The first order of business for Kaapo Kakko is done — a two-year bridge deal signed last week at an average annual value of $2.1 million — and now the pressure is all on the 21-year-old Finn.

There is room for argument on the state of Kakko’s development after a promising postseason that ended in the press box, but there are only two opinions that really matter: those of Chris Drury and Gerard Gallant. And, at least in Gallant’s case, it’s clear that he believes Kakko has quite a long way to go — otherwise he wouldn’t have benched Kakko in the final game of the season.

That decision drew ire from segments of fans and media mostly due to its divergence from conventional wisdom regarding Kakko’s play. Furthermore, Gallant never gave an in-depth explanation regarding his thought process, so it is hard to say exactly what Kakko needs to do to regain his standing going into his fourth NHL season. But what we can do is take a deep dive into the numbers to try and figure out what a better season would look like.

At five-on-five, what stands out is the trendline. Though Kakko’s scoring and assist rates in 2021-22 were on an upward trajectory from 2020-21, a whole lot of underlying stats tell a different story.