2013/2014 Minnesota Wild News and Notes - New Division and New Expectations

[Jarick]

To be fair, that's a Rachel Blount article.

What Parise said is dead on. They need to be attacking the middle of the ice more. Yes it's easier to hang on to the puck around the perimeter because teams will let you play there. But you can't score from there. They need to start driving the middle of the ice and challenging the defense. Force the other team to make plays. That's going to give you better scoring chances.

Yeo strikes me as a smart guy, but I don't know that he has the experience to recognize and correct issues quickly enough. We're seeing improvement out of him, but shouldn't these be things he learns in the minors and not coaching an NHL team? That's the problem with a young head coach. He's figuring out how to deal with problems on the Wild's time and dime.

 

[Lapa]

Charlie Coyle skated (alone) for the first time since his injury (knee strain) before today's #mnwild morning skate.

by @mnwildPR

Good news are good.

 

[DeuceMN]

To be fair, that's a Rachel Blount article.

What Parise said is dead on. They need to be attacking the middle of the ice more. Yes it's easier to hang on to the puck around the perimeter because teams will let you play there. But you can't score from there. They need to start driving the middle of the ice and challenging the defense. Force the other team to make plays. That's going to give you better scoring chances.

Yeo strikes me as a smart guy, but I don't know that he has the experience to recognize and correct issues quickly enough. We're seeing improvement out of him, but shouldn't these be things he learns in the minors and not coaching an NHL team? That's the problem with a young head coach. He's figuring out how to deal with problems on the Wild's time and dime.

I agree.

I am also a little torn on Yeo, because he does seem like he has potential, and I like him well enough, but he's just so green. There's not much difference with this and, say, the way Grunkelcorn played last year; he did not earn his spot, and therefor did not deserve to play with the big club.

Yeo will probably get there, but it's hurting the team in the process.

This year I have been very impressed with their possession game, but come on about the ****ing scoring!! What team scores well with perimeter shots?!?! None! How can you not anticipate this?!?! This is still part of the same problem as last year.

 

[Dampland]

You mean Bryzgalov.

You mean Grant Fuhr

 

[mezcal]

News on Brodin!

According to Russo:

Yeo on Brodin: taken to hospital for X-rays on face . No update #mnwild

https://twitter.com/Russostrib

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Brodin no longer at hospital; still no update from #mnwild though

https://twitter.com/Russostrib/status/392858865286389760

 

[jedisports]

Yeo strikes me as a smart guy, but I don't know that he has the experience to recognize and correct issues quickly enough. We're seeing improvement out of him, but shouldn't these be things he learns in the minors and not coaching an NHL team? That's the problem with a young head coach. He's figuring out how to deal with problems on the Wild's time and dime.

This is precisely my issue and why I believe we cannot win the Cup with him. I hope I am proven wrong. He seems like he's learning along the way. While he is doing just that, this simply is not going to cut it when we are deep in the playoffs and really need a good plan on the fly to succeed.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Can I just say how enjoyable it is that now that we have a good corsi and are losing people are saying that corsi doesn't mean you'll win, while 2 years ago when we were winning and had bad corsi people were saying we can't keep winning with that horrible corsi.

 

[NHL1674]

Can I just say how enjoyable it is that now that we have a good corsi and are losing people are saying that corsi doesn't mean you'll win, while 2 years ago when we were winning and had bad corsi people were saying we can't keep winning with that horrible corsi.

This team is trolling us.

 

[Avder]

Minnesota Wild: trolling advanced stats since screw you advanced stats.

 

[tyratoku]

Jonas Brodin update to come after practice, but I hear definitely good-case scenario & not a broken jaw. Modeling career on hold tho #mnwild

Brodin and Coyle obviously not practicing today. Ballard also not practicing #mnwild

Justin Fontaine practicing w Koivu and Parise; he should see head-to-head matchup w former UMD teammate Justin Faulk #mnwild #nhlcanes

So...Fontaine is going to be a mainstay on the top line? Um, okay.

 

[Lapa]

For the love of god Yeo, take Heatley off that second line. I mean what the hell? A young player would have been benched 10 times by now at least..

 

[MNjens]

Per Russo at practice this morning: good case scenario for Brodin, no broken jaw but modeling career on hold

 

[Hall of Faber]

Jonas Brodin suffered broken cheekbone last night and is out indefinitely. Timetable for his return will be announced once it is determined

#mnwild

 

[TZM]

Jonas Brodin suffered broken cheekbone last night and is out indefinitely. Timetable for his return will be announced once it is determined

#mnwild

Could play against the Blackawks or could take up to couple of weeks.

 

[Avder]

Okay, Fontaine on the top line...can we plug Nino into the 2nd in Heatley's spot please?

 

[MNjens]

Any guesses on how the Brodin injury affects Dumba staying here/back to Red Deer?

I feel like they have to keep him here now. Hopefully Dumba continues to develop, and get a little more consistent with Brodin out for a bit.

 

[nickschultzfan]

Any guesses on how the Brodin injury affects Dumba staying here/back to Red Deer?

I feel like they have to keep him here now. Hopefully Dumba continues to develop, and get a little more consistent with Brodin out for a bit.

I actually don't think they are too related other than pure body count on the blueline.

It's not like Dumba is a puck-mover at this point in his NHL career.

 

[Jarick]

Yeah, it will keep him in the lineup. Both Prosser and Dumba are RHD and with Ballard out as well, we're down to six healthy defensemen:

Suter - Spurgeon
Stoner - Dumba
Scandella - Prosser

It also puts Dumba on the #2 PP.

 

[MNjens]

Yeah, it will keep him in the lineup. Both Prosser and Dumba are RHD and with Ballard out as well, we're down to six healthy defensemen:

Suter - Spurgeon
Stoner - Dumba
Scandella - Prosser

It also puts Dumba on the #2 PP.

That's the biggest thing for me, is having that powerful shot on the blue line on 2nd PP. Just not the same without him up top.

 

[mezcal]

Anybody think we should trade for a Top-4 D? Losing 1 guy looks like our defense is falling apart, and Scandella could very well start to have problems with that leg.

 

[Avder]

Looked fine last night running with 5 d and no bacon. It depends in Brodin's timeframe I suppose, but I think were fine short term.

 

[mezcal]

Looked fine last night running with 5 d and no bacon. It depends in Brodin's timeframe I suppose, but I think were fine short term.

Just gotta hope that Bacon is back soon.

 

[tyratoku]

Our team is getting healthy again!

Good news on the Jonas Brodin front. As of now, coach Mike Yeo says no surgery is planned and Brodin may even skate tomorrow, although maybe not with the team. Brodin will obviously wear a full cage for awhile. So cautious good news right now.

Also, Charlie Coyle is getting closer. He took part in today's morning skate and felt good. He'll have to wear a knee brace for the first time in his career, and he said that didn't feel too bad. He's got no targeted date as for a return and would still need to get into battle drills and line rushes, etc., and some real practices, but this is good news, too. But you also want to be cautious because you don't want any setbacks from his sprained MCL.

Keith Ballard was kept off the ice again and will miss his fifth game in a row. Same lines that ended the Nashville game, meaning Justin Fontaine plays on the top line to start tonight and Nino Niederreiter the third.

Niklas Backstrom is starting to feel better. He's still not feeling completely 100 percent, but he feels good enough to back up and is real happy for Josh Harding, who has taken the No. 1 reins for now and run with it. It's been roughly a calendar year since Harding was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and he continues to persevere. What a start to his season with a 0.96 goals against average and .953 save percentage.

 

[mezcal]

Our team is getting healthy again!

Good. Also, at least we know now why we are still riding Harding plenty. Backstrom isn't 100%