[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3hUcT20wDY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3hUcT20wDY)
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Just watching his IIHF highlights from 2019 and like, what on earth happened? I just have to assume Quinn absolutely ruined him (worst NYR coach ever imo). Sure he’s elite at defense but this guy was geniunely incredible to watch. Probably would’ve gone 1st overall in other draft years (honestly, he looked better in IIHF 2019 than Laf did in WJC 2020). He looked like Rantanen on crack, now he can’t get anything going. His speed is nonexistent. I expected Laf to suck this year but instead Kakko does (and Mika doesn’t help, I know that), and after last season I fully envisioned a 60 pt campaign from Kakko. I could only imagine how much better this team would be if it got IIHF Kakko along with Laf and Chytil scoring. It just really sucks that shit is just not working out with him.
by TrainingBullfrog5328
11 Comments
i want to see kakko back with chytil, see if the points return
Here comes the pitchfork brigade because you didn’t blindly praise Kakko.
I don’t think Kakko looks particularly bad but I think he looks stuck on what he’s been best at and that’s puck possession instead of playmaking or scoring. To be fair our 5V5 lines haven’t been amazing besides Bread/Laf line but we are winning regardless. Fil should open up him and Cuylle when he returns
He’s not elite on defense. He honestly seemed faster as a rookie. He’s a strong player and has a hard shot but it seems to take him forever to get it off, he’s just not at all a scoring threat lately. He barely plays with any skill, just get behind the net and try to cycle until the shift ends. I would put him on the PK but he’s not playing there at all, I kind of wonder if the team thinks he isn’t smart on the ice because it seems like a natural fit to give Kreider/Zib some rest.
I think he just needs to be more decisive taking the puck to the middle of the ice. Even with his slower straight-line speed he gets to pucks and wins battles, especially on the forecheck, and he doesn’t turn it over once he has it on his stick. Whether it’s a question of confidence or hockey sense I’m not sure (I’m inclined to think, or maybe just hope, it’s confidence since he shows his skill more often with Laf/Chytil) but he doesn’t consistently have the killer instinct and trust in himself yet.
He has good puck control and a solid first step. If he would trust himself not to just get stuck in the cycle along the boards and turn and take the puck into the slot/circles I think we’d see Liiga/WC Kakko a lot more often.
All that said though, he’s also just been kinda unlucky. Mika and Kreider have been relatively mediocre at 5v5 offensively regardless of who’s up there at RW, even ignoring their on-ice SH%. Without the powerplay they’d be under just as much scrutiny, they should be anyway really. Can’t get too pressed about it though, it’s just 13 games into the season and they’ve been great defensively to make up for it.
He appears to be more decisive / confident / quicker in the video. He still reminds me of Jagr with his play style, just not sure at this point where he goes.
One thing about these highlights is there’s a lot more space on a European size rink. Maybe his game is really still adjusting to North American style. He’s not Barkov or Laine but there are other European players who were drafted very high but still took like 4 or 5 seasons to get it together in the AHL and NHL. Voracek or Lindholm come to mind. Just a theory
a lot of these kakko posts really read like: “those and1 basketball players are amazing. and the harlem globetrotters? their skills are off. the. charts. why can’t those players do well in the nba?”
if he can make adjustments and improvements, that’d be great, but not everyone can do the same things when the rink is smaller, there’s less space to maneuver, and the defense plays tighter/better, and can stuff your jukes/skill moves.
I mean basically all he does is cycle the puck by himself in the offensive zone. If he doesn’t learn to take it to the front of the net, shoot (not into the chest), or pass, then he’s not going to put up points. He’s a big body with decent hands, but that’s about it. He is a third liner.
Kakko is odd. He just lacks scoring touch. He’s not bad at anything, he’s actually kinda good at most things. He also gets himself in position to score pretty well but then he will just … miss. Miss easy finishes. Get robbed on wild saves. It’s hard to understand but many years have taught me there’s a scoring touch. Players have a go to move. Some have many. Some have just one. Kakko hasn’t really seemed to be able to get his move to work in the NHL so he’s tried a lot of things and they haven’t work and now it seems like he’s spooked and doesn’t trust any of them so he misses the gimmes. I liken him a lot to Julien Gauthier – all the skills on paper, passes the eye test – just can’t make it work consistently.
Between COVID seasons impacting development, lack of confidence, and maybe not adjusting to the pace and smaller size rinks of the NHL, the issues with him not producing more lie there. Honestly not worried about the guy, makes pennies compared to other guys who are making little difference and should be, and shit… team has lost 2 games so far. Guys really looking to butch and find scape goats, what Rags fans do. It is a right of passage handed down from Avery to Staal and Girardi, Rosival, Stralman, Nash, McDonuts, only to be looked after they depart with rosy colored lenses.
I am more shocked so far that Gustafson has replaced Fox so easily. Makes you 2nd guess giving big $$$ contracts out when there are guys who could fill roles at more reasonable cap levels. It is that lack of thinking that allowed the team’s only generational talent ever drafted by the team to not have name on at least one Cup.