Kaapo Kakko had the résumé for immediate NHL success. Not only was he a tremendously talented dual-threat attacker, but his strength and puck protection made him one of the most physically dominant players in the sport. Every game in Liiga, the top tier of men’s hockey in Finland, Kakko did something incredible – and he racked up the points, too.



The impressive résumé hasn’t translated into results in the NHL. Kakko’s one of the lowest scoring players in the NHL at 5-on-5, recording just 0.61 points per 60 minutes (397th of 410 forwards with at least 250 minutes played). While he’s been backed by a comically low 3.9 on-ice shooting percentage, he has the lowest Goals Above Replacement (Evolving Hockey’s measure of a player’s contribution to their team) of any player in the NHL.



Yikes.



So, what’s going on here?



Stylistically, Kakko is the same player he always was. He’s...