Very thorough assessment of Kotkaniemi's season so far.
If you're not impressed or think he's not progressing.
Read this.
Player Discussion Jesperi Kotkaniemi- So You See That's Where The Trouble Began,That Smile,That Damned Smile Edition
- Thread starter ahmedou
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Very thorough assessment of Kotkaniemi's season so far.
If you're not impressed or think he's not progressing.
Read this.
admiralcadillac
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- Oct 22, 2017
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Nowhere near a dominant player even in the flashes you see?
He's the youngest player in the league. You've literally never seen a kid this young in a habs jersey perform this way. I'm not sure what you're expecting if he's not impressing you.
Hey, I like the kid. He's got generally solid positioning and his defensively sound, which is an unusual thing for an 18-yr old. That means Julien won't be afraid to use him and he should really have the chance to continue to progress. I'm not dissing the kid, but some comments about him make him sound like an All-Star #1C and he hasn't been that impressive to me.
He's having a great progression curve over a very short period of time and that's impressive, but I still don't know what his ceiling will/can be. It's hard to know before the kid has physically matured.
At even strength, KK looks like a great future playoff performer, IMO. He is all about continuing to move the puck forward, but he's not dominant -- yet -- because he doesn't have the physique to gain open ice over an opponent and isn't fast enough to blow by them.
I'm just pointing out that maybe posters should be more tempered when they speak of KK. Time has yet to tell just how good he can be, even if I'm ecstatic he was chosen, in the end.
I'll be over the moon if KK ever becomes a Bergeron-type C and I think he is more likely to become that than a Kopitar type c like some are suggesting.
KK may become an excellent two-way, shutdown C with offensive upside, but I doubt he'll ever get more than 20 Gs, if he ever gets there. He'd have to change his game and have the right wingers for that as he does have a shot capable of scoring 30, but I don't see it.
Mind you, MON does have young playmaking wingers in Drouin and Domi that could end up on a line with KK?
Domi - KK - Suzuki down the line. I see a lot of playmaking from LW and C feeding the RW and plenty of playmaking from the RW and C feeding the LW, plus playmaking form both wings feeding the C.
Both Suzuki and KK see the play unfold at a level that could make them excellent complementary players, especially since Suzuki could be a legitimate trigger whilst still being a double threat with his hockey IQ and playmaking skills.
Neither are extremely fast on skates (but still decent skaters), but at their peak, both will have the rare ability of slowing down the game and speeding it up again with unexpected passes.
Domi would be the ideal partner to round out the line, IMO, because he adds both speed and grit to compensate for Suzuki who is a slower, more cerebral player. Domi's defensive awareness could provide the speed on the back check to be the first one back. His playmaking ability could serve the line well with Domi using his speed to gain the O-zone on counter attacks and setting up as his line partners gain the zone.
The Great Weal
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habdynasty
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Censored Toad
Most Records Shattered as GM of the Habs!
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She is probably too busy hating on price right now to notice......
Anyways, great goal on saturday night. Missed the game but saw the highlight.. Very nice!
gillyguzzler
Registered User
His skating has improved.
His defensive play has improved.
His positioning has improved.
His anticipation was and is very good.
His creativity was and is very good but sometimes leads to turnovers.
His puckhandling is deficient right now, especially on the PP. It might be nerves or mental fatigue but he's bobbling the puck too much and fanning on simple plays.
Julien should recognize this and remove him from playing his strong side on the PP where he's a passer more than a shooter... and taking too much time releasing when he's actually shooting.
His defensive play has improved.
His positioning has improved.
His anticipation was and is very good.
His creativity was and is very good but sometimes leads to turnovers.
His puckhandling is deficient right now, especially on the PP. It might be nerves or mental fatigue but he's bobbling the puck too much and fanning on simple plays.
Julien should recognize this and remove him from playing his strong side on the PP where he's a passer more than a shooter... and taking too much time releasing when he's actually shooting.
Saundies
Fly On The Wall
Miller set his own opinion and agenda at the start of the year when he said that he shouldn't even be on the team, so it's only natural that he's going to push his shortcomings any chance it comes up. Probably doesn't watch many Habs games and only looks at numbers.
Adriatic
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- Feb 27, 2004
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The guy has a right to his opinion and I don't know what is so wrong about making a case for KK to play in Finland this year. I wanted him to stay but I can totally understand if some people thought differently and thought playing in a weaker league was better at this stage..I mean it's a valid argument. Both paths can be right and people can have different views. Miller is not a Leafs homer my god lolol.
Saundies
Fly On The Wall
It was a valid argument, but KK has shown that he can hang in this league and the article above shows that he's been progressing as the season has gone along. Both paths can be right, but to publicly say that he's "not on the right development path" and that he's "slowed down" is just wrong and uniformed.
I don't subscribe that he's a Leafs homer looking to tear down the Habs, but he doesn't mind going against people with his opinions to get a reaction. He does this all the time with the whole "shut-out" thing when he's commentating.
- Sep 6, 2006
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I don’t think so, he’s one of the few TSN guys that I think speaks objectively about the Habs when asked about them. At least that’s what I’ve heard on several occasions.
admiralcadillac
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- Oct 22, 2017
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Comparisons with any established nhl player are usually pointless. However, if you want to discuss Bergeron, Kopitar or similarly good centers like Getzlaf, Thornton, Koivu, etc. literally none of them would have impressed you in their first years if Kotkaniemi isn't, and many of them weren't 18 when they entered the league.
You really need to take a step back and realize what you're saying.
Sometimes I wonder what people were really expecting? I mean, yes, we were dull to watch and couldn't score goals for jack. We still get really bad goal droughts, but I wouldn't slam an 18-year old for not turning around our offense around on his own. I like Kotkaniemi a lot but he isn't some generational player. I think he may become elite, but that isn't even a sure thing.
Either way, he is performing better than I expected, but he's not going to win the Calder and that's ok.
Either way, he is performing better than I expected, but he's not going to win the Calder and that's ok.
This kid barely makes more mistakes than most 3rd line centres, if he does at all, and has been on pace for 40ish points basically the whole season. Coming over from Europe as the youngest player, he's already better than numerous established players. Anyone who isn't over the moon about his progression after whinging about the fact he should be in the AHL or back with his dad are kidding themselves.
cphabs
The 2 stooges….
- Dec 21, 2012
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So far so good. 18 year old center playing 3rd line minutes that should finish with 40+ points while being remarkably sound in all of the zones. On top of that, he appears to be getting better and better in assignments while accepting new ones. Also, provides “wow” moments. As posters have mentioned, he will only get faster, stronger, and wiser as time goes on. I am still worried about injuries as he is growing, but it seems like we are taking our time with him.
Redux91
I do Three bullets.
Everyone knew he could shoot
It was all the "skating issues" talk that was FLIPPING my lid
the kid BREEZES out there
Brownies
Registered User
Reminds me of this Player’s tribune article with James Neal, speaking about facing NHL goalies the first time in practice and understanding how much he had to improve his shot.
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Loyal Habs Fan
le_sean
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- Oct 21, 2006
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From my understanding, Gord doesn’t think any player should be in the NHL at 18 unless they are exceptional (ie McDavid). This isn’t an anti-Kotkaniemi opinion. He’s just using stats to say “see I told you” and is wrong.
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