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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 /
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MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 27: Head coach of the New York Rangers David Quinn looks on from the bench during the third period against the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on February 27, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The New York Rangers defeated the Montreal Canadiens 5-2. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

The jury is out

For two seasons David Quinn talked about the youth of these players and often spoke about how difficult the NHL is.  He seemed determined to make sure that Kakko and Lafrenière had to earn their ice time by playing a full 200 foot game.

As we’ve shown, he rarely used them in key moments like overtime and their powerplay time was also limited.  He leaned heavily on his veterans Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich and Ryan Strome at the expense of his two top picks.

The fact is that both Lafrenière and Kakko were elite junior players who were the go-to guys for their teams. They were accustomed to playing in key moments and getting important ice time.

As a teenager, Kakko scored two goals against an NHL-caliber Team Canada at the World Championships in 2019.   He scored the late goal that gave Finland the gold medal at the WJC the same year.

Lafrenière was the second youngest player on Team Canada at the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup tournament, but was named captain of the team and led them in scoring as they won the gold medal.  He was the MVP of the 2020 WJC tournament with 10 points in five games.

The question is whether the coach gave Kakko and Lafrenière the opportunities to succeed or did he stunt their growth by trying to “mold” them into his idea of well rounded NHL players.   Supporters will point to the steady progress they displayed as they got more experience.  Critics will point to the constant shuffling of linemates and the worst stats for a first overall pick since Nail Yakupov in 2012 (we’re not including Jack Hughes).

We may get an answer if the Rangers hire a coach who will give free rein to the dynamic duo.  It’s interesting that, like Quinn,  Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme came out of the college coaching ranks (University of Quebec) and also junior hockey, but those qualifications were not mentioned when he was elevated to the coaching job after Claude Julien was fired.

Of course, if Kakko and Lafrenière break out under a new coach, many will credit Quinn’s tutelage as the reason.  We may never know.

More. A return for Tortorella?. light

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