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Questions for NYR fans

Created by: Daredevil514
Team: 2021-22 New York Rangers
Initial Creation Date: Mar. 4, 2022
Published: Mar. 4, 2022
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I don't watch a lot of hockey outside habs games but Im a prospect freak and I remember how fantastic Kakko and Lafreniere were in their draft years. I know they both underperform if you look at statistics but what about the eye test? Do they already have a satisfying impact on the team and are you happy with their development?

Also, if you could give me insight on why they have slow career starts. Is it a matter of utilization, attitude, adaptation to nhl level, coaches trust? They were so game breaking players at 17/18, I can't see them being bust. I know they already aren't total bust and it is way too early to tell anyway but what do you think?

Thanks
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23$81,500,000$74,165,594$0$7,950,000$7,334,406
Left WingCentreRight Wing
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C
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LW
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RW, C
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RW
UFA - 1
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C, LW
M-NTC
UFA - 6
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C, LW
UFA - 2
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LW, RW
RFA - 2
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UFA - 1
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G
UFA - 4
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LD
M-NTC
UFA - 3
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G
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C
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Mar. 4, 2022 at 10:21 a.m.
#1
RussianRangers39
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eye test for each major prospect.
Laf: He has arrived and is ready to be the top line leader. last 4 games on top line have been amazing. holding puck, making plays, getting into the dirty area and scoring.
kakko: before injury, he was impossible to get off the puck. he could dangle and got unlucky with a few close goals and assists. he needs consistency like laf got and he will thrive again.
miller: top 4 dman and could be 1st pair in a year or 2. amazing player with some mistakes.
schneider: hes what we want from trouba. hes a potential top 4 or even top 2 defenseman and could just make our defense only better.
Nils: He is nhl ready. he needs a good partner not named nemeth. he can skate and create plays while being decent to good on defense.
jones: fox-esque. he could be amazing he just needs to play.
Kravtsov: i watch all the russian games. he can play and his only problem is with drury. he has value to any team and he will be a top 6 winger
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Mar. 4, 2022 at 10:22 a.m.
#2
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Everyone expects a guy taken in the top 3 to become Mcdavid or Matthews, but that is not a common thing for most prospects. I consider both to moving along fine. Laf is showing sign that he has arrived playing on the 1st line of late. Kakko is currently injured, however when healthy he plays strong on the wall, the points will come ideally I see him as a perfect compliment to panarin, and before he got hurt they were playing together a bit.

The lack of points could be for a variety of reasons. Usage for one- Kakko and Laf have not really seen a great amount of top 6 minutes or PP1 time. The PP time though is hard to argue when the Rangers powerplay is clicking like it is as a top 5 unit. And the fact that both are still very young and this is truly their first full real NHL season. A positive sign for Laf is that he scores at 5v5 and has been improving this year looking like he is coming into his own.

The easy and lazy thing to do is to call them busts. To say that either are on the same level as Matthews or McDavid is delusional as well. I think they are both high quality young forwards that will be top 6 players for a their careers. Laf to this point has "shown" more in terms of recent success, but I really like Kakko's game personally.

I am more of a glass half full fan when it comes to both of them. There are quite a few Ranger fans that can be impatient and fatalistic when it comes to prospects. With these two I want to see where they are at by age 23. Give them until then to be comfortable and fully grown. Though this current team is in desperate need of depth at forward, and I will be curious to see what happens at the deadline. I would stay away from moving Laf or Kakko by any means necessary, and trade draft picks and other prospects to acquire the necessary firepower. Hope my ramblings helped.
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Mar. 4, 2022 at 10:22 a.m.
#3
RussianRangers39
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Quoting: RussianRangers9
eye test for each major prospect.
Laf: He has arrived and is ready to be the top line leader. last 4 games on top line have been amazing. holding puck, making plays, getting into the dirty area and scoring.
kakko: before injury, he was impossible to get off the puck. he could dangle and got unlucky with a few close goals and assists. he needs consistency like laf got and he will thrive again.
miller: top 4 dman and could be 1st pair in a year or 2. amazing player with some mistakes.
schneider: hes what we want from trouba. hes a potential top 4 or even top 2 defenseman and could just make our defense only better.
Nils: He is nhl ready. he needs a good partner not named nemeth. he can skate and create plays while being decent to good on defense.
jones: fox-esque. he could be amazing he just needs to play.
Kravtsov: i watch all the russian games. he can play and his only problem is with drury. he has value to any team and he will be a top 6 winger


barron. Future defensive middle 6 center whos amazing at faceoffs and smart responsible player
Mar. 4, 2022 at 10:25 a.m.
#4
RussianRangers39
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Quoting: RussianRangers9
eye test for each major prospect.
Laf: He has arrived and is ready to be the top line leader. last 4 games on top line have been amazing. holding puck, making plays, getting into the dirty area and scoring.
kakko: before injury, he was impossible to get off the puck. he could dangle and got unlucky with a few close goals and assists. he needs consistency like laf got and he will thrive again.
miller: top 4 dman and could be 1st pair in a year or 2. amazing player with some mistakes.
schneider: hes what we want from trouba. hes a potential top 4 or even top 2 defenseman and could just make our defense only better.
Nils: He is nhl ready. he needs a good partner not named nemeth. he can skate and create plays while being decent to good on defense.
jones: fox-esque. he could be amazing he just needs to play.
Kravtsov: i watch all the russian games. he can play and his only problem is with drury. he has value to any team and he will be a top 6 winger


Quoting: RussianRangers9
barron. Future defensive middle 6 center whos amazing at faceoffs and smart responsible player


Also, Kakko and laf get no PP time which they thrive with so if they get more, they produce more
Mar. 4, 2022 at 10:27 a.m.
#5
Meatmarket
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I completely agree with the takes already posted. Laf has been great for the past month, and Kakko has taken steps defensively and with possession. They were not used properly to start their careers with poor linemates and basically no PP time, which is why the point totals are distorted. We also have more prospects (Othmann, Berard) and great young defenseman (Nils, Jones, Schneider). All the D prospects are NHLers already. Let's say Nils was on the Devils, he'd be playing 20 minutes a game. Same with Laf/Kakko.
Mar. 4, 2022 at 10:33 a.m.
#6
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I think the biggest thing so far for them has been lack of usage and opportunity for sure. For example the Rangers PP1 is Panarin, Strome, Zibanejad, Kreider, Fox and plays the first 1:30 of every PP since the middle 2019. So the two of Kakko and Laf get basically no PP time and when they do its basically just retrieving a cleared puck and getting one rush up ice before the PP expires. So IMO that has been the biggest factor in their lack of stat production.
In terms of coaching trust, they never had it while Quinn was the coach of the Rangers. He rolled them out there almost exclusively on the 3rd and 4th lines. Gallant immediately gave Kakko a top 6 spot and Laf was 3LW but that was only because he was behind Panarin and Kreider, but Gallant recently tried him at RW before the All star break and he's been buzzing with Zib and Kreider since.
Eye test wise, Kakko has developed well so far IMO. His rookie year he was awful at even strength and got hemmed in his own zone very often. His second year the offense still wasn't there consistently but his 200 foot game was much and was awesome. This year he started slow but played well as a top 6 RW until his injury. He generates offense (although still doesn't have the point totals we'd hope for) and plays good defense.
Laf flashed at points his rookie season/ early this year but had no consistency and looked just meh at times. But it seems that was largely due to confidence and line mates because like I mentioned earlier he has looked like the player he was billed as coming out of the draft since being placed on the top line.
Ultimately though I think the PP is the biggest reason for their lack of points. If you put either of them in Strome's spot on the PP they'd have much more respectable point totals but alas they generate their offense entirely at even strength.
Mar. 4, 2022 at 10:34 a.m.
#7
aecliptic
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Since LAFs second promotion to the top line hes been one of the better players on the team. Ironically enough, LAF is one of the league leaders in even strength goals. If he got more PP time he would have more points.

Kakko is really good with the puck and possession. Has not had puck luck at all but also dont think Kreider and Zib were good linemates for him in terms of style of play. He was also thrust into the 1st line pretty much right out the gate, so I think with a little soft handling like LAF on the 3rd line can only help him to find his game.
Mar. 4, 2022 at 10:37 a.m.
#8
Thread Starter
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Quoting: campi95
Everyone expects a guy taken in the top 3 to become Mcdavid or Matthews, but that is not a common thing for most prospects. I consider both to moving along fine. Laf is showing sign that he has arrived playing on the 1st line of late. Kakko is currently injured, however when healthy he plays strong on the wall, the points will come ideally I see him as a perfect compliment to panarin, and before he got hurt they were playing together a bit.

The lack of points could be for a variety of reasons. Usage for one- Kakko and Laf have not really seen a great amount of top 6 minutes or PP1 time. The PP time though is hard to argue when the Rangers powerplay is clicking like it is as a top 5 unit. And the fact that both are still very young and this is truly their first full real NHL season. A positive sign for Laf is that he scores at 5v5 and has been improving this year looking like he is coming into his own.

The easy and lazy thing to do is to call them busts. To say that either are on the same level as Matthews or McDavid is delusional as well. I think they are both high quality young forwards that will be top 6 players for a their careers. Laf to this point has "shown" more in terms of recent success, but I really like Kakko's game personally.

I am more of a glass half full fan when it comes to both of them. There are quite a few Ranger fans that can be impatient and fatalistic when it comes to prospects. With these two I want to see where they are at by age 23. Give them until then to be comfortable and fully grown. Though this current team is in desperate need of depth at forward, and I will be curious to see what happens at the deadline. I would stay away from moving Laf or Kakko by any means necessary, and trade draft picks and other prospects to acquire the necessary firepower. Hope my ramblings helped.


yeah thanks! That's pretty much everything I wanted to know héhé
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