MSG Network analyst Joe Micheletti talks with The Post’s Justin Terranova about the Rangers’ potential, New York’s impending love affair with Kaapo Kakko, and what will make or break Jack Hughes’ rookie season.
Q: How difficult is it to lay out expectations for this Rangers team after so many changes?
A: They added some certainties. (Jacob) Trouba is a top-four defender, will eat up those minutes and be on your power play. You add (Artemi) Panarin and that obviously changes the whole dynamic, because he’s a fabulous player. Now, you’re thinking that if you can just get some of these kids to step up. (Adam) Fox, (Filip) Chytil, (Brett) Howden, (Libor) Hajek. If these guys can take that next step, you got more than hope, you have a team that has a chance. In my estimation, I am looking at four or five positions that need to be filled. The question is: Are these players able to fill them?
Q: What have been your first impressions of Kaapo Kakko?
A: This kid is a special, special player and I think he’s going to have a 15-year career in this league and people in New York are going to fall in love with him. He is well beyond his years. I can’t believe he’s 18. You watch him on the ice, he’s like a star player who has been in the league for seven years. That’s the way he plays, that’s the way he acts, that’s his maturity level. The kid is a star in the making and may be a star this year.
Q: What about off the ice?
A: He’s got a little shyness to him off the ice and no shyness on the ice. That’s the 18-year-old part of the equation, just finding his way around. I would say he is an extremely respectful kid who is just trying to find his comfort level here. That is so typical even for a veteran who comes in, so you can imagine for the second-overall pick who is coming in from Finland. That’s all going to take care of itself.
Q: Are you ready for years of comparing him to Jack Hughes?
A: I just think the next 15 years we are in for such a treat. These are two different players. When you’re talking about size and strength, Kakko, to me, is the one who is more ready for the grind of the NHL. Hughes has such a high IQ and some players like that, they are just hard to hit because they know what they are doing on the ice. … The Devils have a team that will try and protect him because they have plenty of toughness. But he’ll get hit and the question is, can he physically deal with the demands of that?
Q: How can the Islanders build on last year’s improvement?
A: They are going to be right there again. They had 103 points last season and not many changes to their current roster. Barry Trotz feels like they have better depth than they had last year up front. They feel they are going to have more scoring with those kids who are just getting better. It was interesting to see how the goaltending thing played out, but (Semyon) Varlamov is a good goaltender. I just think Trotz’s quality as a person rubs off on everybody in the organization.
