Blue Line Station
Fansided

Did Quinn keep Kakko & Lafreniere from being as good as Cole Caufield?

By Steve Paulus

Apr 11, 2021; Uniondale, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) awaits a face-off against the New York Islanders during the third period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2021; Uniondale, New York, USA; New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafreniere (13) awaits a face-off against the New York Islanders during the third period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 03: Kaapo Kakko #24 of the New York Rangers celebrates his goal at 4:35 of the second period against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on May 03, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 03: Kaapo Kakko #24 of the New York Rangers celebrates his goal at 4:35 of the second period against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden on May 03, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

A Rangers comparison

So, does this mean the Rangers made a mistake in 2019 and should have drafted Cole Caulfield instead of Kaapo Kakko?  Absolutely not. Is Caufield better than Alexis Lafrenière?   No way. We’ve seen flashes of the Rangers’ young stars to know that the best is yet to come.

But the way that the Canadiens have utilized their rookie is a lesson for the Blueshirts.    The Canadiens let him play two full seasons at Wisconsin and sent him to the AHL.  His brief, successful foray in to the minor leagues gave him confidence as a pro and set him up for success in the NHL.  Then, Ducharme played him in key roles, sending a message when he was on the ice to start  his first NHL game.

The Rangers two prized rookies weren’t buried, but were not given the opportunity to be a game changer the way Caufield has been.  Just look at ice time in overtime, a key opportunity for gamebreakers to strut their stuff.  In four games regular season games that went to overtime, Caufield played 3:07 minutes, scoring two goals.

In Kaapo Kakko’s rookie season,he scored the game winner in OT in the team’s 16th game of the season.

The Rangers went to overtime 11 times in the 2019-20 season and Kakko played all of 2:26 minutes in the OT period all season.

This season, the Rangers played  nine overtime games  and Kakko played 1:53 with Lafrenière playing 3:22.

One of the highlights of Lafrenière’s season was his overtime game winner against Buffalo, his first NHL goal.

That was in the seventh game of the season and you would think that he would have been rewarded for his clutch scoring with more ice time in overtime situations.  Think again.

In seven more overtime games the Rangers played 22:44 minutes of OT.  Lafrenière got on the ice in only two of those overtime periods and played a total of 2:26 minutes.

So, was Quinn’s strategy the right one?

Home/Analysis