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Kakko Overtaking Hughes as the Number One Pick?


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Here's the take from the mailbag guy at The Hockey News:

 

Bobby Callahan @Space_Cowboy_19 asks…

 

What are your odds for the New Jersey Devils taking Kaapo Kakko first overall?

 

The idea of Kakko being a legitimate threat to steal Jack Hughes’ No. 1 overall draft status is nothing like the faux, clickbaity chatter in 2016 touting Patrik Laine as a potential first-overall pick over Auston Matthews. The talk is for real this time. Jack Hughes projects as a franchise-changing player – think Patrick Kane, but as a center – yet so does Kakko.

 

Working on a story about Kakko, which you can find here, for our 2019 Draft Preview magazine, I spoke with his two most recent coaches, Jussi Ahokas from the 2019 gold-medallist Finnish world-junior squad and Kalle Kaskinen, coach of TPS, Kakko’s Finnish pro club team. You always expect coaches to gush about their own prospects, but their reverence for Kakko went beyond the norm.

 

“He’s a better skater than Mikko Rantanen at that age, I have to say,” Ahokas said. “I’ve seen them both at that age, and he’s actually a much better skater than Mikko was. They have really good hockey sense, but Kappo would be a little bit ahead of what Mikko was at that point in his career. “

 

“I would combine Peter Forsberg and Auston Matthews,” Kaskinen said with a laugh. “He’s not a bully, but he’s really proud of who he is, and he wants to be the best, and he shows it every shift. Maybe that’s closer to Forsberg. Forsberg, Saku Koivu and Auston Matthews. That’s how I’d put the combination.”

 

Wow. What praise. I can’t remember a prospect as beloved by his coaches as Kakko. Kaskinen calls him the best Finn he’s ever seen in the Liiga at that age – ahead of Mikael Granlund and Aleksander Barkov. Kakko is big, strong, mature defensively for his age and capable of ragging the puck in the offensive zone. He absolutely projects to reach the NHL next season. It’s a virtual certainty.

 

Kakko is also a right winger. Ray Shero has been an NHL GM for 12 drafts between Pittsburgh and New Jersey. He’s taken a forward with his first pick seven times, and he chose a center six of those times. He added Jordan Staal to the Penguins’ core of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and Shero’s first three Devils first-rounders were Pavel Zacha, Michael McLeod and Nico Hischier. Center, center, center. Shero believes in building teams up the middle. I thus expect the Devils to take Jack Hughes first overall, not because Kakko isn’t worthy, but because their GM clearly favors centers over wingers when breaking a tie between two draft candidates close in skill.

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"Loaded" is probably a bit generous. I guess the idea is drafting Hughes gives them a one-two punch of him and Hischier going forward. Kakko can play center whereas Hughes is a center which isn't the same thing I suppose. At least not when they're neck and neck as prospects.

In any case, don't shoot the messenger.

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Kaapo Kakko is fueling the debate over who should be the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL draft.

 

?This is a big thing for me for the draft,? Kakko told NHL.com through a translator. ?I think I can be the first [pick].?

 

?I?ve played well,? Kakko said. ?I haven?t paid much attention to Jack Hughes and his game, but I?m confident I?ve been able to let everyone see my skills and the level of my game. It?s not going to be an easy choice for the teams.?

 

https://nypost.com/2019/05/18/kaapo-kakko-wants-devils-to-think-twice-before-nhl-draft/

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He's from Finland. Having lived there for 3 years I can tell you New Jersey is a significant upgrade.

There are some nice places in NJ, and the arena itself is top notch. But it's in....Newark.

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Hopefully the Devils are locked in on Hughes. With two highly skilled guys I will take the size every day of the week.

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