No… he’s just NOT “often” one of the better players on the team. The most often used description for Kakko is “utterly invisible” or “is he playing”. The kid line has essentially played decent, adequate, solid hockey for a 10 game stretch and people are losing their f***ing minds acting like these kids are “the best forwards on the team”. It’s utter bullshit and hyperbole. They are completely average, replacement level third liners, currently. In every way. Which makes them disappointing in every way. The idea that the production “will come” but that it isn’t a problem that “when” it’s supposedly going to come is apparently 2, 3, 4, 5+ years later than when it came for similar players isn’t a problem, and by no means an indication that they won’t reach nearly as a high of ceilings is laughable logic that is being employed only to insulate yourself from accepting the reality that KK is far more likely to be a 45 point third line player than he is to ever touch 70-80 points in a season. Far, far more likely.
Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko
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No… he’s just NOT “often” one of the better players on the team. The most often used description for Kakko is “utterly invisible” or “is he playing”. The kid line has essentially played decent, adequate, solid hockey for a 10 game stretch and people are losing their f***ing minds acting like these kids are “the best forwards on the team”. It’s utter bullshit and hyperbole. They are completely average, replacement level third liners, currently. In every way. Which makes them disappointing in every way. The idea that the production “will come” but that it isn’t a problem that “when” it’s supposedly going to come is apparently 2, 3, 4, 5+ years later than when it came for similar players isn’t a problem, and by no means an indication that they won’t reach nearly as a high of ceilings is laughable logic that is being employed only to insulate yourself from accepting the reality that KK is far more likely to be a 45 point third line player than he is to ever touch 70-80 points in a season. Far, far more likely.
God, this is going to hurt so much for you. Kakko is more likely to never hit 50 points than he is to ever hit 70 points. Chytil will almost assuredly never score more than 55. Lafreniere MAY have a couple of point per game seasons, but most likely tops out at 65-70.
You really think this kid line is just going to morph into a trio of point per game players despite every indication that they are woefully behind their peers? I admire the optimism, but one of us is being significantly more realistic than the other.
I get the arguements for chytil and kakko being behind their peers. absolutely 100%.
But Laf?
Laf clearly leaves the most hope among the 3, but he’s certainly, if not behind his peers, lost any lead he had from being the 1OA. Guys drafted later the same year and the year after have begun making impacts. Yes, everyone develops at their own pace but Laf wasn’t just 1OA, he was a kinda well hyped one, so he definitely is running out of runway before his peers start making him look bad.
Chytilmania
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I haven't watched Florida, but hasn't Laf been better than Lundell in the post season?
"Woefully behind their peers" is hyperbole and also irrelevant. What is relevant is their continuous growth. Where did 50 goal Krieder come from? Where did Panarin and Zib come from? Continuous growth and maturity. What Kreider calls "the process".
RagFinMet
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- Jan 5, 2019
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My biggest issue with KK is his mental strength. He shouldn't lose confidence so easily. He's mentally fragile.
But he's only 21 and this should improve as he matures.
My issue with this thread all the sudden getting popular after 2 poor games and a demotion makes me laugh.
We were ALL singing the praises of the kid line since game 3 of the first series.
Where were all the negative opinions about kk then?
This board changes with the wind
Most have too short memories
When Kk starts dominating u all cant suddenly change ur mind and start praising him
Noted: EJ said we should trade him yesterday so u r especially banned from jumping on the kakko wagon when he turns things around
Peace
But he's only 21 and this should improve as he matures.
My issue with this thread all the sudden getting popular after 2 poor games and a demotion makes me laugh.
We were ALL singing the praises of the kid line since game 3 of the first series.
Where were all the negative opinions about kk then?
This board changes with the wind
Most have too short memories
When Kk starts dominating u all cant suddenly change ur mind and start praising him
Noted: EJ said we should trade him yesterday so u r especially banned from jumping on the kakko wagon when he turns things around
Peace
I have a feeling alot of that comes from quinn and his yo-yo philosophy.My biggest issue with KK is his mental strength. He shouldn't lose confidence so easily. He's mentally fragile.
But he's only 21 and this should improve as he matures.
My issue with this thread all the sudden getting popular after 2 poor games and a demotion makes me laugh.
We were ALL singing the praises of the kid line since game 3 of the first series.
Where were all the negative opinions about kk then?
This board changes with the wind
Most have too short memories
When Kk starts dominating u all cant suddenly change ur mind and start praising him
Noted: EJ said we should trade him yesterday so u r especially banned from jumping on the kakko wagon when he turns things around
Peace
- Apr 16, 2012
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I just laughed my ass off at four pages of the same people typing tome after tome trying to convince everyone to give up on a highly regarded 21 year old player. Sensational negativity. Hope no one opens a wrist over it.
Meanwhile this team is playing with house money and all of these kids who were being labeled busts are playing good hockey for the most part and getting great experience that will further their development. So much good to talk about but… Some people just need to be miserable I guess.
Meanwhile this team is playing with house money and all of these kids who were being labeled busts are playing good hockey for the most part and getting great experience that will further their development. So much good to talk about but… Some people just need to be miserable I guess.
The part about kakko not being uber confident 24/7 yeah. Dude was his HC for his first two seasons and played games with his ice time...
After being a highly touted 2nd overall pick, and being someone who'd been raved about for what 2 seasons pre draft? Yeah i gotta imagine that messes with you.
Chytilmania
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I did not know that.
McDavid would have been an AHL-er if he had started his professional career under Quinn.
Peltz
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I think laf and Chytil have been better than “adequate”. They’ve each had a good playoff season so far.
Are they world beaters like Igor, Mika or Fox? No.
But have they been playing good playoff hockey like lindgren and motte? Yes.
bbny
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- Apr 12, 2019
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He took Brett Howden too. Obviously the year before Kakko was here.
But just think, gluten free waffle outtings with the coach his rookie season might have been the difference between Kaapo Jagr and what we see now. So close.
Row I Goon
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- Nov 14, 2018
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F@ck me - it sounds like some of you actually WANT to see the kids fail so you can crow about it on a hockey forum with an “I told you so”…..
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Fitzy
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The Sedins didn't break out until they were 23. They were stuck behind the legendary West Coast Express line and PP unit of Naslund, Morrison, Bertuzzi.
I think Laf can have a career like that. You see him promoted to the top PP unit and I have zero doubts he can be a 70 point guy.
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Hahaha. Nobody is going to give a shit in two years who was better at 20 years old 120 or so NHL games into their career. We have such an instant gratification culture.
… that wasn’t the point, at all. The point was that the list of players who break out in years 4/5 of their careers - especially top 5 draft picks who entered the league at 18/19, rather than guys who played in college or the AHL until they were older - is significantly shorter than the one of guys who have started to figure it out by now.
As Fitzy pointed out with the Sedins, it does happen, certainly. The point is that the number of top 3 picks who finish their ELC with a career high of of 23 points and then suddenly turn into top six players is pretty low. There aren’t really any solid indicators that anyone can point to that suggest Kakko is going to be more than a responsible third line/bottom six player right now. In fact the only thing you can point to that contradicts that is his draft pedigree which has not translated into the type of success typically seen from top 3 picks after three years in the league.
It has nothing to do with who is better now. It has to do with success so far being an indicator of where they should be in 3 more years. I’m not seeing anything that indicates Kakko is ever going to have a top six impact in this league at all.
Again, I don’t know why this means that I want him to fail to some of you. This is 100% how you would be analyzing a prospect on any other team that had Kakko’s draft pedigree + first three seasons. When you guys do it to other teams’ prospects your “just being honest” but when it comes to your own prospects you have some rose colored glasses. Apparently you’re not allowed to be honest about your own guys.
Speedtrials
Registered User
I do think there is another level there. I would hate to give up on him and see him reach it somewhere else. I know he doesn't have great speed, but besides that he has such a unique set of skills and size.
NYRFANMANI
Department of Rempe Safety Management
I hate the broken-record discussions, because it forces me to be a broken record too in my response.
Put Kakko on any team without any top-6 options, number will look different.
This guy got a paranoid coach for two years, logjams all over the place (top-6), on Broad-f***ing-way and so on.
Call it excuses, I call it logical.
I'm convinced some people just don't have the eye to see it. The smoothness in puck-control, how exceptional it is.
Like that pure magical silkness pass to Chytil, which was a 100%er, if it had not been for a desperation SAVE by Raanta.
That is a great example for HFNYR's crazyness btw. Some immediately started shitting on Chytil, as if we didn't just witness one ridiculous monster save. Just accept it, move on.
Put Kakko on any team without any top-6 options, number will look different.
This guy got a paranoid coach for two years, logjams all over the place (top-6), on Broad-f***ing-way and so on.
Call it excuses, I call it logical.
I'm convinced some people just don't have the eye to see it. The smoothness in puck-control, how exceptional it is.
Like that pure magical silkness pass to Chytil, which was a 100%er, if it had not been for a desperation SAVE by Raanta.
That is a great example for HFNYR's crazyness btw. Some immediately started shitting on Chytil, as if we didn't just witness one ridiculous monster save. Just accept it, move on.
But we’ve said the exact same thing so many times before. He looks just like Marcel Hossa. All the size and ability to control the puck, but no results.
Svechnikov jumped onto a playoff team that had Aho, Teravainen, Staal, Neiderreiter, Justin Williams (50+ points at the time) and didn’t suffer from being unable to find a role. Carolina was better than us. There was actually a blatant opening for Kakko in the top six and he has failed to grab it three years in a row. He was tried there and lost it to Fast. The next year he was tried there and lost it to Blackwell. This year he was tried there and lost it to Hunt.
All I’m saying is that if this situation were playing out on any other team, we would be watching from afar saying what a bust the player is. Instead we’re saying he’s playing GREAT. I’m not saying he’s a bust. I’m saying that you guys are also giving him way too much credit and leeway for simply playing NHL hockey. If this is the standard for what is “great” for Kakko than you should very much be prepared for him to be an Artturi Lehkonen clone. He has 2 points. He has been on the ice for 6 goals against. If that is the benchmark for great and fantastic I want to know what you have to do to be actually bad, let alone awful and also what labels we’re using for guys like Mika? Legendary? Immortal?
Fitzy
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When Kakko is on his game he more resembles late career Rick Nash than Marcel Hossa.
Hossa wasn't as defensively responsible.
We say this every offseason but Kakko needs to find a balanced weight between where he can still be effective at controlling the puck but also increase his footspeed to the level it needs to be at.
Hossa wasn't as defensively responsible.
We say this every offseason but Kakko needs to find a balanced weight between where he can still be effective at controlling the puck but also increase his footspeed to the level it needs to be at.
Cutting bait on a top draft choice is a dicey decision. There are cases where it was the right decision and examples where it was not. That’s why guys like Drury get paid big casino.
What I do know is that Gallant only has measured confidence in the player. That’s why he is on the fourth line and sees his ice time get cut. Kakko has had plenty of chances. He will have more.
I don’t advocate actively shopping the player but i do expect the Rangers to be open to offers. Remember that a year ago teams (not just Carolina) were calling Montreal on Kotkaniemi. I expect the same to be happening on Kaapo this summer.
What I do know is that Gallant only has measured confidence in the player. That’s why he is on the fourth line and sees his ice time get cut. Kakko has had plenty of chances. He will have more.
I don’t advocate actively shopping the player but i do expect the Rangers to be open to offers. Remember that a year ago teams (not just Carolina) were calling Montreal on Kotkaniemi. I expect the same to be happening on Kaapo this summer.
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