Most elite or top players score right away. Maybe, my expectations are too high...
Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko: Part IV
- Thread starter aufheben
- Start date
- Status
HockeyBasedNYC
Feeling it
Kakko has been so effective around the walls, defensively and stealing pucks.
Its really a crime he doesnt have more than 2,2,4 right now
Its really a crime he doesnt have more than 2,2,4 right now
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 44,879
- 40,423
Looking at other high picks:
Primeau: 3+4
Reinhart: 3+3
Turris: 1+4
Thornton: 1+4
Kakko: 2+2
Dubois: 2+2
Barkov: 2+1
Kotkaniemi: 2+1
J. Staal: 1+1
D. Strome: 0+1
Malkin, Van Riemsdyk and Ryan didn't even play NHL hockey in his D+2
Do I wish Kakko had more points? Sure
Does his 4 points in 16 games worry me? Not at all. He just turned 20
I don't want to be on here to stir the pot. Scoring seems to not be the top few on many teams. All I was saying is...the raving etc of prospects to a player that stats are avg if that, is concerning. Is he just another nhl player like a 2nd or 3rd line..or elite. At a certain point, not scoring when thats what he and the team thought can have an impact in a negative way. Kudos to point out that he is doing other things well. I guess when I watched the video from last year in the rookie game where circled the net 2 or 3x n scored..it was saying he'll be a star. If you see positive things. Then that's very good.
I was looking at better players who do it from get go..but I agree its def not the only factor in one's ability.
That is true.
He’s referring to top players/elite players. Look at all the top/elite wingers. They all show it by their 2nd year or by the time they’re 20.
Hall, Gaudreau, Laine, Tkachuk, Stone, Rantanen, Marchand, Marner, Kane, Pastarnak, Ovechkin, Panarin...they all showed it by YR2. All started young.
If you’re looking for Kakko to be elite/a superstar...it’s not looking like he will be.
Scott R - I’m with you. I’m not saying Kakko won’t be good. I’m not saying he’s not unlucky. He looks a lot better than last year.
But the history says he should be producing at some level with those guys who are the best wingers in the game. He’s isn’t. Not only is he not, but he isn’t even close to their pace.
You can like Kakko’s game and appreciate his improvement, while also believing he isn’t going to be the elite player we thought he would be. It’s ok to be disappointed in that, while also happy about his improvement. Both are true.
It’s quite possible that Kravtsov could be a better NHL-er than Kakko.
But the history says he should be producing at some level with those guys who are the best wingers in the game. He’s isn’t. Not only is he not, but he isn’t even close to their pace.
You can like Kakko’s game and appreciate his improvement, while also believing he isn’t going to be the elite player we thought he would be. It’s ok to be disappointed in that, while also happy about his improvement. Both are true.
It’s quite possible that Kravtsov could be a better NHL-er than Kakko.
I don’t see the point in comparing a winger to a center, when trying to see if a guy will be elite/one of the best.
Kakko was very effective again tonight. Can't get a bounce around the net. The Pens sticks blocked everything from everyone.
82 GP and 27 points (12 G 15 A).
Again, lots of reasons why this is what it is. I think Kakko will be a good player. I don’t think he’s going to be a star though. He’s off the pace of the top wingers in the game...by a lot.
Again, lots of reasons why this is what it is. I think Kakko will be a good player. I don’t think he’s going to be a star though. He’s off the pace of the top wingers in the game...by a lot.
Crease
Chief Justice of the HFNYR Court
- Jul 12, 2004
- 24,156
- 25,796
Looking forward to Kakko’s induction to
the xG Hall of Fame, right after Matt Cullen.
At this point I am taking solace in the fact that he was the consensus pick when the Rangers took him. Same for Laf.
Synergy27
F-A-C-G-C-E
Please don’t forget the takeaway:giveaway ratio HoF.
NickyLongLegz
Registered User
- Apr 30, 2019
- 189
- 408
I don’t think anyone is suggesting that he isn’t improving, or going to be a good player.
What is being suggested is that we should reset expectations on Kakko.
Maybe he isn’t the franchise altering, superstar winger we thought we were drafting. Maybe he’s going to produce on a level similar to Kreider or Buchnevich (60-65 pts/season), which is a good NHL winger.
LeetchisGod
This is a bad hockey team.
Synergy27
F-A-C-G-C-E
He shows skills that are vastly superior to those two (hands in tight, edge work, etc.), but he also shows some skills that are worse than them.
There is definitely going to come a time when all of this good hard work and xGF positivity needs to translate to actual production. That time is fast approaching unfortunately.
Was Marian Hossa a franchise altering talent? Didn’t play full time in the NHL until his D+3 and was a 15/15 guy at that. I think that development curve is what we need to be hoping for right now. I’m not sure what we were hoping for previously though.
- Jan 7, 2013
- 18,140
- 10,651
he needs to work on his shot badly. That is his big issue right now.
BB88
Registered User
- Jan 19, 2015
- 40,921
- 20,557
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 44,879
- 40,423
BB88
Registered User
- Jan 19, 2015
- 40,921
- 20,557
Skating is holding back Laine a ton.
It’s honestly a damm shame, he’ll never reach his potential if his 1st steps look like slow motion.
Rantanen when he entered skating was his weakness and took a couple of years for him to take off.
Ristolainen the same.
Now the most recent is Kakko.
I followed it a lot few years ago when there was big media coverage on it. It’s very old school training with zero skating on summer. All work is off ice.
Laine for example went from April to September without any real on ice workouts at one point.
Then you take a look at bigger guy like Barkov who had the same weakness on draft day and didn’t go to Rautala school of training.
He’s easily the best skater of the group. He hired a figure skating coach and you can really see it.
Then you think how the McDavid/Scheifele/whatever group that trains how different it is to Rautalas.
They are like night and day
I believe in Kakko and believe he’ll be a game changer one day but it has nothing to do with Rautala. He’s just a negative for me.
I’ve seen too many times how these guys train all out on summer and look off shape once the season starts.
Last edited:
They would 1000% be producing in another system.
We didn’t just get unlucky by picking weak first and second overall talents. It’s the team/system/environment/coaching they’re in currently that’s holding them back. And it’s going to do the same for Kravstov and any other skill forward that comes up the ranks in the near future.
Laf and Kakko weren't seen as weak 1st and 2nd overall talents. Maybe not generational like a Crosby/McDavid, but far from weak also.
HatTrick Swayze
Just Be Nice
- Status
