Mid Season Player Grades 2024-25
- Thread starter 57special
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Dr Jan Itor
Registered User
Graded highest to lowest and tried not to downgrade players for injuries.
Kaprizov A+: He is the engine to the team. He does everything better than everyone else. Top 5 talent in the league. Injuries are starting to become a concern on a yearly basis.
Rossi A: Outperformed all expectations. On pace for 30+ goals. If he finishes the season with 30+ goals, 70+ points, and 52%+ in faceoffs, this will be bumped to an A+.
Zuccarello B+: Think he is underappreciated a bit. Being genuine, I think his leadership is helpful and his ability to pass the puck is top notch. He gets dinged for me because he isn't very strong on his skates (especially w/ the puck) and has a tendency to turn the puck over with pass attempts through multiple opponents and overpassing when he should shoot.
Boldy B+: All the skill and ability in the world, but he is consistently inconsistent. Think he emulates the play style of the players on his line, which is both a blessing (w/ Ek Kap Rossi) and a curse (w/ Johansson Hartman Gaudreau). He has 1 bad month every year and we are currently going through it.
Gaudreau B: I'm a Freddy guy. Really underrated after his previous season was terrible (due to an injury). 30+ point pace, ~50% faceoffs, solid defensively, and shootout specialist. Well worth the contract and glad we have him.
Eriksson Ek B-: His play does not look like it usually does (likely injury related). Hard to gauge where he is at because we've seen him healthy for only a few games.
Johansson C+: When he is on, the guy is fun to watch. When he is disinterested or not willing to take physical contact, he drags his whole line down.
Foligno C+: As expected. Appreciate that he hasn't been a minor penalty machine this year.
Lauko C+: Like him and he is better than Lettieri. Hope he can stay healthy.
Khusnutdinov C-: I guess I expected more? I thought he would have some semblance of offense, but he appears to be a defensive specialist at the moment.
Trenin D+: He is getting better. Has a ways to go.
Hartman D-: 50 point player expectation and he is producing at about half of that. Needs to be better.
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Faber A: Can't really ask more of this kid. He's a stud. Should be PP1 when everyone is healthy. He plays very similar to prime Ryan Suter, but with a better shot and power play ability. Guerin crushed that Fiala trade.
Middleton A: Just gonna take a moment to point out that I was completely wrong about Gordie Midstrom. His extension was completely warranted and looks like a steal going forward. I am glad that he is on the team and please don't trade him to open a spot for Buium. Solid offensively. Solid defensively. Great personality. Physical presence. Love this guy.
Spurgeon B+: Was worried coming into the year that he would not be able to play up to his normal standard after back/hip surgeries, especially after he had to take an absence for recovery shortly into the season. He is a solid player all around with really high hockey IQ. Size and physical ability will always hold him back for me. Those traits are important for dmen in the playoffs (unless you are Cale Makar level). He is an excellent player to have behind a #1 RD like Faber.
Brodin B+: Great skating ability and stick work. Passing is fantastic. Shot is mediocre. He has the size, but he is not a physical guy at all. Pairing him with Spurgeon in the playoffs feels like a nightmare waiting to happen. The ability to shut down guys like McDavid will always be a huge plus.
Chisholm B: Shown he can be a top 4 dman with guys out. His shot looks better to me than Brodin/Middleton/Spurgeon, even though he has less goals than each of those guys. Will suck to see him likely traded to make room for Buium. Yet another really underappreciated acquisition by Guerin.
Bogosian C: Big physical presence. Skating is okay. I don't recall him ever getting his shots on goal. Little PTSD moments of him just shooting it high and wide are what stick out to me. He is on the path to becoming the 7th dman next year with Faber-Spurgeon-Jiricek/Spacek as the mainstays. He's been better than initial expectations and a guy who can play any role when injuries come up.
Merrill C: As expected. Appreciate that he doesn't look like a total liability this year.
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Gustavsson A+: Right up there with Kaprizov for most important player on the team. Third in the league for save percentage. Fourth for goals against average. Fourth in wins. He has played so well that Wallstedt hasn't been called up and Fleury has rarely played (when Gus is healthy). He is the clear 1A on the team and nobody is close to his level.
Fleury C+: As expected. I don't feel confident when he is in net. He will likely give up 1-2 more goals than Gus would have under the same circumstances. Can't complain with him as the backup and Wallstedt not really forcing his way onto the team.
Kaprizov A+: He is the engine to the team. He does everything better than everyone else. Top 5 talent in the league. Injuries are starting to become a concern on a yearly basis.
Rossi A: Outperformed all expectations. On pace for 30+ goals. If he finishes the season with 30+ goals, 70+ points, and 52%+ in faceoffs, this will be bumped to an A+.
Zuccarello B+: Think he is underappreciated a bit. Being genuine, I think his leadership is helpful and his ability to pass the puck is top notch. He gets dinged for me because he isn't very strong on his skates (especially w/ the puck) and has a tendency to turn the puck over with pass attempts through multiple opponents and overpassing when he should shoot.
Boldy B+: All the skill and ability in the world, but he is consistently inconsistent. Think he emulates the play style of the players on his line, which is both a blessing (w/ Ek Kap Rossi) and a curse (w/ Johansson Hartman Gaudreau). He has 1 bad month every year and we are currently going through it.
Gaudreau B: I'm a Freddy guy. Really underrated after his previous season was terrible (due to an injury). 30+ point pace, ~50% faceoffs, solid defensively, and shootout specialist. Well worth the contract and glad we have him.
Eriksson Ek B-: His play does not look like it usually does (likely injury related). Hard to gauge where he is at because we've seen him healthy for only a few games.
Johansson C+: When he is on, the guy is fun to watch. When he is disinterested or not willing to take physical contact, he drags his whole line down.
Foligno C+: As expected. Appreciate that he hasn't been a minor penalty machine this year.
Lauko C+: Like him and he is better than Lettieri. Hope he can stay healthy.
Khusnutdinov C-: I guess I expected more? I thought he would have some semblance of offense, but he appears to be a defensive specialist at the moment.
Trenin D+: He is getting better. Has a ways to go.
Hartman D-: 50 point player expectation and he is producing at about half of that. Needs to be better.
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Faber A: Can't really ask more of this kid. He's a stud. Should be PP1 when everyone is healthy. He plays very similar to prime Ryan Suter, but with a better shot and power play ability. Guerin crushed that Fiala trade.
Middleton A: Just gonna take a moment to point out that I was completely wrong about Gordie Midstrom. His extension was completely warranted and looks like a steal going forward. I am glad that he is on the team and please don't trade him to open a spot for Buium. Solid offensively. Solid defensively. Great personality. Physical presence. Love this guy.
Spurgeon B+: Was worried coming into the year that he would not be able to play up to his normal standard after back/hip surgeries, especially after he had to take an absence for recovery shortly into the season. He is a solid player all around with really high hockey IQ. Size and physical ability will always hold him back for me. Those traits are important for dmen in the playoffs (unless you are Cale Makar level). He is an excellent player to have behind a #1 RD like Faber.
Brodin B+: Great skating ability and stick work. Passing is fantastic. Shot is mediocre. He has the size, but he is not a physical guy at all. Pairing him with Spurgeon in the playoffs feels like a nightmare waiting to happen. The ability to shut down guys like McDavid will always be a huge plus.
Chisholm B: Shown he can be a top 4 dman with guys out. His shot looks better to me than Brodin/Middleton/Spurgeon, even though he has less goals than each of those guys. Will suck to see him likely traded to make room for Buium. Yet another really underappreciated acquisition by Guerin.
Bogosian C: Big physical presence. Skating is okay. I don't recall him ever getting his shots on goal. Little PTSD moments of him just shooting it high and wide are what stick out to me. He is on the path to becoming the 7th dman next year with Faber-Spurgeon-Jiricek/Spacek as the mainstays. He's been better than initial expectations and a guy who can play any role when injuries come up.
Merrill C: As expected. Appreciate that he doesn't look like a total liability this year.
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Gustavsson A+: Right up there with Kaprizov for most important player on the team. Third in the league for save percentage. Fourth for goals against average. Fourth in wins. He has played so well that Wallstedt hasn't been called up and Fleury has rarely played (when Gus is healthy). He is the clear 1A on the team and nobody is close to his level.
Fleury C+: As expected. I don't feel confident when he is in net. He will likely give up 1-2 more goals than Gus would have under the same circumstances. Can't complain with him as the backup and Wallstedt not really forcing his way onto the team.
Marat - D - does mostly nothing on a game by game basis. Doesn’t matter who he plays with he is never a threat to get a shot on net let alone offensive production. Positives are he’s a good skater, is largely on the right side of the puck often, and stays out of the box. There’s a need for those things and players can stay in the league with just that but he’s not a contributor.
Brodin - C - And it’s barely a C. One of the softest players to ever grace the league. Spending another season missing time. Is a large contributor to why this Penalty Kill is annually as bad as it is. Gives the team nothing once the puck is past the red line and is too accepting to get on the wrong side of the play in the defensive zone despite his reputation. He will always be a liability in the postseason where the rules of the game change and he cannot withstand or adapt.
Brodin - C - And it’s barely a C. One of the softest players to ever grace the league. Spending another season missing time. Is a large contributor to why this Penalty Kill is annually as bad as it is. Gives the team nothing once the puck is past the red line and is too accepting to get on the wrong side of the play in the defensive zone despite his reputation. He will always be a liability in the postseason where the rules of the game change and he cannot withstand or adapt.
- Nov 7, 2017
- 5,412
- 2,306
Freddy is a B, at least. Other than that, I think I am about the same as @57special . Maybe would drop Marat to a C or C+. I like him, but man he is a black-hole offensively
Here we go - forwards:
KK - A. He has been great imo, but I still feel he could be more dominant, if u know what I mean. He's got that very rare extra gear in his game. Hopefully they're gonna resign him.
Rossi - B+. I still think they don't use him properly according to his skill-set but he's making the most out of it. He's developing as expected and with his work ethic he's gonna have a long NHL career. Can't teach size though, which seem to be all that matters in todays NHL - at least for Guerin.
Boldy - C+. Is struggling atm, but is clearly the second most gifted forward behind Kap. I expect more of him that he has shown so far. Hopefully he can be as dangerous as he was at beginning of the season.
JEE - C-. Isn't playing as strong as he was last season. The injury didn't help neither. Hopefully he can find his rythm and self-confidence on the ice soon.
Zucc - C . His turnovers drive me crazy sometimes but then some of his passes work out and its beautiful. Should shoot the puck more and not alwys look for the fancy play.
Hartman - E. Has played like a buyout candidate. Has added nothing to the team this season. Needs to turn around his game quickly.
Fred - C+. Solid depth player. Didn't shine on the PK as well.
Trennion - E-. Probably the worst forward on the team. Very expensive but brings nothing to the table. Guerin said that he's gonna improve our PK. Well done so far, sir.
Foligno - C-. Solid bottom 6 player but is losing a step imo.
Lauko - D. I see more AHL than NHL talent in him.
Marat - B-. Solid depth guy with wheels. Not sure if he has got the tools for more but at the moment it's doubtful. Numbers aren't there but he passes the eye-test: I like the speed, the energy and the defensive awereness he contributes to the team.
MoJo- D. Drives me crazy. Wouldn't get a top6 role on any other franchise. The only good thing is that his cap-hit isn't high.
Won't judge the other AHL guys like Shore. Defense:
Spurgeon - C. Not bad but not good neither. I expect more from the captain.
Faber - A. Is there anything this guy can't do? It's unbelievable how many minutes he plays at times on a very high level.
Brodin - C+. Still one of the better defensemen on the team but I expect more of him.
Middleton - B+. Suprisingly pleased by him, now for the second season in a row. His injury sucks though.
Bogo - C-. Solid depth defenseman with thoughness, experience and size. The Foligno of the defense guys.
Merrill - D. horrible.
Chisholm - B+. I'm very suprised by this guy. Arguably the second best defenseman on the team this season.
Gus - A++. This team goes as far as Gus carries them. If he continues to play on this level, wild are a hard to beat team and he should be in the Vezina conversation.
Fleury - C. He is a solid backup which is great considering his age.
KK - A. He has been great imo, but I still feel he could be more dominant, if u know what I mean. He's got that very rare extra gear in his game. Hopefully they're gonna resign him.
Rossi - B+. I still think they don't use him properly according to his skill-set but he's making the most out of it. He's developing as expected and with his work ethic he's gonna have a long NHL career. Can't teach size though, which seem to be all that matters in todays NHL - at least for Guerin.
Boldy - C+. Is struggling atm, but is clearly the second most gifted forward behind Kap. I expect more of him that he has shown so far. Hopefully he can be as dangerous as he was at beginning of the season.
JEE - C-. Isn't playing as strong as he was last season. The injury didn't help neither. Hopefully he can find his rythm and self-confidence on the ice soon.
Zucc - C . His turnovers drive me crazy sometimes but then some of his passes work out and its beautiful. Should shoot the puck more and not alwys look for the fancy play.
Hartman - E. Has played like a buyout candidate. Has added nothing to the team this season. Needs to turn around his game quickly.
Fred - C+. Solid depth player. Didn't shine on the PK as well.
Trennion - E-. Probably the worst forward on the team. Very expensive but brings nothing to the table. Guerin said that he's gonna improve our PK. Well done so far, sir.
Foligno - C-. Solid bottom 6 player but is losing a step imo.
Lauko - D. I see more AHL than NHL talent in him.
Marat - B-. Solid depth guy with wheels. Not sure if he has got the tools for more but at the moment it's doubtful. Numbers aren't there but he passes the eye-test: I like the speed, the energy and the defensive awereness he contributes to the team.
MoJo- D. Drives me crazy. Wouldn't get a top6 role on any other franchise. The only good thing is that his cap-hit isn't high.
Won't judge the other AHL guys like Shore. Defense:
Spurgeon - C. Not bad but not good neither. I expect more from the captain.
Faber - A. Is there anything this guy can't do? It's unbelievable how many minutes he plays at times on a very high level.
Brodin - C+. Still one of the better defensemen on the team but I expect more of him.
Middleton - B+. Suprisingly pleased by him, now for the second season in a row. His injury sucks though.
Bogo - C-. Solid depth defenseman with thoughness, experience and size. The Foligno of the defense guys.
Merrill - D. horrible.
Chisholm - B+. I'm very suprised by this guy. Arguably the second best defenseman on the team this season.
Gus - A++. This team goes as far as Gus carries them. If he continues to play on this level, wild are a hard to beat team and he should be in the Vezina conversation.
Fleury - C. He is a solid backup which is great considering his age.
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Gus and Fleury have exceeded expectations, Hartman has been a disappointment, Brodin/Ek haven't been 100% and its been noticeable. Expected Boyd to be able to help a depleted team but I guess his game simply isn't there anymore, Jones' NHL GP # is pretty damning to the (non-AHL rookie) NHL hopefuls playing in Iowa, he's a nothing player showing a little bite. At least Shore has a history of playing in this league.
The door is certainly wide open for a depth forward prospect to step up this year, but Milne, Bankier, and the like are not stepping up. MN could really use a young bottom sixer with speed and thump to his game. Don't think we have that. Maybe Lorenz in the future?
DANOZ28
Registered User
i'd rate fleury higher. for his role i'd give chisholm a B+.(ps i always liked prosser & skoula when others didn't) marat i still think when we least expect it hes gonna start producing. pretty spot on with the rest.
I think Lorenz/Stramel/Kumpulainen are on similar time-lines, 2-3 years away. Probably Ohgren/Yurov pushing guys down the line-up first. 4 year deal to Trenin lines up with that time-line. I think if the middle-6 was playing with more confidence we'd see Ohgren up now, but with guys struggling and very little offense being generated here I think keeping Ohgren in Iowa is the correct decision. Milne looks like a fine farm hand but the NHL game looked too fast for him, worth keeping around till he's a G6 at least. Bankier's had some production since Toporowski came back but yeah, he's the guy to trade in the next 6 months if there's some value to re-coup, just not consistent enough and progress is stagnated, the junior resume might still hold some value and Jiricek ate a handful of picks, if we could get a depth player or even a late pick for Bankier I'd move him. O'Rourke has no value to recoup or he'd be in the same boat, I think there's a solid chance he's not qualified this summer.
Spurgeon
Registered User
A+ for everyone to have this team in the position they are with all these injuries and $15M in dead cap.
- Dec 10, 2012
- 41,145
- 19,301
Mix of expectations + performance
Kaprizov: A+
-Obviously, nothing needs to be said here
Boldy first half of the first half: A
Boldy second half of the first half: D
-Maybe it averages out to a B, this guy really needs to find a way to stay consistent because sometimes he looks better than Kaprizov and sometimes he looks worse than Foligno
Rossi: A-
-Last years Rossi showed a ton of improvement and some skill, and this years Rossi would tear last years Rossi apart at the seams
Zuccarello: B
-Honestly a bit of a resurgent season, still showing his age but he's been better than last year
Eriksson Ek: C+
-Disappointing season for him, offense really hasn't been there, hasn't felt like the difference make he has in the last couple years, but still having a decent year so far, and seems to be starting to turn it around
Hartman: C-
-Similar to Eriksson Ek
Johansson: C-
-I don't know, he's an uninspiring player, not a liability, doesn't contribute to wins
Gaudreau: B+
-Pretty impressed with him this season, way better than last year, still a 3C but a pretty solid one, not worried about him
Trenin: D-
-I almost gave him an F but he's been slightly better lately so here are your flowers, they're dandelions with half of the fluffy white part already blown off
Khusnutdinov: D+
-I just really wanted more from him this year, he's shown zero offensive proclivity so far
Lauko: B-
-Very pleasantly surprised with his abilities as a fourth liner, but still a fourth liner
Foligno: B-
-Solid, not really playing like his contract is an issue, which is more than I expected
Faber: A-
- Haven't seen a step forward from him this season either, which is the only reason it's a - and not a +
Brodin: B
-Solid, feels like there's some more offense there than usual, maybe that's just recently, really can't complain
Middleton: B+
-Something seems to have clicked for him between this season and last, went from a replaceable bottom pair guy to a key part of the top four
Bogosian: C+
-Fine, average bottom pair guy
Chisholm: B+
-Keeps improving, can look so good at times, also looks like he could become a key part in a top four a la Middleton, really impressed with him, especially lately
Spurgeon: B+
-Really just what you expect from Spurgeon. Consistency, good player
Merrill: C-
-I'm ready to see someone else play this role
Gustavsson: A+
-See Kaprizov
Fleury: C+
-Decent backup, still scares me every time the puck goes near him, but it's effective enough for the role he plays
Kaprizov: A+
-Obviously, nothing needs to be said here
Boldy first half of the first half: A
Boldy second half of the first half: D
-Maybe it averages out to a B, this guy really needs to find a way to stay consistent because sometimes he looks better than Kaprizov and sometimes he looks worse than Foligno
Rossi: A-
-Last years Rossi showed a ton of improvement and some skill, and this years Rossi would tear last years Rossi apart at the seams
Zuccarello: B
-Honestly a bit of a resurgent season, still showing his age but he's been better than last year
Eriksson Ek: C+
-Disappointing season for him, offense really hasn't been there, hasn't felt like the difference make he has in the last couple years, but still having a decent year so far, and seems to be starting to turn it around
Hartman: C-
-Similar to Eriksson Ek
Johansson: C-
-I don't know, he's an uninspiring player, not a liability, doesn't contribute to wins
Gaudreau: B+
-Pretty impressed with him this season, way better than last year, still a 3C but a pretty solid one, not worried about him
Trenin: D-
-I almost gave him an F but he's been slightly better lately so here are your flowers, they're dandelions with half of the fluffy white part already blown off
Khusnutdinov: D+
-I just really wanted more from him this year, he's shown zero offensive proclivity so far
Lauko: B-
-Very pleasantly surprised with his abilities as a fourth liner, but still a fourth liner
Foligno: B-
-Solid, not really playing like his contract is an issue, which is more than I expected
Faber: A-
- Haven't seen a step forward from him this season either, which is the only reason it's a - and not a +
Brodin: B
-Solid, feels like there's some more offense there than usual, maybe that's just recently, really can't complain
Middleton: B+
-Something seems to have clicked for him between this season and last, went from a replaceable bottom pair guy to a key part of the top four
Bogosian: C+
-Fine, average bottom pair guy
Chisholm: B+
-Keeps improving, can look so good at times, also looks like he could become a key part in a top four a la Middleton, really impressed with him, especially lately
Spurgeon: B+
-Really just what you expect from Spurgeon. Consistency, good player
Merrill: C-
-I'm ready to see someone else play this role
Gustavsson: A+
-See Kaprizov
Fleury: C+
-Decent backup, still scares me every time the puck goes near him, but it's effective enough for the role he plays
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63firebird
Registered User
- Apr 6, 2018
- 981
- 286
Brodin c+?
How many times does he make a clear over two guys without just pressing one guy to boards like Ek.
Hes only a B because his shot could be better placed.
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