Breaking down Kaapo Kakko's sophomore surge

It’s fair to say that the 2019-20 season did not go as expected for second-overall pick Kaapo Kakko. Favoured by sportsbooks and TV analysts to compete for the Calder trophy, he failed to produce as expected, putting up only 23 points which mostly came on the powerplay. 

But the hockey card stats only told part of the story - his underlying numbers measured in terms of his isolated impact on his team were not only bad, but literally the worst recorded since 2007-08.

Early in his sophomore campaign, the point totals still haven’t come - he only has three in 14 games so far this season. But dig a little deeper and it’s clear that significant strides have taken place in his game that are reflected by both his on-ice advanced stats and the eye test. Kakko has gone from the Rangers’ worst posses