Minnesota Wild General Discussion - 2022-23

[f7ben]

Many, including myself, have questioned every single thing he's done since taking over (outside of drafts) and continue to be proven wrong. We're just hoping to get past the forst round this year!

Im not sure we continue to be proven wrong until some playoff success happens.

 

[MuckOG]

No team with Foligno playing on the top line and 2nd PP can be expected to advance in the post season. Praying that Kaprizov is ready and healthy to start the playoffs.

 

[NHL1674]

 

[Minnewildsota]

It's an ACL, or other ligament, tear. No doubt.

 

[Wasted Talent]

At least that makes the whole "who gets benched for playoffs" debate slightly easier.

 

[Wild11MN]

It's an ACL, or other ligament, tear. No doubt.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Well that could be Shaw's career.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Damnit dude, that sucks.

 

[Sweetnut]

No team with Foligno playing on the top line and 2nd PP can be expected to advance in the post season. Praying that Kaprizov is ready and healthy to start the playoffs.

I read that Steel is in with Hart & Zuke, Foligno on third line

 

[Wild11MN]

Well that could be Shaw's career.

He's gotten past three of them, including two in the other knee. Why not four?

 

[BagHead]

Damn, I feel so sorry for him. To get this far after so many of these, and then to have another one. I sure hope he recovers enough to keep playing at the NHL level. Then again, there's a part of me that wonders at what point it's no longer worth his health.

 

[Webster]

They had lots of fun in Vegas...

Mats Zuccarello (driving) with equipment manager Tony DaCosta riding shotgun and Joel Eriksson Ek and Filip Gustavsson in the back. (Courtesy of Marcus Foligno)

 

[Webster]

I read that Steel is in with Hart & Zuke, Foligno on third line

That loss in Vegas was a stinger, Evason obviously didn't like the way they played. Need more skill and speed on that line, but I'd try Duhaime over Steel.

 

[AKL]

I think this stretch has proven that, if you extend Zuccarello, the most you give him is a 2x3.5-4M contract. You definitely don't want to give him longer than 2 years in case Kaprizov doesn't re-sign. He seems to be a 45ish point player without him right now. Even with Kaprizov he's showing major signs of slowing down. Add another year (next year) and who knows where he'll be at. Two additional years after that? Not sure I'd wanna make that commitment. I'd probably offer him 1x3M, and if he doesn't take that, thank him for his service and wish him luck elsewhere.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

I think this stretch has proven that, if you extend Zuccarello, the most you give him is a 2x3.5-4M contract. You definitely don't want to give him longer than 2 years in case Kaprizov doesn't re-sign. He seems to be a 45ish point player without him right now. Even with Kaprizov he's showing major signs of slowing down. Add another year (next year) and who knows where he'll be at. Two additional years after that? Not sure I'd wanna make that commitment. I'd probably offer him 1x3M, and if he doesn't take that, thank him for his service and wish him luck elsewhere.

I would rather put Nyquist on his wing.

 

[Roman Maroni]

No team with Foligno playing on the top line and 2nd PP can be expected to advance in the post season. Praying that Kaprizov is ready and healthy to start the playoffs.

I like Foligno a lot, but their is something wrong. Whether he’s hurt, age, or how he’s trying to play. You have to have production out of his spot and he’s not giving much. Steel has been a scratch and is out producing him. If he isn’t going to just hammer other teams into turnovers like his line did last year, he’s easily replaceable.
I look at his line last year, and I can’t help but think how good Ek is. He can muck it up with the best of them, then show some real skill like last night. Wonder what Ek would be like now offensively if he would have come up with a different team that didn’t play him so defensively.
Maybe it’s the fact that Greenway is gone because he wasn’t producing. Sundqvist is a replacement that Foligno can play with, but now they don’t have an Ek to play with them.

Whatever it is, right now he is struggling. The one thing he has going is he’s a good locker room guy, but is it enough come playoff time?

 

[MuckOG]

I like Foligno a lot, but their is something wrong. Whether he’s hurt, age, or how he’s trying to play. You have to have production out of his spot and he’s not giving much. Steel has been a scratch and is out producing him. If he isn’t going to just hammer other teams into turnovers like his line did last year, he’s easily replaceable.
I look at his line last year, and I can’t help but think how good Ek is. He can muck it up with the best of them, then show some real skill like last night. Wonder what Ek would like like now offensively if he would have come up with a different team that didn’t play him so defensively.
Maybe it’s the fact that Greenway is gone because he wasn’t producing. Sundqvist is a replacement that Foligno can play with, but now they don’t have an Ek to play with them.

Whatever it is, right now he is struggling. The one thing he has going is he’s a good locker room guy, but is it enough come playoff time?

I also like Foligno as a 3rd or 4th liner, not as a top 6 player.

 

[Sweetnut]

Hoping Nyqvist can come back soon, since he´s been traveling with the team and been practicing a while. His coach in Columbus had great things to say about him:

"He's a guy I've really leaned on so we're going to miss him," coach Brad Larsen said Jan. 27. "He's in every situation. He's kind of a stabilizer for me. He's so consistent in what he gives, effort and the pace he can play at."

Nyquist was praised for his leadership by Larsen.

"He's got more of a voice than people think in the [locker] room, but his best asset is he does it by example," Larsen said. "He doesn't have to say much because he's always prepared, he gets in great shape, his competitiveness is always there. All those attributes that you want in a player, he has them."

 

[Roman Maroni]

I also like Foligno as a 3rd or 4th liner, not as a top 6 player.

If he is moved down especially to the 4th line, he makes way too much money. Especially for this team with the buyouts. In hindsight, probably the best thing for them would’ve been to trade him at the end of the year last year when his value was much higher.

I should add, that moving him down is a necessity, and the best thing going forward, but that contract next year on 4th line is not ideal to say the least

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Foligno is fine as a 3rd liner, and that's where he'll be when we're fully healthy, the rest of this season and next.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Do you guys think if the roles were reversed, Kap healthy/Zucc out injured, that Evason would have still put Foligno on that line?

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Do you guys think if the roles were reversed, Kap healthy/Zucc out injured, that Evason would have still put Foligno on that line?

Yes.

It makes sense to keep the Eriksson Ek line together, so that they continue to build chemistry before the playoffs. All 3 of those guys would be options 1, 2 and 3 to move up otherwise. After them, it's just a bunch of 'meh' and Foligno was as reasonable a choice as any others.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Yes.

It makes sense to keep the Eriksson Ek line together, so that they continue to build chemistry before the playoffs. All 3 of those guys would be options 1, 2 and 3 to move up otherwise. After them, it's just a bunch of 'meh' and Foligno was as reasonable a choice as any others.

I meant more in line with would they have called Rossi/Walker/Beckman up instead to keep a skill guy with Kap.

 

[NHL1674]

And hello to 3rd place in the division.

 

[f7ben]

And hello to 3rd place in the division.

Pretty much locked in against the Avs or Stars now. Probably the Avs ……and we’d need to go 5-0 the rest of the way to have home ice. We will be punted in 5 games again unceremoniously and 90% if MN fans will call it a great season as the boys dust off their golf clubs in April once again.