The overwhelming majority of this board was happy with the pick and wanted him.
He looked VERY good in his rookie year considering his age and physical readiness.
There’s so much revisionism it’s crazy. He was really good in the playoffs for us. He had a lot going for him but he completely stagnated.
We were pretty damn pumped to have him with CC and Suzuki but he just never got better. He had moments of being an absolute bull in the O zone, forechecking and puck possession wise.
I remember "wanting" Zadina that draft, i seem to recall many posters in here trashing Tkachuk, like he was this overrated slow winger. Admitedly I never really started self-scouting until 2020, i used to just look at stats, and read reviews.
But when they drafted KK i was happy too, thinking he might be a Kopitar... year 1 he played great, brimming with confidence which gave him a decent y2 start, even radio here in Toronto talked about him..
He always look "wobbly" i thought that he just needed to grow into his body.. but man he must have pissed off MT bc he basically became 4th line bust by the y3.
My guess is, he just wasnt that smart, likeable sure, but clearly low iq.
This is why interviews are sooo important. I can say with 100% certainty that KK would not have been selected by HUGO.. and this is why having intellect as your GM can make or break a team..
MB simply didn't have the intellect to recognize when a player answers questions you can tell who they are (nothing to do with the q/a).. it explains the woefully inept 1st rnd busts all happened around his tenure.
If I was a gambling man, i would have put alot of money down on MB picking Michkov, Wright etc..
Which is why after seeing Slaf this year, i know Reinbacher was the right choice.