Quoting: Wreckless
KK with Lehkonen and Caufield at 13-15 minutes a game is hardly wasting his development when you factor in that he replaces Tatar’s spot on the powerplay. It’s easy to forget that he’s just 20 yo.
I know Kotkaniemi is a more complete player so far and all, and certainly hasn't been
bad by any stretch but we need to stop coddling this kid too much. We drafted this kid to be the #1 center, #2 at worst and the way he's developing and the way we're not exactly putting him in a spot to reach that level makes me believe he'll never be that player if we continue to develop him this way.
Keeping Danault long term, means KK will never get 16+ mins he'll need to excel, Suzuki has clearly overstepped KK on the pecking order and will command the better ice time also so where exactly is KK gonna get that 1-2C ice time?? When he's 26? That's too late. That's a waste of a players best statistical potential seasons and by that time he is the player he is already.
Statistically speaking alone, KK will be the least productive 3OV player since Erik Gudbranson but seeing as he was a dman its hardly a fair comparison either way. So since then, every other guy picked before KK 3OV has broken out somewhat by his final ELC year. Not speaking of only the studs BTW, even Galchenyuk, even Drouin, Even Dylan Strome....and those guys were the worst 3OV's..... They are by no means star players right now but if those guys were able to break out, KK needs to get going here next year to prove that he was worth that pick or else maybe the Habs need to cash in their chips and go get that guy they think KK will be.
KK gets a little bit of a pass here because like you said he was a younger player drafted than many of his comparables. So we can push his evaluation to next year so we can see a full 21 year old KK in his development. With that said, 10 goals and 20 assists is 82 games next year will not be acceptable. He's supposed to be a star player. Not a 3rd line decent centerman and every other team traded away their 3OV player who wasn't a stud by or after their 21 year old season because frankly it wasn't going to happen with that team.
-Strome was traded for Schmaltz whose turned into arguably an as good or better player than Strome.
-Drouin was traded for Sergachev whose turned into a clear as cut better player.
-...and finally, the team that waited the longest to move on in Galchenyuk, turned him into Domi which turned into Anderson. All 3 players are not star players. I'm happy with Anderson but he's not a star player.
I want KK to succeed, I really do but he needs to start "getting it" soon here because it was cute the first 3 years, now its like "ok bud, are you a good player or are you not?" because we didn't draft you to be a decent 3rd line center.