Stan Fischler US Hall Of Fame MSG I love New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/features/kaapo-kakko-playing-top-minutes-for-surging-rangers] Kaapo Kakko; how can you not? And that's what gets me mad -- or angry -- if you will. I'm sick and tired of hearing fans and media wanting more and more from this guy. Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA0NTMyMDU2Mjg0MjExMTI5/usatsi_22292072.jpg] Give him a break and give Double K time to evolve and achieve reasonable goals with a fair amount of ice time. I vividly remember my old Newsday hockey writing buddy, Steve Zipay, authoring these words in The Hockey News Yearbook: "New York should find a way to hasten the development of Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko." Okay, Steve, so Big Al is on the threshold of stardom and Kaapo is getting there. And -- may I ask -- what's the rush? Some kids from Finland need a bit more time. Lafreniere got his and is making the most of it. And speaking of time, what pray tell does His Eminence Peter Laviolette expect if he's limiting Kakko to less than 14 minutes -- actually 13:17 -- per game. Most interesting the other night was Lavvy's throw-away line that, yeah, maybe he should play Kaapo more than the piddling amount he's giving the guy. Or, maybe -- just maybe -- Kakko's alleged underperforming is the fault of the coach and not the player. We're talking about a player who does the following: * He wins 53 percent of his face-offs. * He can control the puck in the offensive zone. * He can drive to the net with opposing players all over him. * He can make room with his big body in front of the enemy net. * He can control the puck along the boards. * He can make smart passes; has a good shot; can pick the corners; has good hands and "dangles" very well with the puck. With the proper coaching these collective assets should be blended into Kaapo, the star. There are two ways this can happen; more patience from coaching and management; more ice time for a total talent. A worst case scenario would be trading the fleet Finn and then watch him emerge as an ace somewhere else. That had better not happen; especially with the club doing so well while a talent such as Kakko is braked with less than 14 minutes of playing time a game. The Maven hopes that he breaks the 15-minute mark tonight in Newark. He should be so lucky! TOP STORIES
