Liiga-pros: Kärpät is in over its head

In the League provocation series, three sharp statements about the domestic top league are highlighted weekly. In these opinions, the curves are straightened without hesitation, and no mercy is given or hostages taken.

This time, the provocations focus on Oulu, Kouvola, and Mikkeli. You can read last week’s provocative statements here.

Kärpät is in deep trouble

The season for Kärpät has been almost a complete disaster. The only positive aspect for the Oulu team this season has been that HIFK stole the spotlight with their own antics. Kärpät’s struggles have not received even half of the media attention they deserved.

The Oulu club started the new season with high expectations. Petri Karjalainen, who won the championship with KalPa, was brought in as head coach, and the goaltending issues were addressed by recruiting the best that money can buy, namely Niklas Rubin.

Before the season started, Kärpät was considered the biggest favorite for the championship. So what went wrong in Oulu? The answer is simple: everything. No aspect of the game is convincing.

The league’s superstar Rubin has not been at his best this season. The Swedish goalie has undoubtedly been good, and Kärpät has not fallen because of him, but he has certainly not been among the best in the league.

The defense has been Kärpät’s biggest problem. Inexplicable marking errors and dangerous turnovers happen constantly. The best description of Kärpät’s defensive play is chaos. There is always a rush, always late, and the level of performance is subpar.

In offense, Kärpät has received what was ordered from its biggest stars. Aku Räty, Roni Hirvonen, Matyas Kantner, Eemil Erholtz, and Patrik Virta get clean sheets for the early season. The problems lie rather in the lower lines, which do not provide support. For example, Aleksi Antti-Roiko has not fulfilled his potential this season.

However, the biggest criticisms go to Kärpät’s front office. When making player acquisitions, the focus has been strongly in the rearview mirror rather than the windshield. Previous achievements have been more interesting than what the reinforcements can offer Kärpät at this moment.

Markus Nutivaaran‘s acquisition is the easiest to understand. Nutivaaran’s promising NHL career ended prematurely due to hip issues, which is common nowadays. The last complete season for the defenseman was 2018-19, but Kärpät thought that if half of the old skills are still there, a good Liiga defenseman can be obtained from an NHL player.

Julius Junttila is a Kärpät legend who did not receive a contract after the tryout period at the Czech top league team Rytiri Kladno. But welcome home! There is always room in the lineup for homegrown players in Oulu.

However, the most incomprehensible move was hiring Tommi Tikka. He had just come off two terrible seasons in the SHL, where he was brought in with a lot of money to score goals. Those did not come, and the defensive play did not go well either. The same song has continued in Oulu. After 38 games, Tikka has 2+6 points, and his plus-minus is -19.

Kärpät is second to last. The teams ahead, Pelicans and Jukurit, have played two fewer games. If the playoffs are of interest, Kärpät is running out of time. Unfortunately, there has been no sign of improvement in the Oulu team’s play.

An early summer vacation calls for Oulu’s million-dollar roster.

The most underrated player in the league is from Kouvola

When talking about the best goalies in the league, two names always come up: Pelicans’ Patrik Bartosak and Ässät’s Jan Bednar. It then comes down to personal preference as to which Czech star one considers better.

However, these Czech names should be forgotten when discussing the best goalie in the league. Instead of these two, one should turn their attention to a domestic goalie. And we are not talking about Christian Heljanko, Petteri Rimpinen, or Kari Piiroinen.

Now we are talking about KooKoo’s Eetu Randelin.

… who is Eetu Randelin? many might wonder.

Let me tell you. Eetu Randelin leads the league in goals against average along with Bartosak (2.21), is third in save percentage (91.62), and tied for third in shutouts (3). The most impressive statistic is that Randelin has saved 21.4 goals above expected! He is clearly the number one in the entire league in that statistic.

A large part of KooKoo’s success is indeed due to Randelin. The Kouvola team gives the most scoring chances to their opponents in the league. Despite this, KooKoo has allowed the fifth fewest goals in the league!

Eetu Randelin. Remember the name.

Are Jukurit a bird or a fish?

Mikkeli’s Jukurit has been one of the most interesting teams in the league in recent weeks. Here comes a statement that you don’t hear very often. At the moment, it’s unclear whether Jukurit is a bird or a fish.

In the ten-game form chart, Jukurit has been one of the weakest teams in the league. The Mikkeli team has collected only 1.10 points per game and has rapidly fallen down the standings. Now Jukurit is already in 13th place, and the playoffs are becoming a dream.

At the same time, however, Jukurit has been one of the best teams in the league in terms of play. Continuously, Jukurit creates more scoring chances than their opponents, but ultimately always has to taste the bitter pill of defeat.

Looking ahead, two very different but plausible scenarios can be drawn for Jukurit.

The first is that Jukurit’s luck turns. Countless scoring chances start turning into goals, and tight games become victories. Jukurit improves its position in the standings and rises into the upper middle tier before the end of the regular season.

The second scenario is that Jukurit’s streak of tight losses continues. The team is one of the weakest in terms of material, so they will continue to finish poorly. Jukurit must put in an enormous amount of work for every goal, and thus victories will not accumulate, and the path will not lead to the playoffs.

Which scenario will come true remains to be seen. The playoffs and additional funding could have a significant impact on Jukurit’s future as well, as next season the team will fight for its future and survival in the A-league.

LUE MYÖS:

Read more