Player Discussion Kaapo Kakko

[Bondra slapshot]

I think KK is still going to be a very good player, as in a top 6 guy that you can count on scoring 30+ goals and you can play him in all situations. I have to say as it currently stands, I'm more hopeful that he'll hit his potential and be a very good player than AL at the moment. The main reason I say this is because with KK I think his identity and player template is very defined. It's very clear as to the type of player that he's trying to be and that he has the potential to be.

I'm not trying to troll and I very well could be wrong but I'll try to explain what I mean. I think KK is clearly a down-low puckhound. His main strengths all involve him being down-low and within a close radius to the goal. He has three main strengths here IMO. He can puck carry along the boards or behind the net, a la Jagr or Foresberg and draw defenders to him. He can distribute the puck from behind the net or from the side perimeter, similar to how Matthew Tkachuk has fed his teammates this playoffs (we've seen KK already do this quite often this past season when setting up Chytil and AL). And lastly, he has good hands in tight and around the net and has potted many goals this way, similar to how John Tavares excels at close range shots (like the goal KK scored against the Devils in game 1). Now obviously, I'm not saying KK will ever hit the proficiency level of these skills that any of the players that I mentioned have but stylistically speaking, IMO he clearly thinks the game like these players do in these situations and I can see him making these types of plays. He has the physical tools to be this type of player and has already shown in limited quantities that he does have to the potential to do this.

I think in the end, he'll never fully hit the proficiency level of those players but maybe he can reach 60-70% of the proficiency that those players have, but he'll have all three of those skills in his kit. He can be a lesser version of all of those players but a hybridized one that also is very defensively responsible. I think this type of player would do very well on the PP too. He'd be able to take full advantage of having more range around the net to make use of those skills. He could be really good on the PP actually.

No idea what identity AL has though. I think he used to be a rush playmaker but now that he's going up against faster skaters, it's hard for him to get rush opportunities where he can make plays. Not sure if he can find a way to reinvent his game at this level or if he can find a way to generate more rushes. But at least with KK, I think his archetype and skillsets are very defined. AL is a question mark to me. What type of player is he?

 

[GENESISPuck94]

I think KK is still going to be a very good player, as in a top 6 guy that you can count on scoring 30+ goals and you can play him in all situations. I have to say as it currently stands, I'm more hopeful that he'll hit his potential and be a very good player than AL at the moment. The main reason I say this is because with KK I think his identity and player template is very defined. It's very clear as to the type of player that he's trying to be and that he has the potential to be.

I'm not trying to troll and I very well could be wrong but I'll try to explain what I mean. I think KK is clearly a down-low puckhound. His main strengths all involve him being down-low and within a close radius to the goal. He has three main strengths here IMO. He can puck carry along the boards or behind the net, a la Jagr or Foresberg and draw defenders to him. He can distribute the puck from behind the net or from the side perimeter, similar to how Matthew Tkachuk has fed his teammates this playoffs (we've seen KK already do this quite often this past season when setting up Chytil and AL). And lastly, he has good hands in tight and around the net and has potted many goals this way, similar to how John Tavares excels at close range shots (like the goal KK scored against the Devils in game 1). Now obviously, I'm not saying KK will ever hit the proficiency level of these skills that any of the players that I mentioned have but stylistically speaking, IMO he clearly thinks the game like these players do in these situations and I can see him making these types of plays. He has the physical tools to be this type of player and has already shown in limited quantities that he does have to the potential to do this.

I think in the end, he'll never fully hit the proficiency level of those players but maybe he can reach 60-70% of the proficiency that those players have, but he'll have all three of those skills in his kit. He can be a lesser version of all of those players but a hybridized one that also is very defensively responsible. I think this type of player would do very well on the PP too. He'd be able to take full advantage of having more range around the net to make use of those skills. He could be really good on the PP actually.

No idea what identity AL has though. I think he used to be a rush playmaker but now that he's going up against faster skaters, it's hard for him to get rush opportunities where he can make plays. Not sure if he can find a way to reinvent his game at this level or if he can find a way to generate more rushes. But at least with KK, I think his archetype and skillsets are very defined. AL is a question mark to me. What type of player is he?

Laf was never a rush player. He's a meat and potatoes kind of player that scores his goals around the net. It's not always easy for those players to instantly be that at the NHL level against grown men. He needs to be developed properly.

 

[LionsHeart]

LOL if Fast was here we would have threads that he is only a 10 goal scorer, that he makes too much money, that he was a coaches pet, and that he was taking time that should go to younger players. How much did the board value Howden when he was here?

And now everyone wants him back, because we need to get our superstar Left Winger comfortable enough to play well in the playoffs.

 

[NYRFANMANI]

Laf was never a rush player. He's a meat and potatoes kind of player that scores his goals around the net. It's not always easy for those players to instantly be that at the NHL level against grown men. He needs to be developed properly.

100% You need to make him heavier, without him losing a step.

He can be very effective. But we need people with longterm visions here.

 

[TopShelfSnipes]

And now everyone wants him back, because we need to get our superstar Left Winger comfortable enough to play well in the playoffs.

I don't really want him back unless he's willing to take a pay cut.

At <2M, he was an asset. He made 3M this year and assuming that's a base for his next contract, at that price he's a liability...same as Goodrow who is a quite useful player made less useful by his contract.

 

[Kords]

Kakko looks good but can't score. More at 11.

Just like me. Girls are too intimidated by my looks, it’s pretty rough tbh.

 

[haohmaru]

Laf was never a rush player. He's a meat and potatoes kind of player that scores his goals around the net. It's not always easy for those players to instantly be that at the NHL level against grown men. He needs to be developed properly.

Getting around the net might be a good start.

 

[GENESISPuck94]

Getting around the net might be a good start.

He gets there I think staying there is more of an issue, he does tend to skate past it. But this is where coaching comes in.

 

[chosen]

Kakko has a floor of 60 points. He'll be just fine, probably by next season. If he ends up on the PP, he's a good shot of being an 80-pt player.

 

[bleedblue94]

I don't understand that, how? I also know nothing about skating.

Bigger ice requires LESS explosiveness. You have more room to get going when needed. It helps him bc his first step is not great. Good edges and good speed once moving, but explosiveness has always been lacking.

 

[NYRFAN218]

Kakko has a floor of 60 points. He'll be just fine, probably by next season. If he ends up on the PP, he's a good shot of being an 80-pt player.

I know people will have a chuckle about it but if he gets PP1 time next season and gets consistent minutes in the top 6, especially alongside Kreider and Zibanejad which played well on a line, I have no reason to doubt he'd hit 60 points next season. The progress has been slow but his PPG has gone up every single season he's been in the league and he just hit 40 points with just over 15 mins of ice. Put him on the PP where all the top end guys rake with him settling in at 18 to 20 mins a game and 60 points is very attainable.

 

[McRanger92]

I know people will have a chuckle about it but if he gets PP1 time next season and gets consistent minutes in the top 6, especially alongside Kreider and Zibanejad which played well on a line, I have no reason to doubt he'd hit 60 points next season. The progress has been slow but his PPG has gone up every single season he's been in the league and he just hit 40 points with just over 15 mins of ice. Put him on the PP where all the top end guys rake with him settling in at 18 to 20 mins a game and 60 points is very attainable.

He will put up Buchnevich numbers in that role. Im old enough to remember when Buch would be snakebit for months at a time as a younger player. It's where the Captain Happy nickname came from Quinn. Kakko will undoubtedly get to being a 70 point top line player. He's 22 lol. Buch didnt play a full season or crack 50 points until he was 25. So soon we forget our history.

Edit: It's funny how accurate this comparison is. Buch's production only jumped in his year 4 season when his ice time went from 15 a night to 17 a night. Kakko has not benefited from that increase in role (why? Good question!). He played 82 games this season as well, which you love to see from a guy who had some injury concerns early in his career (another Buchnevich similarity).

Long story short, the Rangers have the elusive 3rd wheel on the Kreider-Mika line, Gallant just chose not to use it for ~reasons~.

 

[Fitzy]

I know people will have a chuckle about it but if he gets PP1 time next season and gets consistent minutes in the top 6, especially alongside Kreider and Zibanejad which played well on a line, I have no reason to doubt he'd hit 60 points next season. The progress has been slow but his PPG has gone up every single season he's been in the league and he just hit 40 points with just over 15 mins of ice. Put him on the PP where all the top end guys rake with him settling in at 18 to 20 mins a game and 60 points is very attainable.

I'm hoping for 50. I don't think Kakko is ever gonna be a big time PP guy- he does better with less space, not more.

 

[GAGLine]

I'm hoping for 50. I don't think Kakko is ever gonna be a big time PP guy- he does better with less space, not more.

If that were the case, he'd be better in the NHL than he was in Europe on the big ice.

He doesn't need to be bullying other players to have success.

 

[RangersFan1994]

He gets there I think staying there is more of an issue, he does tend to skate past it. But this is where coaching comes in.

Most of the team does this outside of Kreider Goodrow Vesey and Lafy

 

[nsvoyageurs]

An article on NHLdotcom on Kakko:

Kakko working to become 'better player' amid changes with Rangers | NHL.com

22-year-old forward representing Finland at World Championship, will play for 3rd coach in 5 seasons

www.nhl.com

 

[duhmetreE]

Gaining muscle/mass is the hard part. Once he gets it, it's a lot easier to maintain.

First and foremost he needs to be come a unit. He adds another 5-10lbs of lean mass. Then he starts refining his shot, skating, endurance etc.

He's a big key to winning going forward.

p.s. - I find it funny how the narrative shifts year to year. He was a bust, then he was better than hughes, then he was a bust and now he's good again, better than Laffy. People need to step back and see the whole picture. He's going to be a good player, as is Laffy ( assuming he puts down the Doritos Bowls and Mountain Dew from Taco Bell )

 

[NickyFotiu]

Some of these younger guys are expected to be strong based on size but there is 19 year old strong and man strong. Just getting older and having their bodies mature will give them a bit more strength.

 

[FlyguyOX]

Gaining muscle/mass is the hard part. Once he gets it, it's a lot easier to maintain.

First and foremost he needs to be come a unit. He adds another 5-10lbs of lean mass. Then he starts refining his shot, skating, endurance etc.

He's a big key to winning going forward.

p.s. - I find it funny how the narrative shifts year to year. He was a bust, then he was better than hughes, then he was a bust and now he's good again, better than Laffy. People need to step back and see the whole picture. He's going to be a good player, as is Laffy ( assuming he puts down the Doritos Bowls and Mountain Dew from Taco Bell )

Part of that is just becoming older tbh. Not everyone peaks at 17 like a Chychrun

 

[will1066]

Over here I feel like I'm getting power-play time, more ice time than I got over there

 

[TGWL]

I don't think 5-10 pounds is going to do anything for him unless that 5-10 pounds is lower body muscle.

 

[Priorae]

I think Kakko is going to be a nightmare for opposing teams starting next year. He just needs to stay away from puck dominators. That’s HIS game. 20-93-24. I should make a tee shirt. It could be a 200 point line.

 

[tomobson]

I think Kakko is going to be a nightmare for opposing teams starting next year. He just needs to stay away from puck dominators. That’s HIS game. 20-93-24. I should make a tee shirt. It could be a 200 point line.

We've tried 20-93-24 before. 20-93 just stand around while Kakko does his thing.

 

[mas0764]

As I sit here today I hope more than ever that Kakko is Mark Stone.

 

[bhamill]

As I sit here today I hope more than ever that Kakko is Mark Stone.

What a game he had last night.