Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko: Part V

[LyNX27]

Yes but a grinder was not what we drafted him to be. Great that it is part of his repertoire now along with the skill, but as a grinder last season he looked like he could be an effective 3rd line defensive forward. Hardly what any of us envisioned for him. This is the first season you can truly feel excited about his potential.

Everyone needs to be able to grind in this NHL. You have to dig the puck out of corners and continue the cycle when it's your turn. There's a very big difference today between a high skill perimeter player and a high skill player who can grind. Personally I believe it's part of the evolution of modern players which is why AHL time is not a bad idea for high OV draft picks. Allow them to keep high rates of production, play against older players, gain some of the skills needed, mentoring...

You're spot on though, this year is more than just flashes. We have games where he looks like he's doing more than just carrying his weight... He's making a difference.

 

[The New Russian Five]

Everyone needs to be able to grind in this NHL. You have to dig the puck out of corners and continue the cycle when it's your turn. There's a very big difference today between a high skill perimeter player and a high skill player who can grind. Personally I believe it's part of the evolution of modern players which is why AHL time is not a bad idea for high OV draft picks. Allow them to keep high rates of production, play against older players, gain some of the skills needed, mentoring...

You're spot on though, this year is more than just flashes. We have games where he looks like he's doing more than just carrying his weight... He's making a difference.

Trust me I am not all saying that it is a bad quality. I was just noting that last season we were getting the grinding without the skill. Now that we are seeing the skill and he's maintaining the grinding factor, obviously that is awesome to see. All I am saying was near the end of last season I felt very uneasy about where I was projecting Kakko to become as a player.

 

[Quinnisinoverhishead]

Wasn't that his assist on the empty netter last night? How did they give that to Zibanejad?

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Wasn't that his assist on the empty netter last night? How did they give that to Zibanejad?

Because it was Zibanejad who freed the puck in the neutral zone, not Kakko.

 

[mas0764]

Needs to get going with points again.

 

[avgard]

1,2,3,4..5? needs to having icetimes. with this in clock there nothing to come. i say with this by coach there 25-30 points for season a coming. this is horribul by coach/headquarters. they like dying him slowly. next season with this method i dont know what a player there left. he saffokeiting here . with letting having and learning from team having this low confidence they play with stupity here. why they do this? panarins not needing anything here.....he should be playing much less in icetimes and having kakko with HEROdress should be prio 1. they look like willowteam out there and also kakko like starting looking very small at size. maybe he playing in depression too many ATARIgames at evening at small apartment alone having this lowlife as by now. . im starting maybe thinking not writing here at this board anymore this season. i dont liek this.

sir avgard hockeyprofessor

 

[MysticLeviathan]

mika’s poor play 5v5 isn’t helping kakko. if he can get going, the points will start flowing. kakko’s playing really well but not getting the support.

 

[will1066]

1,2,3,4..5? needs to having icetimes. with this in clock there nothing to come. i say with this by coach there 25-30 points for season a coming. this is horribul by coach/headquarters. they like dying him slowly. next season with this method i dont know what a player there left. he saffokeiting here . with letting having and learning from team having this low confidence they play with stupity here. why they do this? panarins not needing anything here.....he should be playing much less in icetimes and having kakko with HEROdress should be prio 1. they look like willowteam out there and also kakko like starting looking very small at size. maybe he playing in depression too many ATARIgames at evening at small apartment alone having this lowlife as by now. . im starting maybe thinking not writing here at this board anymore this season. i dont liek this.

sir avgard hockeyprofessor

No, please don't leave the board.

 

[mas0764]

I’m beginning to loathe that we extended Mika with that contract.

 

[rangersfansince08]

Kakko will be a good player but it looks like Hughes, Zegras, Byram and Seider will be better. Hope he end ups jumping some of those.

 

[New York RKY]

Wow, it’s a nice Kakko.

 

[Chaels Arms]

He is basically going to be a PG rated version of Corey Perry. Crazy strength along the boards, really nice puck handling ability and a strong, accurate shot. We need to find his Getzlaf.

 

[will1066]

He is basically going to be a PG rated version of Corey Perry. Crazy strength along the boards, really nice puck handling ability and a strong, accurate shot. We need to find his Getzlaf.

There you go.

 

[Rempe73]

He looks tired. More conditioning and an added step will help. This happens. He will rise again very soon.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

He had his lowest TOI of the season last night - Only 12:08

Since he went 3-5-8(+5, 15 shots) in a 7 game stretch, he's gone 0-0-0 (-3, 9 shots) in his last 6.

Hope he starts a new streak, but discouraging to see him cool off so much and fall back into Mr. pointless again.

I've been seeing some not so good things in the last few games.
• He doesnt seem to have the same jump in his skates, looks very slow. Injury? Tired?
• He isnt attacking the net without the puck, he seems to be gliding back into softer areas of the ice looking for perfect passes.
• He isnt getting to the inside with the puck to get a shot, something we saw a lot more of when he was on his streak
• Before his streak he was getting chances but was snakebit, now he's just not getting much at all.

He's tailed off and I'm not sure if it's a result of his line being stagnant, the games effecting his conditioning, Zib's lack of dominance, or what.

But it really shouldn't matter. We need him to create more. I really think he just needs to play with more emotion and drive to the net more, with and without the puck

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Put him back with Bread....

 

[molotce]

He had his lowest TOI of the season last night - Only 12:08

Since he went 3-5-8(+5, 15 shots) in a 7 game stretch, he's gone 0-0-0 (-3, 9 shots) in his last 6.

Hope he starts a new streak, but discouraging to see him cool off so much and fall back into Mr. pointless again.

I've been seeing some not so good things in the last few games.
• He doesnt seem to have the same jump in his skates, looks very slow. Injury? Tired?
• He isnt attacking the net without the puck, he seems to be gliding back into softer areas of the ice looking for perfect passes.
• He isnt getting to the inside with the puck to get a shot, something we saw a lot more of when he was on his streak
• Before his streak he was getting chances but was snakebit, now he's just not getting much at all.

He's tailed off and I'm not sure if it's a result of his line being stagnant, the games effecting his conditioning, Zib's lack of dominance, or what.

But it really shouldn't matter. We need him to create more. I really think he just needs to play with more emotion and drive to the net more, with and without the puck

I agree with with that, honestly its hard to give 100% every night but it feels lately he's barely 80%. yes he could use better straight line speed, some more decisiveness etc but that needs some time to train your body and experience. THE thing I want him to fix right now if conditionning or health allows, is to keep his feet moving. When he keeps his feet moving is when his able to show his best game, its like when he's already moving he has that .5sec more to try to do something.

He doesnt seem to slow the play down at all which I would like him to do sometimes instead of skating in the defenseman if you dont have the speed to beat him. and yeah he cant beat guys with speed either so he's like in this middle gear and when he doesnt move his feet, he's basically not getting much space. Hope to see him play well tomorow, I would prefer him on the second line and honestly even the third would be a good line for him he just wouldnt get as much TOI, zib and kreiders line hasnt been fire on 5v5.
But this should be something I hope the coaches told him that he can work on now, I know tortorella helped PLD a lot cause he had a similar tendency to glide, but PLD always had more acceleration and power in his straight lines.

 

[RangersFan1994]

He is basically going to be a PG rated version of Corey Perry. Crazy strength along the boards, really nice puck handling ability and a strong, accurate shot. We need to find his Getzlaf.

I dont see any mean streak or grit that Perry has with Kakko at all. To be honest I wish NYR signed him this offseason.

 

[Clark Kellogg]

1,2,3,4..5? needs to having icetimes. with this in clock there nothing to come. i say with this by coach there 25-30 points for season a coming. this is horribul by coach/headquarters. they like dying him slowly. next season with this method i dont know what a player there left. he saffokeiting here . with letting having and learning from team having this low confidence they play with stupity here. why they do this? panarins not needing anything here.....he should be playing much less in icetimes and having kakko with HEROdress should be prio 1. they look like willowteam out there and also kakko like starting looking very small at size. maybe he playing in depression too many ATARIgames at evening at small apartment alone having this lowlife as by now. . im starting maybe thinking not writing here at this board anymore this season. i dont liek this.

sir avgard hockeyprofessor

Does anyone else smell burning toast?

 

[n8]

Kakko will be a good player but it looks like Hughes, Zegras, Byram and Seider will be better. Hope he end ups jumping some of those.

there is Ranger draft luck for you. We win the lotto and still end up on the short end of the stick. Still hoping Kakko will prove us wrong but more likely, the mentioned players also up their game and Kakko fails to surpass any of them. My guess is we won't see Kakko's next form until he's 25.

 

[rangersfansince08]

there is Ranger draft luck for you. We win the lotto and still end up on the short end of the stick. Still hoping Kakko will prove us wrong but more likely, the mentioned players also up their game and Kakko fails to surpass any of them. My guess is we won't see Kakko's next form until he's 25.

Laf worries me too. And if we hadn't won those lotteries we would have had Lundell and Zegras and been set at center for the next 10-15 years. Now we are stuck with Zibby and Strome for the foreseeable future. Could have traded Zibby for futures too and probably keep Buch as well.

Kreider-Zegras-Buch
Panarin-Lundell-Chytil/Strome/Kravstov

Oh well.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Laf worries me too. And if we hadn't won those lotteries we would have had Lundell and Zegras and been set at center for the next 10-15 years. Now we are stuck with Zibby and Strome for the foreseeable future. Could have traded Zibby for futures too and probably keep Buch as well.

Kreider-Zegras-Buch
Panarin-Lundell-Chytil/Strome/Kravstov

Oh well.

That's based on the assumption that Lundell and Zegras would play and develop the same way in this organisation.

 

[HatTrick Swayze]

That's based on the assumption that Lundell and Zegras would play and develop the same way in this organisation.

Needs a sticky

 

[rangersfansince08]

That's based on the assumption that Lundell and Zegras would play and develop the same way in this organisation.

Good point. And also under the assumption that Kakko and Laf wouldn't have developed better elsewhere where they would have been getting PP1 time.

 

[BillyCostigan]

Good point. And also under the assumption that Kakko and Laf wouldn't have developed better elsewhere where they would have been getting PP1 time.

Could say the same about a player like Dach, Chicago is ruining him.

But sadly you don't always get drafted in the organisation that allows you to succeed the most.

It's a miracle Kakko is still showing huge potential the way he's been juggled around and had his confidence killed 100 times. He will be fine, but Lafreniere may be ruined already, he's not supposed to be on a 3rd or 4th line. Should've sent him in the AHL to play 1st line minutes instead of asking him to hit and forget about his offense.