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Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko

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NYRfan39 said:
Maybe I am in the minority here with my take, but I simply do not see Kakko flourishing with the Rangers.
I was high on him in the past, but I don't see the improvements where they need to be.
I like his board work, hes very strong in there. He does the cut one way, cut the other way, and controls the puck. Its what he does after that I don't like. A) takes a poor angle shot. B) loses control of it. C) Forces a bad pass.

The Rangers as a whole play with really good flow and chemistry. When I see Kakko, hes usually killing the play or changing the flow. How often do you see him doing a touch pass. Its like he plays very reactive but doesnt really have great hockey IQ.

I think he would be a great fit on some other bottom dwelling teams. He busts his ass. He has a decent shot when hes wide open. Hes a great 1v1 player, great puck protection, but I dont think hes a great linemate.

Ive been a kakko fan up until this season, and while I see improvements, I dont see his game meshing with the Rangers flow at all.
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I agree totally, he hasn’t shown that he has improved in any of his areas of weakness. He doesn’t really play well off his linemates. Isn’t the type of player who’s going to make his linemates better.
 
mas0764 said:
Since his return from injury he's pacing for 24+ goals over 82 games. He's our fourth leading goal scorer at 5v5 per 60 at ES. Ahead of Mika. He needs to stop getting injured and stop getting jostled around and he needs to play on a functional 5v5 line with someone else, a center, who can put the puck in the net. If he gets those things I think he already hits 25-25-50. He was at 40 points last year at age 21.
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That's interesting. Is this over the entire year or only since the injury? Thanks.

He is a bit of an unusual player. I think he more that most would benefit from consistent linemates. I remember earlier in the year he would throw passes to Kreider or Mika in the O-zone that they wouldn't expect. Perhaps with more time he & his linemates would learn how to mesh with each other more consistently.
 
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NYR Viper said:
He routinely made Chytil and Lafreniere better last year.
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Yeah, he may not carry a line, but he's not been a drag on any line basically since his rookie season. Brodzinski still being in the lineup at all kind of flies in the face of Kakko being a play killer.

He definitely doesn't play a game that meshes with this roster. But what is this roster good at at 5v5...? getting saves? Kakko clearly needs to be on a PP unit to put up numbers. Moreso than a lot of guys. He's a player who needs reps and minutes, not just for himself, but for his linemates to learn his game and for him to learn their strengths. I mean, I'm reading people defend the Mika and Kreider duo for controlling the GF% even if not scoring much themselves, and with Kakko they were even better at it.

It does seem to be Kakko's fate that every time he's in a spot that works, it has to change for no reason. On the top line this year, he's moved because the line doesn't score, but it does control goal share. The line continues not to score (sans Wheeler RIP) but is said to be good because it controls goal share at a worse rate than when he was on it. The other player he's meshed with has been Cuylle, so long as they're with a center who isn't Nick Bonino. But of course, Cuylle gets moved off his other wing for no reason.

The only player he's got a long rapport with is Chytil and he's done for the season. IDK, I feel for the kid. Call it making excuses, but I'm not saying he's some franchise talent with bad luck. He's a better player than he gets credit for and he gets blamed for a lot he doesn't deserve IMO.
 
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mandiblesofdoom said:
That's interesting. Is this over the entire year or only since the injury? Thanks.

He is a bit of an unusual player. I think he more that most would benefit from consistent linemates. I remember earlier in the year he would throw passes to Kreider or Mika in the O-zone that they wouldn't expect. Perhaps with more time he & his linemates would learn how to mesh with each other more consistently.
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I'm quoting the most recent Larry Brooks article. I assume over the year.

It was actually talking about Cuylle. It was questioning why Cuylle has been demoted, given that he was the "fifth leading goal scorer at 5v5 per 60" behind Panarin, Kreider, Lafreniere and Kakko.
 
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NYRfan39 said:
Maybe I am in the minority here with my take, but I simply do not see Kakko flourishing with the Rangers.
I was high on him in the past, but I don't see the improvements where they need to be.
I like his board work, hes very strong in there. He does the cut one way, cut the other way, and controls the puck. Its what he does after that I don't like. A) takes a poor angle shot. B) loses control of it. C) Forces a bad pass.

The Rangers as a whole play with really good flow and chemistry. When I see Kakko, hes usually killing the play or changing the flow. How often do you see him doing a touch pass. Its like he plays very reactive but doesnt really have great hockey IQ.

I think he would be a great fit on some other bottom dwelling teams. He busts his ass. He has a decent shot when hes wide open. Hes a great 1v1 player, great puck protection, but I dont think hes a great linemate.

Ive been a kakko fan up until this season, and while I see improvements, I dont see his game meshing with the Rangers flow at all.
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Every line you put him on plays better. Hes not going to play the same finesse style as Artemi Panarin. Thats not his game.

Hes closer to a Jagr in style but obviously far less talented. That doesn’t mean he can’t evolve into a good top 6 guy.
 
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mas0764 said:
I'm quoting the most recent Larry Brooks article. I assume over the year.

It was actually talking about Cuylle. It was questioning why Cuylle has been demoted, given that he was the "fifth leading goal scorer at 5v5 per 60" behind Panarin, Kreider, Lafreniere and Kakko.
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The answer is… I have no idea.
 
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NYRfan39 said:
i agree he will be a 25/25 guy as well. I believe thats about his ceiling. To me, Laf is a completely different player. Kakko, aside from confidence, gets juggled around a lot because he really isnt the type of player that meshes well with anyone. Hes more of a strong 1v1 in the corner battles type of guy. Defensively he is good. I think he will be a solid 3rd/4th liner. Its his game. To me, to be on a top line, you have to have hockey IQ and solid individual skills. He has the skills, just not the IQ. Hes in his own world when I see him with the puck.
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Mediocre skating and (at best) medicore instincts are not a good recipe for success.

Agreed.

mas0764 said:
He gets on streaks but he really needs another player who can score on his line so he can get some assists.

Like maybe Chytil.
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Eh, I wouldn't bother meshing him with Chytil (that is if Chytil ever even plays again). I love Chytil but he's not a long term Ranger. One more concussion and he likely retires.
 
KK is a 22 year old good third line player
And he's paid accordingly unlike some of our players
He will improve over the years(hard to currently with 11 mins a game)
I dont see him improving into a top 6 player on this team however
He is too slow to be on a rush line
But paired with Cuylle and a center like Chytil who brings speed and goal scoring and cycles(this is key), then i think we have a great 3rd line for the next decade.
I'm not sure Chytil will play again so the key is will one of our kids be able to fit between Cuylle and KK.
Drury may just decide that if in fact KK's ceiling is a great 3rd liner then maybe he moves on from him trying to find a top 6 option as we seem to have plenty of 3rd liners coming up through the system..
We shall see..
 
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Cuckoo4Kakko said:
4 game point streak playing 11 minutes per game with Brod stapled to him. Lets complain!!! HE NEEDS TO DO MORE!
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That doesnt mean much. If you want to do stats, look at his points total, in year 5 of the NHL. he has 18 points. 18! including the 4 point streak. I wasnt even using his stats against him in my original post.
Watching him play is what made it obvious to me. He isnt a good fit on THIS team. He plays his own game. He does not adapt well with his teammates. Would he have more points if he played with Panarin? obviously, anyone would. THere is a reason he gets bounced around so much between lines. Literally no chemistry with anyone. Roslovic has way more chem with 20 and 93 than kakko has.
I want kakko to succeed. Id rather see him elsewhere where he can play top line minutes and build his confidence and build of that, but I dont see his ceiling as a top 6. What worked for him in juniors isnt good enough at the NHL level.

If the Rangers keep him, fine, Hed make a great grinder forward on the 3rd/4th line.
If they trade him, hopefully other teams value him as high as some of you folks do.
 
IDvsEGO said:
I don’t need him to be.
Even 50 pts with his defense is a great top 6 guy.
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They don’t need him to be right this second.

Someday Panarin and Kreider won’t be here anymore and then it would be nice.

And actually if he was that player right now they would be Cup favorites so… define “need.” They might need it now.

But if he ends up 25-25-50 with high end defense I will still call him my boo.
 
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With that goal, Kakko is currently averaging his highest goals per game of his career. Yes, despite his abysmal first 20 games and all the time he missed.

He’s averaging 0.236 goals per game. Career high was 0.22 last year. So there’s some positive there.
 
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Cuckoo4Kakko said:
Fun to see bad takes look bad in real time. He’s playing well. Sorry guys. I know you all want to be right. Instead, be happy for the player and the team. 5 game point streak.

Look at the GDT. He wills the team back and half the posts are negative. We’ve got some TERRIBLE fans.
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Im a terrible fan bc i think Kakko is mediocre at best?

Cool now he has 19 points in year 5.

UserName checks out
 
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Good on him for scoring some goals lately, but the overall limitations he has still exist. He is what he is and that’s fine but the constant needling every time he puts up a point is ridiculous.
 
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