Hey all, in peace. What would you realistically want for Kakko? What are you looking for? Unlike Lafreniere, I think Kakko does a lot of things well, even if he isn’t likely to live up to his draft position. Our pipeline at wing is pretty barren, and we can use a legit young nhl forward right now, because our forward group other than Bedard is terrible. So there could be a fit if we have anything you’d (realistically) want that didn’t include our recent top picks. We also have a few extra 2nd’s this year, and Toronto’s 1st in 2025 that can easily be on the table.
Hey, all in peace -
What would you realistically want for Bedard?
Our top lottery picks havent really panned out and we could use a legit superstar in the making.
So there could be a fit there.
Jokes aside - If i was another GM i'd be all about adding Kakko to my roster. He wouldnt come with as much expectations and if you have space for a PP1 player give him a shot there. Otherwise he'd be a really good 3rd liner on a solid team who can play top 6 min.
Im not as down on Kakko as I am with Laffy, but after a very strong preseason his game has been frustratingly quiet and inconsistent (he isnt the only one)
As far as what it would take to get him?
I would think Drury would want a lot and no one should/would do that. Even IF they may see the writing on the wall with both Kakko and Laf, they are kinda stuck with them. With the current team they have and Shesty, they are in win-now mode. So you would want to replace these guys with veteran performers. They dont have cap space to add that. No one is giving away young talent. They arent stockpiling picks. Its obvious they arent going to start a half-assed rebuild/retool again. They dont believe in that. You would just be trading for trades sake or if the player wanted out.
I know a lot of fans want to boot Laf out of here, but are you really going to find an upgrade in return that actually plays in the NHL right now? And its a potential risk he could find it down the road. I mean if you clear space for Kane then maybe thats the reasoning. I dont know