can be a nice piece as long as his contract is in check.

I don’t think Kakko is a good fit on that line though. He can’t keep up with them. It’s hard to find a good spot for Kakko. He isn’t a fit with Kreider and Zibanejad. Don’t think he has looked great with Panarin and Strome either except in preseason either.

I still think he makes the most sense with Goodrow, and there is nothing wrong if he starts being used more defensively. Is Chytil the right center for that? Maybe? Still doesn’t feel like the puzzle pieces fit together in the bottom six.
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I
Savant said:
He’s always played well with Kreider. Don’t think it matters if he is on the wing or not. he is basically a utility forward for them. He’s has not shown he is the answer as top six center but he still can be a nice piece as long as his contract is in check.

I don’t think Kakko is a good fit on that line though. He can’t keep up with them. It’s hard to find a good spot for Kakko. He isn’t a fit with Kreider and Zibanejad. Don’t think he has looked great with Panarin and Strome either except in preseason either.

I still think he makes the most sense with Goodrow, and there is nothing wrong if he starts being used more defensively. Is Chytil the right center for that? Maybe? Still doesn’t feel like the puzzle pieces fit together in the bottom six.
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I think Chytil as a 2/3c would be absolutely fine and he may be that guy who needs another couple years to put everything together. I don’t want to move him though because all the talent is there.

Kakko and fil work well and fil has a ton of speed.

What I’d love to see is gallant to rest one of the top 2 lines, let the kids get that 18 minute game. Just figure it out.
 
NYRFANMANI said:
This is all about confidence and comfortableness with Kakko. He tore up mostly anything he touched in his career. Every player has to take his time getting comfy in the best league in the world.

JT Miller always had the tools, didn't have the proper mentality. Next year, with a big boy contract Kakko will (slowly) start unleashing.

Also Kemell didn't get to break/sniff Kakko's records in the Liiga, thankfully.
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He hasn't been healthy either. Chytil and Kakko have had great chemistry going back to last year. IIRC they're also good friends. I really don't have much doubt in Kakko. I think he's pretty much become a player who can play with anyone and make them better. As he gets more icetime, powerplay time eventually--and staying healthy is a big part of that--he'll have the puck on his stick more often and I think once he does, he'll take over just like he has at every other level.
 
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Inferno said:
This wasn't about kakko playing well because.lafreniere wasn't there...it was about kakko playing well because chytil was there.
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chytil can frustrate because he really does have the attributes to be a top 6 center, but even if its not all there, he still is a puck transporter. dude is fast and has a powerful skating stride. he also comes down low defensively to receive the puck and get it up the ice. makes it a lot easier for the wingers on his line to do their thing when they are getting up the ice and attacking with puck possession.
 
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will1066 said:
Not a good idea to put Chytil with Panarin. This current straight-line Chytil is the best version of Chytil, and that's how he should be to have an NHL career as a tweener 3C/2C. Put Chytil with Panarin, and he might regress to being an east-west Midtown Globetrotter like Breadman, who can get away with it because of his otherworldly skill set. Chytil is no Panarin.
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I wouldn't disagree. I was thinking more from the perspective of what would be best for Laf and Kakko. Those guys are the more important investment.
 
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ecemleafs said:
chytil can frustrate because he really does have the attributes to be a top 6 center, but even if its not all there, he still is a puck transporter. dude is fast and has a powerful skating stride. he also comes down low defensively to receive the puck and get it up the ice. makes it a lot easier for the wingers on his line to do their thing when they are getting up the ice and attacking with puck possession.
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Important to note that Chytil is still younger than Zib when we acquired him. This is a guy who has played a lot of NHL hockey already despite being so young. Sometimes it can harm the fanbases view of a player when they've seen them quite often due to them playing in the NHL from such a young age.

I'm confident that all 3 of Chytil, KK & Laf will be very good NHL players for quite some time.
 
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ecemleafs said:
chytil can frustrate because he really does have the attributes to be a top 6 center, but even if its not all there, he still is a puck transporter. dude is fast and has a powerful skating stride. he also comes down low defensively to receive the puck and get it up the ice. makes it a lot easier for the wingers on his line to do their thing when they are getting up the ice and attacking with puck possession.
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This to me is the (theoertical) key: Chytil is a puck transporter, which Kakko is not (he wasn't even in Turku), Kakko should be great at posession down low and getting to the net. He also could bring some defensive awareness to the duo. On paper, they should work.
 
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TheDirtyH said:
He hasn't been healthy either. Chytil and Kakko have had great chemistry going back to last year. IIRC they're also good friends. I really don't have much doubt in Kakko. I think he's pretty much become a player who can play with anyone and make them better. As he gets more icetime, powerplay time eventually--and staying healthy is a big part of that--he'll have the puck on his stick more often and I think once he does, he'll take over just like he has at every other level.
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Laf/chytil/Gauthier had really good underlying numbers. Maybe replacing Gauthier with kakko could turn those chances into goals.
 
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dshea19 said:
I wouldn't disagree. I was thinking more from the perspective of what would be best for Laf and Kakko. Those guys are the more important investment.
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Chytil transports between the blue lines, kakko with Chytil is the corner and down low specialist, Laf is the all-around guy and "elite grinder" on that line. I want this Kid Line to happen. What's really encouraging is that the long layoff didn't make Kakko hesitant to go into the slot area. His 2 goals were because he continued to go to middle and the net. He also hit the post just before his 1st tally.
 
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NYR Viper said:
I'd prefer to see:

Panarin-Copp-Kaako
Kreider-Zibanejad-Vatrano
Lafreniere-Strome-Chytil
Hunt-Goodrow-Rooney

But we'll never see the breakup of Strome/Panarin. In saying that, that's playing the teams best 4 centers they have
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Not bad just give me Motte for either Rooney or Hunt when he's ready to come back. He will be a pain in the ass to play against in the playoffs.
 
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