I'll probably catch hell for this, but how much has Kaprizov improved the past two years learning from Zuccarello as his team/line mate?
Kakko's draft strength was elusivenwss and puck control in tight quarters along the boards. Sounds like the same game as a diminutive ex-fan favorite around here. Who taught Zucc how to maximize that part of his game? Can we aquire that coach?
I believe there is some validity to your concern that NYR is trying to reinvent Kakko into a player he isn't, that doesn't best utilize the way his brain processes the game.
If that's the case, shame on NYR. Get the kid the help he needs, to be the best he can be, instead of trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole.
I compared Kakko to Kovalev in a lot of ways. Kovalev thrived on controlling the puck down low and on the boards. Kakko does a lot of the same shifty elusive things with the puck Kovalev did. There was a language barrier. Kovalev was misunderstood a lot as is Kakko. And the Rangers specifically Kennan, tried fitting Kovalev a round peg into a square hole demanding he become a checking player instead of the finess player he was. Eventually the "enigmatic" "wanting more" labels hit Kovalev and they traded him to Pittsburgh where he immediately became an elite player. Having Lemieux and Jagr didn't hurt, but the Rangers had plenty themselves.
Kakko reminds me a lot of a young Kovalev's situation. Kakko comes in with all this skill, and the Rangers instantly peg him as something he isn't, a power forward in a checking role.
This is historically a repeating theme with the Rangers and young forwards. Always trying to make them into something they're not. And the fans more often than not buy into the Rangers PR bullshit when a player "has attitude issues" or "isn't developing right" so on. Maybe after so many decades of ineptitude in developing young forwards you'd think it's not the players but the organization in how they approach developing the players.
Take Lafreniere for example. Kid should have been on PP1 from day one. He excels in the offensive zone being creative with the puck. Naturally the Rangers completely deny him any PP time and bury him on line 3 and demand he become a defensive forward.
They've done it repeatedly. With many young forwards. It's like a broken record. And every time it happens media and fans are wondering why and put all the blame on the player.
Lias had his issues for sure, but the player was vocal in how he was treated behind the scenes, he said he was bullied. I believe it. Kravtsov. Duclair was at least traded for a good player but still the narrative was a bust, he showed he wasn't elsewhere. Miller "attitude problem" seemed to work just fine for Vancouver. Amonte, Kovalev. Zherdev lead the team in points for a couple of years "diva".
Whatever narrative the Rangers want to drum up about a player when they fail to properly recognize the player's individual needs to develop. But all you have to do is watch and the Rangers nonsense falls apart at the seams.
Right now, the Rangers need Lafreniere and Kakko to become what they can. The players are doing the work. It's on the Rangers to make sure they give these two the opportunity in the situations they need to develop into what they can become. Blocking them from consistent PP1 time and demoting them after every little mistake is exactly how to stifle their development.
I understand they just shelled out a 7 year contract for a guy they probably misjudged to be elite. But Lafreniere and Kakko are infinitely more vital to the Rangers success than Trocheck ever will be. So when we see Lafreniere and Kakko getting denied PP1 time and they have far less productivity than we expect, don't wonder why.
