Minnesota Wild General Discussion - 2023-24
- Thread starter TaLoN
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I mean, we are trotting out four pylons as it is right now. Can it really be that much worse?
Dr Jan Itor
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Probably. I think there is a bad taste from the Florida and Columbus games, but it shouldn't be forgotten that we also pretty much played Toronto and LA even in everything other than goals.
- Dec 10, 2012
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Circulartheory
Registered User
Definitely, and I want Spacek to get NHL sometime, we're just 4 games into season so I haven't really develop any concrete position yet - I'm just playing the odds and likely a player of Spacek's size and skillset takes a bit of cooking in the oven. But he'll get there.
And Middleton, I disagree but completely see where you are coming from so not going to argue against your POV - I can see it. I don't have him in that Maroon forward equivalent camp, I have him more of the Gaudreau category - good secondary player at a cost controlled AAV. Though, the most ideal situation is have players like him on a 3rd pairing and not as a #4 guy.
Though I don't expect him to stay there long. In my argument vs some guy on the Khusnutdinov thread, I didn't realize how often players only really spent 1 year in the AHL before starting to make it full time (I generally thought it was much longer). So I think Lambos has that best chance working his way to pair Spurgeon by next year and Middleton moves onto the 3rd pairing with Hunt.
Dr Jan Itor
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DANOZ28
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what? pierre's back? (sorry trouble adding photo northstars pierre page coach) my computer is having trouble since last update
Obvious Fabertism
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Wasted Talent
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- Aug 9, 2011
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Probably won't have good enough analytics if the rest of the team is a defensive trainwreck.
Then again, I guess Selke is mostly just a matter of reputation and points.
- Mar 19, 2023
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I would like to see Hunt play and Merrill sit in the press box for a couple of games
Nino Noderreiter
Registered User
How about this:
Kaprizov - Hartman - Zucc
Johansson - Rossi - Boldy
Foligno - Ek - Maroon
Ek still gets 1st unit PP time. I think we need a line like the old GREEF line that can pin people on the boards and establish some offensive zone time / possession and be physical and wear down teams.
The second line can play with speed and skill and we can get back to 3 good lines with distinct identities.
The 4th line can be:
Duhaime - Dewar - Gaudreau
Kaprizov - Hartman - Zucc
Johansson - Rossi - Boldy
Foligno - Ek - Maroon
Ek still gets 1st unit PP time. I think we need a line like the old GREEF line that can pin people on the boards and establish some offensive zone time / possession and be physical and wear down teams.
The second line can play with speed and skill and we can get back to 3 good lines with distinct identities.
The 4th line can be:
Duhaime - Dewar - Gaudreau
- Dec 10, 2012
- 41,683
- 19,744
Ek is currently tied for 10th in the league in points and 6th in goals, and has proven time and time again to be this teams best center. I would prefer we stop prioritizing and glorifying players like Foligno and Maroon. They are bottom six power forwards/grinders with little to no offensive upside. They do not need to be paired with offensive players. They would be just fine with other like-minded players.
Nino Noderreiter
Registered User
To me, it seems like Ek can succeed offensively with a number of different types of players. Ek's offense comes from parking himself in front of the net and scrapping goals.
Ek has been playing with Maroon and Johansson right now. The majority of his production has been from Maroon rather than Mojo or on the PP.
Ek is a better fit to play in that role than Rossi. I don't agree in the harm of trying unless we're saying Mojo is literally so amazing that he's the one carrying that line right now and Ek would be lost without him.
- Dec 10, 2012
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What I'm saying is most of Ek's scoring right now is coming from Ek, and anyone else who happens to get a point only got it because they happened to be around Ek and didn't f*** it up. But he's shown this season that he's much more than that, and even if he's not, it would still be much easier for him to produce more with a Kaprizov or Boldy than with Maroon. I want to be perfectly clear, Maroon is useless. He has no business being anywhere near a top six player.
Just because Ek can succeed in that role, doesn't mean that's the best place for him or the team. Never mind the fact that anyone who plays with Ek is going to see more even strength ice time, or Ek is going to see less. I don't need to see Maroon and Foligno being top six on this team in even strength ice time.
Nino Noderreiter
Registered User
- Dec 10, 2012
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I think right now Johansson isn't providing much of anything outside of zone entries on the PP, and outside of last night the first line has been lackluster.
I have no qualms about moving Rossi into the top six, I have been the single biggest advocate of that since before the season started. My issue is with moving Ek to the bottom six, or giving Maroon and Foligno more ice time, either one of which has to be the case if you make Foligno-Ek-Maroon a line.
Your top six players are Kaprizov, Ek, Boldy and Rossi. Your fringe guys, depending on how any of them are playing at any given time, are Zuccarello, Johansson and Hartman. Maroon, Foligno, Gaudreau, Duhaime and Dewar are firmly your bottom six guys. The top six guys and the bottom six guys should never be intentionally playing together if you can help it.
Nino Noderreiter
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Wasted Talent
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- Aug 9, 2011
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This is how I see it. Ek's success should be a priority over the Hartmans and Johanssons since he's going to be here long term.
Sadly that means Rossi is pretty much locked out of top 6 at the moment, unless you move Hartman to temporarily take Boldy's spot. But I can't see Evason going for it given what happened in the Oilers game.
I agree with this, along with the other posters who also agreed. Where you want to get is for Ek and Rossi to be the top 2 Centers, and Hartman on the 3rd line. Eventually, that will happen. Maybe even by the end of the year. If not, next year (and, we aren't going anywhere too far this year anyway). But right now, for sure, with the night Hartman had last night, he's not moving for a couple of weeks for sure, and maybe even a month.
BagHead
Registered User
That sucks, I hope you get it figured out. I had some computer problems today and nearly threw it out my window.
Circulartheory
Registered User
The best solution is to just make that 3rd line into a great line on its own merit - which likely will not happen this season unfortunately. But next season, the options you have to add with Rossi-Foligno are some of our bluechip forwards (Yurov, Ohgren, Khusnutdinov). And that will push Gaudreau to the 4th line making an also skilled fourth line.
what would Boldy-JEE-Kaprizov do in a full-season? I think they combine for over 250 points and are up there with the best lines in hockey.
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