Pretty depressing start for Kakko. I think best case scenario is he has another ‘’meh” season and they extend him for cheap again like they did with Chytil

The problem is they have no RW’s in the system and it’s currently only Kakko and wheeler. Everyone else is a LW (Kreider, Panarin, Laffy, cuylle, othmann, etc.)

Lmao

Unless offered an overpay, or unless Kakko presses for a trade, no reason to move him. Yes- his stats are "meh"...but for his defensive play, and possession play- every team needs what he does. What the Rangers should be doing is figuring out how to generate more offense off the possession he provides.

5X5 scoring has been an issue for some time now. If they could find a way to address that, they would probably see a leap in production from several guys- most notably Kakko and LaF.

The ranger’s 5v5 scoring this year should be higher but they’re shooting less. The top 3 forward lines have been good at controlling possession and then they get to the Ozone, cycle the puck and then no one shoots

exactly....but with those ozone cycles, still seems something is missing. I mean its easy to say "come on guys, shoot the puck"...but its another thing to either take high % shots, or for guys to get open in the midst of the defensive chaos (during the cycling) to be able to take high % shots. Neither of these seem to be happening- and I don't think its the case of a player (or players) playing poorly- but more so a function of the unit on the ice continuing to gain cohesion as well as each examining footage after the game to determine where they can improve positioning. Takes patience.

Well Panarin finally has a shoot first mentality and it’s paying off

For the first line, Kreider has always been net front so I don’t expect him to shoot. Kakko and Mika need to start letting the pucks fly. Puck possession means nothing if you’re not shooting or creating chances

Thing I don't like about Kakko is his body language...if he exuded even the slightest bit of confidence, more fans would have confidence in him, and he would also be a little quicker pullng the trigger on shots. FWIW, Buch wasn't exactly a pillar of confidence either- until he figured things out.

The good thing is that Kakko is only 22 and somehow elite defensively. They need to keep working on his game and hope he becomes a mark stone lite

I remember in his draft day…the video where Hughes and Kakko met in the back room after they were both selected and Kakko couldn’t look Hughes in the eye. Seems weird at the time.

Exactly.
I made a Bob Gainey reference in another thread. I didn't mean for that to be taken as a comparison to Gainey- but my point was that he never broke 45ish points- yet was a still a huge contributor who ended up in the Hall of Fame. Gaudy offensive #'s aren't everything...and even if Kakko turns out to be a middle of the lineup guy- although you'd want more from @2OA- teams need to be solid in the middle of the lineup as well....just don't pay like top 6!

It’s a blessing in disguise because if Kakko and Laffy have taken off like they were expected, the rangers would be in even bigger cap hell right now

I think he's a real shy kid. And cultural differences between home and here in NYC have probably haven't helped the shyness...just guessing here.

Got that right!
Because with all the NMCs given out like Halloween candy, we'd all be screaming about a distress trade involving LaF, Kakko, Miller, or Chytil!