Hate to say this, but Kakko doesn't look like a "massive bust", especially considering so many forwards from that draft class have struggled. He just lacks that top gear + dynamism.
What's hard for people, I think, is to watch Barkov dominate despite also seeming to lack that top gear. It's really difficult to project that kind of thing looking at stats alone, especially 18 y/o stats. Meanwhile Sebastian Aho, who *has* that gear, produced in his draft year not unlike Brad Lambert has this year. Weird, right?
Raty looks like a safe top-9 forward prospect right now, I think, because he's doing NHL-style things. He's winning battles, and finding open teammates around the net. He's crashing the net to chip in rebounds. He's able to find the net up high with a quick release, even in traffic. He seems to understand how to protect the puck with his body. And... it seems like his teammates really like him. Tbh it seems like he's answered every single question there was about before the draft *except* for his average skating. And fortunately, he's 6'2" with a good frame, and not 5'10" with a narrow frame.
Tbh, given how frank he seems to be in interviews, one wonders if his awareness + frankness about where he was mentally negatively affected others' perceptions of him.
