Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko

[Krams]

Prev. thread - Player Discussion - Kaapo Kakko: Part V

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[huerter]

Going back to the last thread, imagine volunteering your time to do a show with a donk youngster who has no idea who Petr Prucha is . Some might say something nefarious is going on.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Hasn’t been playing great lately tbh

 

[The New Russian Five]

Kakko's skills are evident. He has everything he needs to be dominant on the ice. What is lacking is his decision making. Where to be on the ice with and without the puck. Who to pass to and when. He struggles to make himself open when he doesn't have the puck. Not sure if it's something you can simply teach him either.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Kakko's skills are evident. He has everything he needs to be dominant on the ice. What is lacking is his decision making. Where to be on the ice with and without the puck. Who to pass to and when. He struggles to make himself open when he doesn't have the puck. Not sure if it's something you can simply teach him either.

I’ve posted about this since the first few games of his rookie season, it seems as if he’s almost scared to get passed to and would rather defer to other players so he purposely avoids getting in position to get passed to. On the PP when he was in the shooting spot before (not bumper like right now) he would often go way too deep to be at a good shooting angle as to not get passed to because he was presumably nervous about flubbing on a one timer. If you think about this and then go watch game footage of him you’ll see it. I don’t think his hockey IQ could be that bad, he lacks confidence and wants to be a passenger instead of being passed to and potentially screwing up IMO

 

[LOFIN]

I’ve posted about this since the first few games of his rookie season, it seems as if he’s almost scared to get passed to and would rather defer to other players so he purposely avoids getting in position to get passed to. On the PP when he was in the shooting spot before (not bumper like right now) he would often go way too deep to be at a good shooting angle as to not get passed to because he was presumably nervous about flubbing on a one timer. If you think about this and then go watch game footage of him you’ll see it. I don’t think his hockey IQ could be that bad, he lacks confidence and wants to be a passenger instead of being passed to and potentially screwing up IMO

I agree, it's mostly a confidence issue. I get that under Quinn and his "D-first, no mistakes" coaching he was clearly stripped of something he was used to. It should not be an issue under Gallant. The question is, why hasn't it changed (outside of few stretches)? He's still afraid of DQ's spirit? The vets on his lines tell him to be the workhorse and not try things?

Getting him to play a few international games for Finland to get his confidence back could help, it helped with William Nylander. But that's not going to happen any time soon with the Olympics cancelled and playoffs/him coming off from his current ELC during spring and this COVID-bs either...

There are games when he's on it, and he's probably the most dominant player on ice. And then you see the last few games where he's basically afraid of creating anything himself. It's baffling. Maybe he needs alcohol and women, good thing he turns 21 soon so he can do those in NY as well.

 

[LionsHeart]

I always feel like consistency comes with experience. He’s had games where he’s taken over. We know he can do it.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Kakko has had his up and downs during last 1 and a half years, which is normal, but what i have found odd has been that what is does well seems to change every other month.

There was a period he was a god at stealing pucks and forcing turnovers (havent seen any of that this year unfortunately). There has been periods where he never loses the puck. There has been periods where he wins every board battle. There has been periods where he is a defensive machine. Sometimes his playmaking looks excellent.

Only thing consistent about the man is his sh*t finishing

 

[LOFIN]

Kakko has had his up and downs during last 1 and a half years, which is normal, but what i have found odd has been that what is does well seems to change every other month.

There was a period he was a god at stealing pucks and forcing turnovers (havent seen any of that this year unfortunately). There has been periods where he never loses the puck. There has been periods where he wins every board battle. There has been periods where he is a defensive machine. Sometimes his playmaking looks excellent.

Only thing consistent about the man is his sh*t finishing

Which is kinda encouraging, that he seems to be able to develop his game when asked to. Hopefully shooting is next...

Because before his draft Kakko was very much a Panarin like player who cheated all the time on defence to go for offence. And now, even when he's kinda invisible in the games he's still very good defensively. Quinn wanted him to become good defensively, he did. In a very short timespan as well. All in all, hockey players are mostly in their prime when they are 23-35. Give and take a few years. He's just turning 21. He still has a lot of runway to become great.

 

[The New Russian Five]

Kakko has had his up and downs during last 1 and a half years, which is normal, but what i have found odd has been that what is does well seems to change every other month.

There was a period he was a god at stealing pucks and forcing turnovers (havent seen any of that this year unfortunately). There has been periods where he never loses the puck. There has been periods where he wins every board battle. There has been periods where he is a defensive machine. Sometimes his playmaking looks excellent.

Only thing consistent about the man is his sh*t finishing

I guess the issue that he wasn't getting rewarded for it. He would make all these excellent plays but would still end up with only a point or 2 in a handful of games. At some point it starts to screw with your mind a bit. As a player you start wondering if maybe it isn't just bad puck luck, and you start doubting yourself.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

I guess the issue that he wasn't getting rewarded for it. He would make all these excellent plays but would still end up with only a point or 2 in a handful of games. At some point it starts to screw with your mind a bit. As a player you start wondering if maybe it isn't just bad puck luck, and you start doubting yourself.

That's definitely what has happened with his shot at the very least. He wasnt a bad shooter pre-nhl, but in NHL, I dont think he has beat the goalie once with his shot. Now he is just passing or shooting for rebounds/redirections instead of trying to score

 

[Whoot Whoot]

He seems intimidated

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Gotta agree, something's off with his game. He's differing to his line mates too often. Overpassing, getting knocked off pucks. Out-paced to pucks.

Earlier in the year he was forcing plays, making moves on the wall and getting into open space and better shooting areas. Shooting the puck. Going to the net. Hounding the puck on D. He was snakebit for a while but he was building and then he broke through.

Now he seems to be on his heels and not his toes.

Without the puck on rushes he's trying to find open lanes that just don't translate into scoring opportunities unless the player with the puck makes a move and a perfect pass. He should go straight to the crease with the two he's playing with. He's stopped making things happen and creating things on his own and has become a passenger.

Honestly he looks a little discouraged and a little intimidated... Yes.

He had that nice stretch going into December. 5 game point streak and 6 out of 7. 8 points in those 7.

Since then he's gone 2-1-3 in the last 13, 11 of them scoreless and all of them in the top 6 while both Kreids and Mika have been hot

Not sure what's up. You will see some up and downs with developing players, but its not like he's been on the 3rd or 4th line. We need to see more now, not because he was a #2Ov, but because we already seen what he can do at this level. This is a little different now.

Part of me feels like he's on an island with this team, emotionally. I could be wrong, but whether its his personality or the lack of a fellow countryman/veteran who takes him under his wing - there is a little something missing there.

 

[EdJovanovski]

Gotta agree, something's off with his game. He's differing to his line mates too often. Overpassing, getting knocked off pucks. Out-paced to pucks.

Earlier in the year he was forcing plays, making moves on the wall and getting into open space and better shooting areas. Shooting the puck. Going to the net. Hounding the puck on D. He was snakebit for a while but he was building and then he broke through.

Now he seems to be on his heels and not his toes.

Without the puck on rushes he's trying to find open lanes that just don't translate into scoring opportunities unless the player with the puck makes a move and a perfect pass. He should go straight to the crease with the two he's playing with. He's stopped making things happen and creating things on his own and has become a passenger.

Honestly he looks a little discouraged and a little intimidated... Yes.

He had that nice stretch going into December. 5 game point streak and 6 out of 7. 8 points in those 7.

Since then he's gone 2-1-3 in the last 13, 11 of them scoreless and all of them in the top 6 while both Kreids and Mika have been hot

Not sure what's up. You will see some up and downs with developing players, but its not like he's been on the 3rd or 4th line. We need to see more now, not because he was a #2Ov, but because we already seen what he can do at this level. This is a little different now.

Part of me feels like he's on an island with this team, emotionally. I could be wrong, but whether its his personality or the lack of a fellow countryman/veteran who takes him under his wing - there is a little something missing there.

I definitely see the bolded unfortunately

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Part of me feels like he's on an island with this team, emotionally. I could be wrong, but whether its his personality or the lack of a fellow countryman/veteran who takes him under his wing - there is a little something missing there.

This is one thing that always seems to be missing with the Rangers. Looking back at the Road to the Winter Classic shows the difference between the Rangers and other teams is noticeable. While the Rangers show Hayes, Skjei and Vesey shacking up in a loft, eating pizza and takeaways, the Flyers with Brière taking in Couturier and Schenn in 2012 is the polar opposite.

Also, the Leafs in a later episde highlighted Marner and Matthews living with Marleau.

With Kakko, it's worth noting that the one guy who actually mentored him was let go in free agency last summer, Brendan Smith.

 

[huerter]

This is one thing that always seems to be missing with the Rangers. Looking back at the Road to the Winter Classic shows the difference between the Rangers and other teams is noticeable. While the Rangers show Hayes, Skjei and Vesey shacking up in a loft, eating pizza and takeaways, the Flyers with Brière taking in Couturier and Schenn in 2012 is the polar opposite.

Also, the Leafs in a later episde highlighted Marner and Matthews living with Marleau.

With Kakko, it's worth noting that the one guy who actually mentored him was let go in free agency last summer, Brendan Smith.

You should talk about this more often.

 

[Sisu4ever]

Mika speaks Finnish, and his mother is from Finland. Maybe there could be some mentoring/bonding there, especially since they play in the same line.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Mika speaks Finnish, and his mother is from Finland. Maybe there could be some mentoring/bonding there, especially since they play in the same line.

Kakko is an introvert, but most Finnish people are to be honest, compared to Western Europe and North America. I've mentioned this before, but speaking the same language isn't necessarily enough to mentor someone. Georgiev is probably the one he's closest to. Kakko and Georgiev have a history together. They spend their summers in Turku working out.

I really hope he can take that next step because the talent is there, he has stretches where we see the Kakko that got him drafted 2nd overall. He just needs to be more consistent. At least he's noticeable even when he doesn't score unlike Lafrenière.

 

[tlk]

With Kakko, it's worth noting that the one guy who actually mentored him was let go in free agency last summer, Brendan Smith.

Great that just reminded me we let Smith go to end up with Tinordi and Nemeth

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

Kakko is an introvert, but most Finnish people are to be honest, compared to Western Europe and North America. I've mentioned this before, but speaking the same language isn't necessarily enough to mentor someone. Georgiev is probably the one he's closest to. Kakko and Georgiev have a history together. They spend their summers in Turku working out.

I really hope he can take that next step because the talent is there, he has stretches where we see the Kakko that got him drafted 2nd overall. He just needs to be more consistent. At least he's noticeable even when he doesn't score unlike Lafrenière.

Agree with everything you said. And yeah he seems to hang with Georgiev often and I actually feel the same way about him and his connection to the team as well!

I think with Laf over the last month or so, he's actually has been noticeable when he's not scoring. Being more involved physically and defensively.

But back to Kakko - I thought he would be buddies with a guy like Chytil - or even Lafreniere because they have something in common being two top draft picks. But I see very little connection between those two, if any. Was hoping it would be the opposite.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Agree with everything you said. And yeah he seems to hang with Georgiev often and I actually feel the same way about him and his connection to the team as well!

I think with Laf over the last month or so, he's actually has been noticeable when he's not scoring. Being more involved physically and defensively.

But back to Kakko - I thought he would be buddies with a guy like Chytil - or even Lafreniere because they have something in common being two top draft picks. But I see very little connection between those two, if any. Was hoping it would be the opposite.

Personal connections are hard to predict. Kravtsov's closest friends are K'Andre Miller and Ty Ronning for instance.

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

Someone here, don't remember who, said Kakko is one of the most disliked guys on the team, which if true is surprising. But I never got the sense he was a loner and it doesn't look like he's unhappy.

 

[tomobson]

Agree with everything you said. And yeah he seems to hang with Georgiev often and I actually feel the same way about him and his connection to the team as well!

I think with Laf over the last month or so, he's actually has been noticeable when he's not scoring. Being more involved physically and defensively.

But back to Kakko - I thought he would be buddies with a guy like Chytil - or even Lafreniere because they have something in common being two top draft picks. But I see very little connection between those two, if any. Was hoping it would be the opposite.

He does seem to be more active on the bench nowadays talking with the guys. He's got a tough job being on the matchup line. He's on the only line that can play some defense and the team is expecting a full 200ft game from him. I'm afraid Mika/Strome just play the center game a lot more differently than he's used to but he'll figure it out eventually. Ideally, the rangers get a better all around center next season and I think that would do wonders for Kakko.

 

[Unpredictable1]

Someone here, don't remember who, said Kakko is one of the most disliked guys on the team, which if true is surprising. But I never got the sense he was a loner and it doesn't look like he's unhappy.

That's the absolute first time I heard that, was it someone pulling that out of their ass?

 

[Pawnee Rangers]

That's the absolute first time I heard that, was it someone pulling that out of their ass?

I have no idea but it was spoken about like the guy heard from players. I was surprised no one even responded to the post.
He said Kakko and Georgiev were the two most disliked