David Quinn must dislike Kaapo Kakko a lot
Lost in the hoopla surrounding Alexis Lafrenière’s first goal were some interesting observations made by New York Rangers Coach David Quinn after the game. If you listen to what he said, it is becoming more and more clear that he doesn’t like Kaapo Kakko.
Now, not having access to practice or the inner workings of the team, it’s impossible to know what is going on with Kakko and Quinn. All we can judge is the play on the ice and to be honest, Kakko’s play has been inconsistent. He has shown flashes of brilliance, but has also made careless plays or missed assignments on defense. One thing is for certain, he has improved in all areas of his game this season. But not enough for the coach.
When asked why Colin Blackwell was on the ice in the overtime, Quinn was right to point out that Blackwell deserved to be out there based on his play in this and his other two games. But then, he stuck it to Kakko.
“You got to let the eye test determine who plays hockey, not where they were drafted, not their resume. We needed a win tonight and he deserves to be out there, that’s why he was out there.”
He didn’t stop there. “He’s got seven points in his last seven NHL games and what can happen in this game is we get so caught up in where they were drafted and the hype about people. I don’t give two craps about that. We want to win hockey games and he was the best option. How’d it work out?”
First, he has seven points in his last nine NHL games, but by making a point of speaking about draft position and hype, not once, but twice, it was clear Quinn was talking about Kaapo Kakko.
What made it even more obvious was also how he gushed about Alexis Lafrenière. He didn’t just talk about the goal, he talked about his personality. “This guy is a ballsy kid. I don’t care if he’s the first pick or the 271st pick, he’s a ballsy kid. He’s a kid you wanna be around, you now he’s had a lot of fun with the fact that he’s snake bitten, probably should have had four goals tonight. But for him to get his first goal at that moment in that situation.”
He wasn’t finished . “Like I said, he’s a ballsy kid, a likeable kid, I don’t care where you get drafted. He’s got great talent, but he’s a great kid..our guys were so happy for him. He was joking around with Kreider after he missed in the third period. He came back to the bench shaking his head, he was laughing about it. The thing I loved about him. He never got frustrated.”
If one thing is obvious, Quinn thinks that Lafrenière is the antithesis of Kaapo Kakko.
Last night
For some reason, Quinn might have had Kakko on his mind when he did the interviews. The Finn played only 9:55, fewest minutes of any game this season and more than only Brendan Lemieux and Phil Di Giuseppe.
Kakko was the right wing on a revamped third line with Chris Kreider and Brett Howden. At even strength, Kakko played 9:40. Howden played 12 minutes and Kreider got 12:20. Did Kakko commit some offense that resulted in reduced ice time compared to his linemates? Kakko wasn’t even on the ice when Buffalo scored at the end of the first period, while Howden and Kreider were and it was Krieder’s inability to keep the puck in the offensive zone that led to the breakout by the Sabres that resulted in a goal.
Lafrenière vs. Kakko
It’s telling that Quinn loves Lafrenière because he is a “ballsy” kid. He’s got the quality that Quinn values most, the proverbial “swagger.” Quinn has called Kakko out on the past for the lack of those qualities, for a lack of confidence and for getting down on himself.
As a matter of relating to his players,it’s almost inexplicable that Quinn had to resort to minimizing his Finnish player in public while lauding his Canadian star in such glowing terms.
Alexis Lafrenière has been destined to be the number one pick for years. He grew up in a suburb of Montreal, a French Canadian star. He’s been in the spotlight since he was 15 and playing bantam hockey in Quebec province. The only players who scored more goals as 17 year olds in Canadian junior hockey were Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and Jimmy Carson. He has been groomed for this for years.
Kaapo Kakko comes from Turku, Finland, a city with a population of 187,000. Hell, the entire country of FInland has just over five million people, fewer than live in New York City. Yet, as an 18 year old, he came to the United States to play in the media capital of the world in a country he had never been to that speaks a language he is not fluent in.
Have the Rangers mishandled Kaapo Kakko? May be they should have remembered how they treated Reijo Ruotslainen when he came to the Rangers from Finland in 1981. Knowing that he was going to be an important part of the team, they not only imported Ruotslainen, but also signed Mikko Leinonen, also from Finland and five years older. As a fellow Finn and mentor, he helped their valuable rookie navigate his first three seasons in New York.
Conclusions
Does David Quinn dislike Kaapo Kakko? If he doesn’t he sure has a strange way of showing it. What is clear is that he resents any potential sense of entitlement and is not impressed with his draft status or the “hype” that accompanied him to the NHL. Kakko didn’t create the hype and he didn’t behave like he was going to score 50 goals when he got here. If anything, he has been deferential to veterans and has never vented about his time in New York.
But he was also the best young player in his country and a key player on two international championship teams. Sure, he led the Finnish WJC team to a championship, but he also was a key player at the World Championships, a tournament featuring veteran players much older than Kakko, including NHL veterans. Kaapo Kakko came to New York as an 18 year old with all of the expectations of a second overall pick.
Through no fault of his, he found himself subject to the “tough love” school of coaching that David Quinn embraces. As a result, he has had highs and lows, but he also has to be confused about where he stands in the organization. One more time, Kakko hasn’t turned 20 yet. Remember what you were like when you were 19 years old.
After last night, he does know one thing. David Quinn doesn’t give two craps about Kakko’s draft status or the hype that came with it. Quinn said it…twice.
Jeff Gorton should think about Kakko’s future. He will have another “foreign” player coming over when Vitali Kravtsov is ready to join the team. Kravtsov is another player who was a high draft pick and comes here with hype because of it.
We’ve been down this road before. High draft picks must succeed if a team is to succeed.
Gorton may be better off trading Kakko to a team that will nurture him and provide some mentoring and guidance. If he can get a Canadian player with swagger, that would probably make his coach happy.
Here is the full David Quinn interview. Look at it and decide for yourself if Quinn has an issue with Kaapo Kako. To me, it sure looks like it.