Minnesota Wild General Discussion 2024-25
- Thread starter TaLoN
- Start date
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Not to be that guy, but Rossi’s total TOI/gp takes a hit when he isn’t on the top power play or penalty kill like Ek. Looking strictly at even strength, Rossi is 4th on the team and FIRST among centers for TOI/gp. Over 1 minute more than Ek. ~2.5 minutes more than Hartman. ~3.5 minutes more than Gaudreau. ~6.5 minutes more than Khusnutdinov.
Comparing his ice time to Boldy/Zucc and how they never get demoted is problematic. I mean, are we advocating for Johansson to be over Boldy? Hartman over Zucc? Our wingers are so abysmal after Kap, Boldy and Zucc. And it leads to the same spot of Rossi having shit wingers no matter which way you slice it.
I think there is some complacency among the wingers because we don’t have many high scoring guys and our franchise player has been out and will be out for at least a month. They don’t feel threatened for their spot. Getting guys like Yurov over and signing a quality winger in free agency would be huge.
I’m dreaming, but imagine if we traded Hartman/Spurgeon and then used that cap (+rising cap ceiling) to sign Rantanen…
Boldy-Rossi-Rantanen
Kaprizov-Eriksson Ek-Zuccarello
Ohgren-Yurov-Gaudreau (babysitter)
Most of this setup is interchangeable where people wouldn’t be pissed at who is playing with who because they are all solid options.
Comparing his ice time to Boldy/Zucc and how they never get demoted is problematic. I mean, are we advocating for Johansson to be over Boldy? Hartman over Zucc? Our wingers are so abysmal after Kap, Boldy and Zucc. And it leads to the same spot of Rossi having shit wingers no matter which way you slice it.
I think there is some complacency among the wingers because we don’t have many high scoring guys and our franchise player has been out and will be out for at least a month. They don’t feel threatened for their spot. Getting guys like Yurov over and signing a quality winger in free agency would be huge.
I’m dreaming, but imagine if we traded Hartman/Spurgeon and then used that cap (+rising cap ceiling) to sign Rantanen…
Boldy-Rossi-Rantanen
Kaprizov-Eriksson Ek-Zuccarello
Ohgren-Yurov-Gaudreau (babysitter)
Most of this setup is interchangeable where people wouldn’t be pissed at who is playing with who because they are all solid options.
It’s hard for me to really have a problem with how the Wild have handled Rossi since he’s been in their system despite the consistent outcry on this board year over year. All the organization has done is get him the tools and put him in position to improve his game year over year and he has done it to his credit.
This is a long season and there is development to be had. We’re talking about a guy that sees the ice plenty, is still improving, and the Wild have a vested interest in seeing him do so. I think there is something to be said to give him time on lines where he is the best player on it so he can learn how to drive the play and not be just another passenger that this team has developed time and time again. Playing on lines where the expectation is to get the puck in and go to work is only going to help someone of his stature continue fine tune his game. There is a time and place to play the seam pass game that the team’s top line players are quick to default to but if Rossi is going to be the player they need him to be, he needs to evolve beyond that. This is where Boldy by contrast is really getting hung up.
I’d get the frustration if we’re talking about a prospect of his stature who is not improving but that’s not what’s happening here. It’s hard for me to criticize the approach as well as the execution from the player when things are going about as well as you could hope for from a developmental standpoint. This is not a finished product and there is more work to be done. At this point I have no reason than not to trust both team and player that they are doing what needs to be done given where we started and where we are.
This is a long season and there is development to be had. We’re talking about a guy that sees the ice plenty, is still improving, and the Wild have a vested interest in seeing him do so. I think there is something to be said to give him time on lines where he is the best player on it so he can learn how to drive the play and not be just another passenger that this team has developed time and time again. Playing on lines where the expectation is to get the puck in and go to work is only going to help someone of his stature continue fine tune his game. There is a time and place to play the seam pass game that the team’s top line players are quick to default to but if Rossi is going to be the player they need him to be, he needs to evolve beyond that. This is where Boldy by contrast is really getting hung up.
I’d get the frustration if we’re talking about a prospect of his stature who is not improving but that’s not what’s happening here. It’s hard for me to criticize the approach as well as the execution from the player when things are going about as well as you could hope for from a developmental standpoint. This is not a finished product and there is more work to be done. At this point I have no reason than not to trust both team and player that they are doing what needs to be done given where we started and where we are.
Oh and btw: Ryan Hartman had lost all the credit with that "play" against Stützle. That play was just dumb, unnecessary and dangerous. I get it that he was frustrated about the game and the piss poor season he's having. But plays like that should have nothing to do with hockey, I'm disgusted to be honest.
Dr Jan Itor
Registered User
I just think it's a defensible thing to always play your best center with your best winger, no matter who is in and out of the lineup.
