Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko

[HatTrick Swayze]

The fact that people's take away after tonight is to come in here and get down on Kakko after playing 8 min with Reaves and Rooney is honestly pretty hilarious. Doesn't even sniff the top 10 of problems with tonight.

 

[LokiDog]

The fact that people's take away after tonight is to come in here and get down on Kakko after playing 8 min with Reaves and Rooney is honestly pretty hilarious. Doesn't even sniff the top 10 of problems with tonight.

Why do you think it’s “this game”? It’s every game. He had a few good games, but he’s a non factor. If we played Hunt over him we likely wouldn’t notice a difference.

This is the type of defensiveness that has created the division in the Kakko talk. It’s not a knee jerk reaction to one game. It’s a cumulative, ever growing level of disappointment.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

The fact that people's take away after tonight is to come in here and get down on Kakko after playing 8 min with Reaves and Rooney is honestly pretty hilarious. Doesn't even sniff the top 10 of problems with tonight.

That's why i laugh when some people say "No, people aren't out against him" Yes, yes you are. Why aren't you in the Kreider thread? The Panarin thread? The Trouba thread? They all played like ass but let's go to the kakko thread and tell everyone he is a bust and we need to trade him because he didn't play well in his 8 minutes with Reaves and Rooney

 

[Cuckoo4Kakko]

That's why i laugh when some people say "No, people aren't out against him" Yes, yes you are. Why aren't you in the Kreider thread? The Panarin thread? The Trouba thread? They all played like ass but let's go to the kakko thread and tell everyone he is a bust and we need to trade him because he didn't play well in his 8 minutes with Reaves and Rooney

Ding ding ding. Went from "I don't hate him but let's stop saying the kid line was great" to every other post being from the same three people spouting the same negative garbage. It's hate. That's fine. But it is what it is. You outwardly hate a 21 year old on the team you root for. Cool. We get it.

 

[huerter]

Kakko oozes sisu. He'll be fine.

 

[QJL]

Kakko needs to be on a line with other skilled players doing what he does best or else he’s worthless. He’s currently in a role that doesn’t fit him with Rooney and Reaves working the boards and puck cycle. That is Kakko’s greatest skill - he’s excellent with puck possession along the boards. Get him back with the kids in the right role.

 

[SA16]

Contrasting that and his effort as a sophomore in his first playoff against others on this roster he has absolutely stood out in a positive way. No one is suggesting he is mcdavid.

I think he’s been good. I’ve also seen a lot of people who’ve said he’s been the best player on the team in the playoffs when he hasn’t been anywhere close to that.

 

[ZiGOODejad]

They need to just put the kid line back together

 

[Rangers in 7]

if anyone bitches about this kid and isnt in the kreider thread they need to be taken out back and beat to a pulp

 

[NickyFotiu]

His game right now is kind of like Fast. I'm not writing KK off but he has to find a way to produce. Laf and Chytil both look better but are also in that boat. Its time to produce. With that said we need much more from the first 2 lines as well. I give props to Zibs and Strome. They are giving more effort than a lot of the rest but its not enough. We literally need to buy the Oilers and then trade McDavid to us.

 

[Leonardo87]

I think Laf is going to be good, Kakko not so much. The people defending him need to take a break now. 3 seasons now and two playoff series, and meh.

He still may be a late bloomer, holding out hope for that , look at someone like Troy Terry. But he doesn’t have the skill set like Terry to do that though. That’s why I see Laf breaking out more even if he is also a late bloomer.

He lacks confidence, is not the best skater, and even though has a decent shot doesn’t know when to use it and his IQ in the Offensive zone is just not very high.

 

[will1066]

Come back next season for this kid. This year's a wash, he never got on track, and now it's playoff speed and intensity, so him being put on the fourth line is Gallant's way of saying, you're not playing bad to get scratched but we need Motte in that spot for extra speed and ability to battle. I think all of us can still agree on his lack of speed.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Stinko Sucko. Wanted him to be good, but he's not. ELC is up, he's a ripe target for an offer sheet since he's not worth over 2m. Rather trade him than have him sign one.

 

[PuckLuck3043]

I think Laf is going to be good, Kakko not so much. The people defending him need to take a break now. 3 seasons now and two playoff series, and meh.

He still may be a late bloomer, holding out hope for that , look at someone like Troy Terry. But he doesn’t have the skill set like Terry to do that though. That’s why I see Laf breaking out more even if he is also a late bloomer.

He lacks confidence, is not the best skater, and even though has a decent shot doesn’t know when to use it and his IQ in the Offensive zone is just not very high.

He will be fine. He played only 40 games this year so kind of a rough regular season. I thought he looked good against Pitt and was noticeable in a good way. He is not going to do much on a 4th line that gets less than 10 minutes and includes Reaves and Rooney. I think he will work hard this off season and come back ready to prove something. I would not be surprised if he puts up 50-60 points next season while playing great defense. It's ridiculous that some people are giving up on the kid.

 

[tomobson]

Hopefully Kakko is back on that third line next game. Unfortunately for the rangers, they have the kids line doing the job that is usually done by grizzled veterans. Maybe a more experienced Chytil and Kakko bury one or two more of the golden chances they've generated 5v5 and that would make all the difference in these past two series. The rangers needed these playoffs because it's made it abundantly clear that the team needs real centers. Crosby murdered Mika when he was healthy and Strome has been insignificant these playoffs. Mika and Strome are not centers a player like Kakko is going to find success with because he needs players that are wiling to build towards a goal. Mika is great at fighting for possession but once they have possession he stands still. Chytil is a lot better with Kakko but he might lack the skill to play at a 2nd line center level but his shooting percentage is also abnormally low this season so there might be some hope for him. Either way, Chytil is still cheap for another year and finding any center that can actually cycle and win faceoffs is desperately needed on this team and also desperately needed for Kakko.

 

[RagFinMet]

I love the "maybe he's a late bloomer" talk
He's 21!!!
Who ever comes close to their peak at 21???
You're screaming for production now from all the kids because we r in the hunt for the cup. BUT its unrealistic and quite silly to expect it just because we need it.
All 3 are years away from their peak
Most player's prime not named crosby, etc are what? Age 25-30?
These guys are 20,21,22
We r looking at 4-5 YEARS before they all enter their prime
Sadly my guess is only laf will be here by then

 

[DanielBrassard]

I love the "maybe he's a late bloomer" talk
He's 21!!!
Who ever comes close to their peak at 21???
You're screaming for production now from all the kids because we r in the hunt for the cup. BUT its unrealistic and quite silly to expect it just because we need it.
All 3 are years away from their peak
Most player's prime not named crosby, etc are what? Age 25-30?
These guys are 20,21,22
We r looking at 4-5 YEARS before they all enter their prime
Sadly my guess is only laf will be here by then

While it's true that players usually peak around 23-25, especially early 1st round picks who enter the league at 18 or 19, they also produce early on at a much higher baseline than where Kakko/Laf/Chytil have. At this point I think it's wise for people to adjust their expectations for what type of players these guys will be during their peak. I think that's the whole schism throughout this thread. Those who are less optimistic about these guys are being told to wait until their peak, OK fine but the question really is what can we expect from them at that time and unfortunately I think it's much less than what we would have expected when they were drafted.

 

[Synergy27]

Come back next season for this kid. This year's a wash, he never got on track, and now it's playoff speed and intensity, so him being put on the fourth line is Gallant's way of saying, you're not playing bad to get scratched but we need Motte in that spot for extra speed and ability to battle. I think all of us can still agree on his lack of speed.

I feel like this exact thing was said after each of his three seasons so far. Hopefully it ends up being correct eventually.

 

[will1066]

I feel like this exact thing was said after each of his three seasons so far. Hopefully it ends up being correct eventually.

My wife says I'm never correct. Take that what you will.

 

[Raspewtin]

My wife says I'm never correct. Take that what you will.

damn yours too?

 

[Inferno]

Kakko has the same amt of even strength goals as chytil... 1 less than. Lafreniere... 1 more than Ryan strome.

He's getting by far the fewest minutes per games of those guys.

Basically the same even strength assists as the other 2 young guys

The difference between kakko, chytil and lafreniere right now is that kakko missed an empty net that all of you are putting as proof that he sucks.

His advanced stats are solid as well.

 

[DanielBrassard]

My wife says I'm never correct. Take that what you will.

Don't listen to her.

 

[will1066]

Everyone,

I punched some algorithms and did some maths on my Computron 2000. For the 2025-26 season, Computron has concluded:

Lafreniere: 54G 51A 105 PTS

Kakko: 32G 35A 67 PTS

Chytil: 18G 57A 75 PTS

Unfortunately, Kakko plays for St. Louis and Chytil plays for Philadelphia.

 

[Lays]

Hate to say this, but his IQ in the offensive zone is insanely low. This is in regards to timing, anticipation, predicting puck travel, identifying gaps, and passing the puck to the best option. He always seems one step behind or late to spots, and it has nothing to do with speed. With his build, stickhandling, puck protection, and shot, there's really no excuse for him as a winger to have 27 goals in 171 career games. His defensive metrics were a nice bonus but he was drafted to score goals -- end of story.

I'll give him two more full seasons max, which will make it five seasons post-draft. By that point, one of Othmann, Kravtsov, or Kakko will be locked in the top six along with Kreider, Panarin, and Lafreniere. If Kakko can't crack the top six by the time he's 23, he'll either be traded or a useful checker.

No shot he gets two more seasons of playing like this. If he doesn’t improve dramatically next season, I’m talking pacing for bare minimum 40 points, he’ll be traded at the deadline for an upgrade.

If he’s still struggling and pacing for less than that it’s time to cut ties while he has value. Hell he might even take a year in Liiga like Puljujarvi did.

I love Kakko but his issues stem from himself. He just hasn’t made an effort to actually improve his game. Him being good defensively was a thing for like 2 weeks last season. We were all raving about his takeaways but no one wanted to mention that Jack Hughes led the league in that category. Also, his shot still might be the weakest and least accurate in the league.

He only wants to deke around goalies. Last season, only 1 of his goals came from shooting the puck through the goalie. Aside from that, all his goals were tap in’s or deke’d into the net. And the only goal he shot and scored on with a goalie in net was against Dustin Tokarski and Buffalo

He doesn’t make any effort to create plays, he just wants to spin around in the corner with the puck in the offensive zone. Even playing on the 4th line he has no willingness to be the facilitator.

I don’t think he utilizes his playmaking enough either. Kakko legit is an incredible passer/playmaker. Backhand cross ice saucer’s, floaters over the heads of defenseman, whatever you name he can do it. But as I mentioned whenever he gets the puck he takes it deep, spins around in the corners for 15 seconds making you think he’ll drive the net or create a chance, but then just passes it back to the point or dumps it down low when he has no more space. I’ve never actually seen him take it from the boards and just drive to the net, or create a lane for himself to shoot. It’s always pointless stick handling only to make the same play he would’ve made initially

In fact at this point, and as much as I hate to say it, I doubt Kakko ever becomes a legit 1st line winger. I still think the Nino Niederreiter comparison is spot on and I think everyone here will be thrilled if he can even get to that level.

There’s no more excuses for Kakko. 2 points in 15 playoff games. Pacing for 30 points a season about to enter his 4th year. He’s had his chances on every line

58 points in 157 games.

For reference, Jack Hughes had 56 points in 49 games this season. Jack also had 26 goals on the season which is enough to tie him with Kakko’s career goal total.

Kakko was advertised as the best goal scorer in the draft class, pure power forward with a high end shot and elite goal scoring instincts.

Jack Hughes was a small soft playmaker with his biggest weakness being his shot/goal scoring abilities.

 

[NYRFANMANI]

Kakko oozes sisu. He'll be fine.

What is sisu? You mean Zizou?