New Jersey Devils: Does Kaapo Kakko Missing Combine Hurt Draft Stock?
The New Jersey Devils will not speak with Kaapo Kakko during the NHL Draft Combine because he decided he wasn’t going. Will this hurt him in the eyes of the Devils brass?
This week is the NHL Scouting Combine where more than 100 of the best young hockey players in the world will show off their skills in things that generally have nothing to do with hockey. This week’s activities aren’t even on ice, so take everything from it with a grain of salt. One thing that is extremely important to NHL franchises is the interview portion of the combine.
The New Jersey Devils spent some time with projected number one pick Jack Hughes earlier this week. One would assume they would spend just as much time with Finland’s Kaapo Kakko, but he’s not there. Kappo announced last minute that he would be skipping the combine to celebrate with his team after they won the IIHF World Championships.
His agent Mike Liut told NHL.com that this win was like the Stanley Cup to “countries outside of North America.”
“The celebration will take up most of this week and Kaapo should attend every minute. The NHL clubs I spoke to fully support Kaapo’s participation with his team and country.”“The celebration will take up most of this week and Kaapo should attend every minute. The NHL clubs I spoke to fully support Kaapo’s participation with his team and country.”
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That’s an interesting excuse for Kappo, but one has to wonder if that will hurt him in the eyes of the Devils. Jack Hughes is in Buffalo right now giving great answers to Shero and the rest of the Devils front office while Kakko is in Helsinki celebrating a win.
To think this was the only time the Devils had to talk to Kakko is simply untrue. Scouts have probably already had conversations with him overseas, and Shero likely spoke to both teens on the phone. He’s going to make sure no stone is unturned before making the first-overall pick.
However, it will be hard to get all the Devils in that setting. He’d have to fly the entire front office to Finland to get a similar setting in front of Kakko. That’s inconvenient for the team, if they would do it at all. Teams don’t like to be inconvenienced.
Next. Jack Hughes Says All The Right Things. dark
We don’t know all the facts, and we probably never will. Maybe the Devils told Kakko that they weren’t taking him, so he didn’t feel the need to end his celebration early. It’s possible the Devils made up their mind and didn’t want to waste anyone’s time. However, if Kakko truly does want to be the number one pick like he said during the World Championships, it’s curious that he decided to skip the combine entirely.
These are two great talents, and the Devils are lucky they get to pick one of them. Either will be a franchise-changing star. However, the Devils will want a player who puts his entire life into his NHL career. While it’s not a death blow, it does hurt that Kakko is not in Buffalo right now.