Kakko vs. Aho

[JHouly]

In a points only keeper league.

I received an offer.

Somebody offered me his Sebastian Aho for my Kakko.

Would you do that trade?

Thanks!

[Eskimo Brother]

100% Yes. You hope Kakko becomes what Aho is.

[Axeman33]

I'd take that deal. Kakko has a bright future but Aho is living it now and hasnt hit his prime years yet.

[Rocky71]

Aho easy. Especially if this ISN'T a salary cap league

[Jerrodedson99]

100% Yes. You hope Kakko becomes what Aho is.

This.

[Skippy]

Ummmm, make sure it isn’t the other Sebastian Aho...

[Sawch]

Yes, I’d accept this offer

[Bubba55]

Pull the trigger! And ya, just make sure it's the "right" Aho (:

[Rockies & Hockeys]

Ummmm, make sure it isn’t the other Sebastian Aho...

I was thinking this exact thing, haha. Make sure it’s the one from the Canes!

[mjm44]

assuming it is the Canes Aho, this is complete robbery... what do you project Kakko to be? LOL Aho is and probably will always be the better choice, at very worst case its a wash IMO

[metaldude26]

Depends which Aho, but assuming it's the forward, you take him a billion times over.

[Pengwin7]

Hmmm...
IDK - I think I'll counter.

There's things to think about here.
1st - most important, is your (OP) team ready to compete immediately? Or are you in rebuild?

2a - if you are competing and your team is really good... yes, Aho.
Aho is a point-per-game player last two seasons, let's mark that: 83in82, 66in68.
He did have 53 assists in 18-19, which I think was quite high - some good teammate shooting and PP1 clicking
He did shoot 18.4% last year (38g) which is much higher than his career 14%.
Personally - I think Aho is a 75pt player, going forward. (Not 80)

2b - if you are rebuilding - consider the Rangers - they have Panarin & Ziba & a very dynamic defense building.
Kakko's sniping is TOO good to not hit in the NHL.
He should secure a future PP1 spot, with those 2, maybe Strome (if NYR goes 4F:1D).
Kakko is just too good.

Are we all really hinting that Kakko can't do point-per-game? (Aho's current mark)
NYR will be a cap spending team. This is important - because they will surround Kakko with solid players.

Carolina, on the flip, has & probably will not continue to be a cap team.
I don't think they will be able to afford Dougie Hamilton next summer (2021) - he'll be getting $10m/year from a big market city with high-end museums (haha).
They'll still have to back up the truck for Svech's RFA in 2021, then probably again for Necas' RFA in 2022 (Necas will break out this coming year or next).
Carolina, IMO, paid (/took on) too much for Staal & Nino & Skjei.
I'm sorry, it's not a team with a bright future.
Not for me. I know their prospect pipeline was highly rated with Svech & Necas... but I think that pipeline is about to close.

If you are anywhere near rebuild... or wanting a great team for the future... I'm holding Kakko and his potential.
Kakko, on the low-end, I think he'll be a 60pt player. His goal-scoring and IQ is just too good... he'll be fine.
Kakko, on the high-end, I think he'll be 90pt+, especially with Ziba/Panarin & the high-end offensive D of Fox/TonyD/Trouba.

[Call of Doughty]

Yes please. He's still a baby and already a stud.

[Eskimo Brother]

Kakko, on the low-end, I think he'll be a 60pt player. His goal-scoring and IQ is just too good... he'll be fine.
Kakko, on the high-end, I think he'll be 90pt+, especially with Ziba/Panarin & the high-end offensive D of Fox/TonyD/Trouba.

A fair point to consider, but I'll counter your counter.

Aho we have seen do a point per game for a couple of seasons, and we haven't seen it with a full year of Hamilton manning PP1, or with Svechnikov at his peak. Maybe those two aren't quite on the same level as Panarin and Zibs, but it's not as though Aho is all on his own - the pieces around him are growing too. This past season he spent half of his shifts carrying around Nino and/or Foegele, changing that to a combination of Teuvo, Svech, Necas, etc is going to be a big upgrade. As a result of that, I think we can see just as many 80+ point pace seasons out of Aho as we see <80 point pace seasons. Aho also only turns 23 at the end of July. He's just at the beginning of his prime years now!

Fair point with the cap and them maybe losing Hamilton, but if they do then Bean steps in and he knows how to run a PP. Though I think Hamilton only nets 8-9M, and with the money coming off from the goalies, I think they can afford it as Nedeljkovic's ready to step in on some cheap contracts.

On the Kakko side, there's more variability as we haven't seen him evolve yet. You're right that he could be a 90+ point guy, or probably stunt in his development but still get to 60 points a few times (maybe similar to the aforementioned R.Strome - but with different developmental paths). With Kakko though, he's going to be another year or two before he even gets above that 60 point threshold, while Aho accumulates another 160 points in the next two years. Mid season you could probably also trade Aho back for Kakko and a solid + (or a similar package) if you wanted.

(As another small aside there's the risk of him being held out in future due to his Type 1 Diabetes. Probably not a big concern, but just a small asterisk to be aware of.)

I can see the upside of Kakko maybe passing Aho in a few years and that's a fair point, but the asset management part of this right now tells me that I have to pick Aho. If Kakko ends up in between your floor and ceiling for him, he's right at the 75-80 point threshold, and you just waiting 2-3 more years for the exact same player.

[LawMan]

Ummmm, make sure it isn’t the other Sebastian Aho...

Hahaha I thought the same thing... They spell their name exactly the same. I would take the one that plays for the Hurricanes in a heart beat.

Are their salary implications or keeper/farm implications we are not seeing? Otherwise it is Hurricanes Aho by a landslide.