A battle brewing on right wing

Kaapo Kakko: Ready for the top six?

Questions surround Kaapo Kakko.  Should he be playing in the top six?  Can he be a top six forward? Can he play a defensively responsible game?  We didn’t get many answers to those questions in his rookie year as he spent most of his first season on the third line, teamed with Brett Howden and Filip Chytil.  His opportunities to play with Zibanejad or Panarin were rare and he didn’t get top power play minutes.

Critics will point to his abysmal plus/minus of -26.  Since the lockout in 2004-05, there have been only 49 worse plus/minus seasons registered by forwards and it was the third worst total by a rookie forward in 15 years. Supporters will point out that it didn’t help that he spent most of the season playing with two other young players.  It’s also worth noting that he was -12 after only nine games and equaled that number over the next 57 games.   While -12 isn’t great, it’s comparable to Brendan Lemieux and Brett Howden.

With the departure of Fast, it’s an opportunity for Quinn to experiment with Kakko.  He can see how he does with Mika Zibanejad on the top line or with Strome and Panarin on the second line.  Some Ranger fans are salivating at the idea of him on a third “kid line” with Lafrenière  and Chytil.

What is easy to forget is that Kakko is still only 19 years old and played last season under a microscope.  There’s no telling how well he will do with all of the focus on Lafrenière.  If his play in the Qualifier is an indication of where he is headed, a top six role is assured.