Mercogliano Kakko 'Feels Like a Real Candidate to Go'

[RJWantsTheCup]

Read on Rangers Insider that Montreal is offering defenseman Justin Barron and a 2nd rounder for Kakko. Don’t know anything about Barron.  

[Blue Heaven]

3 minutes ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

Read on Rangers Insider that Montreal is offering defenseman Justin Barron and a 2nd rounder for Kakko. Don’t know anything about Barron.  

Morgan Barron's brother

[Phil]

5 minutes ago, RJWantsTheCup said:

Read on Rangers Insider that Montreal is offering defenseman Justin Barron and a 2nd rounder for Kakko. Don’t know anything about Barron.  

 

What is Rangers Insider? Sounds like clickbait bullshit. If it's not coming from the usual suspects, take it with a gigantic grain of salt (or just don't take it at all).

[RJWantsTheCup]

6 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

What is Rangers Insider? Sounds like clickbait bullshit. If it's not coming from the usual suspects, take it with a gigantic grain of salt (or just don't take it at all).

I’m sure it’s bs.  

[Pete]

Why is anybody even reading that garbage let alone quoting anything from it? It's beyond obvious it's trash. 

 

Here's a sampling: https://www.nyrangersinsider.com/nhl-team/new-york-rangers/rangers-star-player-admits-he-would-not-be-surprised-if-igor-requested-a-trade

Edited June 5 by Pete

[Phil]

Not even clicking it.

[RJWantsTheCup]

42 minutes ago, Pete said:

Why is anybody even reading that garbage let alone quoting anything from it? It's beyond obvious it's trash. 

 

Here's a sampling: https://www.nyrangersinsider.com/nhl-team/new-york-rangers/rangers-star-player-admits-he-would-not-be-surprised-if-igor-requested-a-trade

I saw that one too.  
 

[BrooksBurner]

47 minutes ago, Pete said:

Why is anybody even reading that garbage let alone quoting anything from it? It's beyond obvious it's trash. 

 

Here's a sampling: https://www.nyrangersinsider.com/nhl-team/new-york-rangers/rangers-star-player-admits-he-would-not-be-surprised-if-igor-requested-a-trade

Wow can’t believe Tro would make that public in such a clear and unmistakable fashion

[Abe Froman]

I have to confess. I am the Rangers Insider.

[Gravesy]

Kakko just looks like this experience has broken him mentally. I don't think I've ever seen an NHL player with less confidence in his own abilities than Kakko as this playoff run went on. By the end of it he was playing with his shoulders above his ears. 

I think it's just a case of his skillset not translating to a higher level of competition. In Finland he was just about quick enough and just about strong enough to dominate on a larger surface. He simply can't do the things that made him such a highly regarded prospect against faster, stronger opposition. And that's obviously very tough to come to terms with. He's certainly not the first prospect to experience something like that, although it isn't usual for someone drafted that high. 

I think he can definitely remodel his game and have a good, long NHL career as a responsible, checking line winger and mid six tweener.

He may have to do it somewhere else than New York for his own good though. 

 

[Pete]

20 minutes ago, Gravesy said:

Kakko just looks like this experience has broken him mentally. I don't think I've ever seen an NHL player with less confidence in his own abilities than Kakko as this playoff run went on. By the end of it he was playing with his shoulders above his ears. 

I think it's just a case of his skillset not translating to a higher level of competition. In Finland he was just about quick enough and just about strong enough to dominate on a larger surface. He simply can't do the things that made him such a highly regarded prospect against faster, stronger opposition. And that's obviously very tough to come to terms with. He's certainly not the first prospect to experience something like that, although it isn't usual for someone drafted that high. 

I think he can definitely remodel his game and have a good, long NHL career as a responsible, checking line winger and mid six tweener.

He may have to do it somewhere else than New York for his own good though. 

 

You're saying this, and Larry said this, but he said he wants to stay.

[Gravesy]

1 minute ago, Pete said:

You're saying this, and Larry said this, but he said he wants to stay.

I mean, I don't know him. So maybe he does want to stay, although he'll obviously say that until he's not staying. 

He just looks like he's carrying the weight of failed 2nd OA squarely on his shoulders. And he'll be doing that for his entire tenure with the Rangers, knowing our fans. But hey, maybe it works. I actually hope it does. He probably has little no value on the market, but he fills a role the Rangers need and he does it adequately, for the most part. If he can be kept around at a low cost I have no urgency to get rid of him. 

[Br4d]

Kakko will be valuable for the Rangers the first camp they're *not* thinking about him in the top 6.

[Albatrosss]

Kakko will be valuable to the Rangers when he starts producing offensively 

[LindG1000]

What should give you some hope for Kakko is Lafreniere.  Kakko needs to do the same shit - fix the skating and get faster.

 

I'll tell you what—if I were Kakko, I'd be copying Lafreniere's 2023 offseason to a T. Work with his skating coach, his nutritionist, and his skills guy. Do whatever he did, because it's not like Kakko doesn't have the hands or the talent. Eat shit, sign the cheapo deal for 1-2 years, and work like Laf did. 

 

And if I were the Rangers, that'd be my expectation. Kakko has watched highly touted countrymen go sideways for years - Olli Juolevi, Jesse Puljujarvi, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and frankly countless others from the so-called "golden generation" of Finnish prospects - but he's also seen Barkov and Heiskanen and Rantanen and Lundell. He really is too talented to let himself fall into being another Puljujarvi, and he needs to make that commitment. Work with a great skating coach. Don't go back to Finland unless you're going to spend the entire summer studying your buddy Rantanen and doing whatever the fuck he does on the ice and off. 

 

And if he's dealt? Wake-up call, I hope. He's a good kid and I want him to succeed, but it's time to really put in the time and work. 

 

 

[BrooksBurner]

If I was wanting to run it back, Kakko wouldn't be on my keep list. I think the higher the pressure or expectation, the greater he struggles. It's possible he fixes that, but if you want to run it back, I find it completely counter-intuitive to also want to hitch your wagon to him next year. He doesn't represent their best chance to win next year at all.

 

Again, I'd hold him a bit longer, but that's because I'm looking 2-3 years down the road now.

[Br4d]

33 minutes ago, Albatrosss said:

Kakko will be valuable to the Rangers when he starts producing offensively 

 

This is never going to happen unless he changes his play style.

 

The book on him at this point has to be: "just stay with him while he has the puck.  He'll figure out how to make a play that gives it away."

[Br4d]

17 minutes ago, LindG1000 said:

What should give you some hope for Kakko is Lafreniere.  Kakko needs to do the same shit - fix the skating and get faster.

 

I'll tell you what—if I were Kakko, I'd be copying Lafreniere's 2023 offseason to a T. Work with his skating coach, his nutritionist, and his skills guy. Do whatever he did, because it's not like Kakko doesn't have the hands or the talent. Eat shit, sign the cheapo deal for 1-2 years, and work like Laf did. 

 

And if I were the Rangers, that'd be my expectation. Kakko has watched highly touted countrymen go sideways for years - Olli Juolevi, Jesse Puljujarvi, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and frankly countless others from the so-called "golden generation" of Finnish prospects - but he's also seen Barkov and Heiskanen and Rantanen and Lundell. He really is too talented to let himself fall into being another Puljujarvi, and he needs to make that commitment. Work with a great skating coach. Don't go back to Finland unless you're going to spend the entire summer studying your buddy Rantanen and doing whatever the fuck he does on the ice and off. 

 

And if he's dealt? Wake-up call, I hope. He's a good kid and I want him to succeed, but it's time to really put in the time and work. 

 

 

 

Laf had 5x the skill Kakko did when he was looking like a bust.  Every now and then a great play in a continuum of blah.

 

Take the great plays out and you have Kakko.

[BreakawayMachine]

On 6/5/2024 at 4:39 PM, RJWantsTheCup said:

Read on Rangers Insider that Montreal is offering defenseman Justin Barron and a 2nd rounder for Kakko. Don’t know anything about Barron.  

I'd take it

[Br4d]

Barron is a 22 year old former 1st round pick.  Add a pick to him and he becomes perfect compensation for Kakko.

 

Keeping Kakko has a very high opportunity cost because the Rangers can't do definitive things at RW as long as he is clouding up the picture.

[Pete]

11 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

Laf had 5x the skill Kakko did when he was looking like a bust.  Every now and then a great play in a continuum of blah.

 

Take the great plays out and you have Kakko.

This couldn't be any less true. 

[Pete]

1 minute ago, Br4d said:

Barron is a 22 year old former 1st round pick.  Add a pick to him and he becomes perfect compensation for Kakko.

 

Keeping Kakko has a very high opportunity cost because the Rangers can't do definitive things at RW as long as he is clouding up the picture.

This also isn't true. He can sign his QO and they can do whatever they want. They can wiave him, they can send him to Hartford, they can trade him for nothing if they stumble upon a right wing that feels their need. 

[Br4d]

5 minutes ago, Pete said:

This couldn't be any less true. 

 

90%+ of your posts have no value to the person you direct them at.

 

Seriously I do not give two shits if you agree with me or not.

 

If you want to take the time to explain what made Kakko such an interesting prospect feel free to do that.

 

Just telling me I'm "wrong" has no value at all.

[LindG1000]

2 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

90%+ of your posts have no value to the person you direct them at.

 

Seriously I do not give two shits if you agree with me or not.

 

If you want to take the time to explain what made Kakko such an interesting prospect feel free to do that.

 

Just telling me I'm "wrong" has no value at all.

Great hands, great size, exceptional puck protection, and a proclivity for getting to the net. What has held him back is twofold - he was a decent skater in Finland and a bad one here, and with less space, it's hard for him to get to the net (likely because of his skating).

 

He's not a lost cause here by any means.

[Pete]

6 minutes ago, Br4d said:

 

90%+ of your posts have no value to the person you direct them at.

 

Seriously I do not give two shits if you agree with me or not.

 

If you want to take the time to explain what made Kakko such an interesting prospect feel free to do that.

 

Just telling me I'm "wrong" has no value at all.

So your arbitrary evaluations of players with zero data backing it up have value? 

 

I think you feel that way about my responses to you simply because you don't throw anything of value out there, so you don't get anything of value back.