JHS

This is exactly why this group has largely been unsuccessful in the playoffs. If they play against a team who tightens up defensively they can’t get the ugly goal and seem to just never catch a break. It’s a joke if they lost this game but this is a case study in why this group seems to come up short in exactly these kinds of games.

Country club effort tonight from a team that hopefully won’t be playing at their country clubs till end of June.

Trouba is a bad hockey player right now. Like really bad- and if he does not wake up from the comma level effort he’s giving most shifts this team is in big trouble. He looks like a defensive liability out there and he’s anything but an effective defender right now.

What is up with Miller tonight? Outside of that one nice stick he had deflecting Rust’s shot he’s been atrocious. I usually love his game but tonight he’s looked particularly out of it.

He was but expected as a first NHL game guy!

Fox is a hero! What an incredible effort from him tonight! Chad Ruhwedal is terrible! He needs to not play again.

This is such an odd game. Rangers mostly taking this one off which has not been common for this team. Just no spunk, sharpness or even crisp passing.

What a relief both for us as fans but more importantly for him as a player! Lindy is such a warrior if anyone can come back sooner than expected I’d suspect it will be him!

This is very true- when I say he's non existent or invisible I mean it from a point production standpoint-- and for a second overall pick, the expectation is points. He's an infinitely serviceable bottom 6 guy but those are not second overall picks most of the time. That's why I say his value is most heightened by trading him now while some organizations may think he can live up to his second overall status before he proves to everyone that he is not worth taking a flyer on!

He can help them more by not being on the roster and bringing them back a top 6 wing. He’s basically been completely invisible again tonight in the first half of the Florida game tonight. Like he’s done absolutely nothing.

I don't think you are right about your assumption. Here's the thing- I imagine there are several GM's who still believe Kappo has some excuses left for why he has not produced like expected( rookie season, not given a real chance with top 6 forwards...) but now that those excuses are going away he's slowly revealing how bad he is-- so from that standpoint, he may have some value left. If they play him in a top 6 role and he gets maybe 25 points than he's exposed and those GM's who may think he can do something in the top 6 role on their team won't be able to justify taking a chance. The time to trade him is now.

The perspective is he's already had multiple seasons with the team and he *might* get 25 points this year. He's a second overall pick. I get that points are not the only measure of "talent" but there is just nothing about hsi current game that stands out in anyway. The main issue is also as a tradeable commodity, the longer he goes as being essentially useless the lower return we get.

He's developing? What exactly is he doing that indicates he's gotten better at any aspect of the game? He's slower, less impactful and seemingly more invisible each game this season. 3 to 4 goals directly because of his actions is exactly my point around such low standards! The guy is the second overall pick, not some late round pick. Can honestly anyone say that Matt Rempe in the 7 or so games he's played has not been a more impactful player than Kappo Kakko has been all year?? He's had time to develop and he's developed into a highly replaceable winger.

He has less than 25 points( not goals- points) all season. What exactly was he “driving?.” The standards are so low for Kappo that right now if he has meaningful contributions in a game we are all happy.

Kappo has been an anchor on any line he’s played on this season. He literally has made Mica and Kreider look even more useless as 5 on 5 players than usual. Sadly, Kappo is slow, does not engage with the game most nights, has limited offensive threats and it really looks like any glimmers that he’s more than a bottom 6 forward were sadly just that- flash in the pan type moments. He’s got to go and it’s hopefully in the next 10 days( before the deadline.) With that said, Drury can only make this deal if he can get a right winger to replace him so it’s a tough spot. It’s a real shame Kappo has not done anything to take any steps forward. The bigger issue( for him) though is he’s likely the guy out of the young core who is easiest to replace so it’s why he’s likeliest to be dealt this deadline for one of the rentals we all know are being targeted by the Rangers.