What is dislike in his progression curve. His stats doesnt going up. His best years was hist first. Since. He didnt be close from 45/50 pts.
Long windup with his shots too. He has a good hockey mind but his body is slow to react to everything.
How many good scoring chances did he give his wingers in the Peg series? ZERO
Disagree all you want.
The kid has very good playoffs so far, with timely, greasy goals.
But there is no substance in arguing he was creating scoring chances for his wingers against Winnipeg. Not a critisism, just a plain statement of fact.
Re: KKs skating
Just keep in mind Point dropped to the 3rd round of 2014 draft due to concerns of his skating and lack of pace...fast fwd 7-years there is no pace issue.
For perspective...
My only point being it’s too early to tell, he’ll never be McDavid, but I see incremental improvement in his skating from his rookie season to today, which shows an uptick trend, where KK peaks...I’ve got no clueTrue. But Ferrero was saying on tsn690 that not all players can improve their pace the way Point did. It takes genetics, certain kind of fast twitch muscles to be able to do so.
KK linemates since game 2 of the playoffs against the leafsIt actually makes sense that even though he's viewed as a "playmaker" he has 0 assists in 20 playoff games. The pace of play picks up in the playoffs. Time and space are reduced. And that's KK"s weak point. He doesnt process fast enough in a faster environment. When he gets stronger (and he will) , the stronger body will buy him time. It will never be his skating, which will always be his weakness.
My only point being it’s too early to tell, he’ll never be McDavid, but I see incremental improvement in his skating from his rookie season to today, which shows an uptick trend, where KK peaks...I’ve got no clue
Had there been no visible improvement however ..
The kid has what, 8-9 playoff goals in 18 - 19 games......that's money.He has scored more goals than some other guys in the playoffs.
KK linemates since game 2 of the playoffs against the leafs
Byron 1 assist (on the OT goal in game 6)
Anderson 0 point since game 1 against the leafs ( 1 since the last 23 games)
KK 4 goals in 10 games
Anderson/Byron 1 assist in 10 games with KK . I mean who's to blame?
The issue is that Anderson brings nothing he never passes never puts himself in front of the net. There are several times where you can see his hockey IQ is very limited.It actually makes sense that even though he's viewed as a "playmaker" he has 0 assists in 20 playoff games. The pace of play picks up in the playoffs. Time and space are reduced. And that's KK"s weak point. He doesnt process fast enough in a faster environment. When he gets stronger (and he will) , the stronger body will buy him time. It will never be his skating, which will always be his weakness.
And number 2 defensive CYeah ok has potential in almost every area. Hard to say how high he'll reach and how long it will take. Patience is key.
For now, rather than saying he's a 3c, I would say Danault is the number 1 shutdown C, Suzuki is the number 1 offensive C amd KK is the number 2 offensive C.
Yep same for me , can't wait for the day he gets good linemates and his linemates won't change every 10 games.Lots of guys here like to blame the 20 year old kid. It's ridiculous, can't wait for him to shut everyone up in a year or two.
Lots of guys here like to blame the 20 year old kid. It's ridiculous, can't wait for him to shut everyone up in a year or two.
The Kotkaniemi line - crash & bang
Kotkaniemi’s line with Byron and Josh Anderson reverts back to favouring dump ins over controlled entries, but again, it is with a different purpose in mind.
Yes, the line obviously wants to create offence, but it is also looking for an excuse to punish the opposing defencemen on the forecheck. This kind of pressure is different in the sense that the consequence is not necessarily a turnover, it is bodily harm. If a defenceman going back for a puck against this line does not move it quickly, he will be drilled into the boards
And number 2 defensive C
Thats pseudo scienceTrue. But Ferrero was saying on tsn690 that not all players can improve their pace the way Point did. It takes genetics, certain kind of fast twitch muscles to be able to do so.
Thats pseudo science
I would suggest reading today’s article in The Athletic by Arpon Basu on what demands have been placed on the 4-lines. Snippet:
He'll have to beat out Nick for that. But he has the potential.
well... we all know that this type of context is immaterial to a player like JKO... who regularly ignores coaching instructions to focus on playing the game the way he wants/prioritizing his offensive output
sarcasm aside, just another reference point that, imo, creates some excitement to see just what his game looks like when he is used in a role where the focus is on making the most of his vision, creativity, and offensive zone i.q... and with linemates with skills to match/complement. I suspect we'll see a big jump, and some around here will be "surprised" and "shocked" at the large bump in productivity... time will tell.
My only point being it’s too early to tell, he’ll never be McDavid, but I see incremental improvement in his skating from his rookie season to today, which shows an uptick trend, where KK peaks...I’ve got no clue
Had there been no visible improvement however ..