CreaseAndAssist

Why bash Fleury?  Because of his relative success?  Anyways, I think people made the switch rather effortlessly...

3 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

 

It would be nice for a change to see a player that wants to shoot the puck rather than treat it like a hot potato and quickly pass it to someone, anyone, else... 

He actually demonstrated some playmaking skill once he was traded, but he still was a good finisher too.  

I think its pretty definitive the Wild Message Borg has done a great job of assimilating this place...

Sokolov had a great playoffs for Barrie; and his production really took off after that trade from Sudbury.  Hopefully he's a go-to scorer in Iowa.  

9 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

I think a lot of these observations we are making here just goes to show that the Wild aren't built for the Playoffs. Every team knows you just have to be a little physical with them and they turtle.

 

Also, is it me, or are the Wild constantly running into the "hot goaltender" more than any other team in the Playoffs? Or is it that their anemic offense makes any goaltender they run into "the hot goaltender"?

Meh, the Wild make opposing goaltenders look great with their willingness to settle for perimeter shots with little or no traffic near the goalie.  The Wild are unwilling to pay the physical price to go to the high traffic areas on the ice.  

20 hours ago, Razblo said:

If Suter (or Parise) ever goes on the forever LTIR, ala Pronger or Hossa, we can just trade him to Phoenix with a couple of bum prospects for a bag potatoes and a slightly worse draft pick.

I think you may be onto something with this, the NHL's boneyard franchise...

10 hours ago, 4Check said:

While frustrated with Suter's off ice antics and power trip personna,  I have to disagree with the point that Suter wasn't missed in the playoffs.   Maybe not on the PP, but after the Jets series, I came to the conclusion that Brodin does not have top D pairing ability.  I would argue Suter does....although IMO, not top 10 in the NHL

Yet even if Suter was there...were we going to win with a team that couldn't score?  Nope...or are you going to tell me Suter's scoring will carry the team past Winnipeg?  

6 hours ago, 4Check said:

With the rest of the development forward group being IMO mostly so-so, I found myself focused on Sokolov.  I agree that his skating is improving. Surprising first step coming off the boards to the net. And man, gotta love his quick shot release and soft hands.  Still, while I find myself hoping for a Tarasenko,  my expectations remain.... is he simply another Pulkkinen?  

Pulkkinen is an apt comparison until we see otherwise...

4 hours ago, EmptyShelf said:

A setback for Suter is in the cards. He may join 11 in not being counted on healthy for large parts of this year.  May not be the worst thing for the team.  The lack of playing availability may serve to deplete an enormous ego. Just a self-centered jackass with his comments - no cup in his future. How does it help the Wild to have him on the ice for 32 minutes with a hitch and no strength?  

I would agree.  I wasn't bothered in the slightest by Suter's absence in the playoffs.  It didn't matter anyways IMO.  We were not going to win that series against the Jets with him or without him.  If Suter's foolishness with his rehab ends up causing a setback I won't be surprised nor will I be all that disappointed.  

20 hours ago, 4Check said:

Considering they took Sokolov completely off the ice in a previous development camp to focus on conditioning, training & nutrition and it apparently is still an issue obviously makes you wonder.   Hopefully it's simply a maturation issue, assuming some day he will eventually mature.

Well its on him now.  I think he showed a lot of offensive ability and assertiveness at camp.  I don't think he'll lose the scoring ability; its really can he stay in shape and learn some nominal level of defensive responsibility.  He certainly was noticeable in the scrimmages in regards to his skill.  One thing that gave me some relief was his skating ability seems to be decent enough.  However, he definitely moves with more speed and purpose when he has the puck versus when he doesn't.  That is a mentality he'll have to fix IMO.  

3 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

 

Jacques Lemaire's hated Neutral Zone Trap (except if your team employed it, then it was sheer brilliance!). Detroit's vaunted Left Wing Lock. Edmonton's Egg Formation. Systems all designed to clog the neutral zone and not let the opposing team develop any speed or rhythm. Cause a turnover and then counter with speed. And these systems are far more easy to employ with marginally talented players as well. The Minnesota Wild had no business in the 2002-2003 Western Conference finals based on their talent. But with superior coaching and a system that shut down opposing team's ability to score, they mucked their way through the Playoffs all the way to the Western Conference finals.

 

This is why Thomas Vanek never worked out here. He's 100% cherry picker, or as we used to call them Suck-holes. All about scoring goals, hovering around the other teams blue line, constantly screaming "Pass it to me!" as the other four players on his team are trying to get the puck out of their own end against five opposing players. God we hated kids like that.

 

That's why I'm not holding my breath for Sokolov. Yeah, it'd be great to have someone on the team that finally shoots first and passes second, but if he can't show at least some defensive responsibility, he'll never make it out of Iowa.

Its the same reason Mark Parrish didn't work out either.  He was pretty much a one-dimensional, goal mouth scorer.  He wasn't scoring goals so he kind of got phased out of the lineup and we bought him out.  Overall it worked out well for Parrish money-wise but for the team not so much.  And you're right...if he can't learn to play at least a basic level of defense (as well as keep his scoring touch and produce offensively) he likely won't make it out of Iowa.  

7 hours ago, rottenrefs said:

That's all understandable, but there are players who stay at home on defense and forwards who clog or camp in front of the net... While I know in a perfect world it would be great to have every forward be good at both ends of the ice and defenders likewise also good on offense. Hopefully along the way through development they build on their weaknesses - as long as it doesn't completely withdraw them from their strengths; which is something that seems to fail with too many young players in Wild sweaters.

No question it would be a shame to waste the gift the kid has.  However, the onus is on Sokolov to try to 'fix' that part of his game.  

1 hour ago, rottenrefs said:

I'll bet players like Wayne Gretzky would like to have known that. Every year there's players that stand out as pure scorers and their defensive skills are limited to just above none.

I'm curious who wrote the book scripting that every NHL forward needs to know how to be good defensively? While every NHL defender needs to know how to be good offensively.

 

On each end of the ice each year there are exceptions.

Not many though...at the end of the day its usually easier to prevent goals than to score them.  So systems are devised to shut teams down.  This kid doesn't really play defense and doesn't do much when he doesn't have the puck.  Unless you're lighting the lamp often, those guys usually don't last long at the NHL level because everyone is expected to help out a bit defensively no matter how much you score.  

Its good to see Sokolov do well because he's a skilled player we kind of lucked into when we managed to get him as a 7th round pick.  But the hands, scoring ability are the things you can't teach.  I'm still not quite sold on his wheels though and while conditioning is a battle...IMO, I'd feel more confident about him if I saw a bit more explosiveness in his first few strides.  

13 hours ago, sweetshot said:

The success in Houston compared to the mediocrity of Iowa could be an indication of overall poor drafting by GMCF combined with the fact that he made so many deals where he traded away draft picks that the Wild simply had less drafted players coming in to feed the system.

I think part of that is how they transitioned to drafting college players; which don't arrive to the pro's (AHL or otherwise) 3-4 years after you draft them.  We also dealt a lot of picks away as you stated.  

Also, some of the veteran ringers they brought in over the years...didn't deliver.  

3 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

 

He's as delusional as Leipold is if he thinks the current team is anywhere near a Cup contender...

Who do you think sold Leipold on that idea?  Could it be...Mr. Kwik Trip himself?  

3 hours ago, IllaZilla said:

 

I think it is going to depend a lot on if the parent club leaves the farm club alone. The parent club seems to like to yo-yo prospect up and down from Iowa. They need to start leaving these guys in Iowa until they show they can dominate. 

 

It could also be the fact that the talent the parent club is stocking the farm club with aren't all that and a bag of chips like the parent club thinks they are...

Rotten makes a good point about the main reason they have a the Des Moines shuttle; its literally about saving small $$ in cap space.  However, I do agree with Illa Zilla 100% with the idea we don't kind of require the prospects to just dominate in Iowa to get the call up.  Iowa wasn't horrific last year, but Kunin certainly wasn't worthy of a call up yet he still got the call while other guys who were dominating down there never did.  IMO, that's sends a really bad message to those players putting in the yeoman effort every night and carrying the team in Iowa.  

Nashville forced a player to be dominant, not just for a week or two but even months before they got promoted.  Austin Watson honed his game at least 2 seasons in Milwaukee before he became a full-time player for the Predators.  Same was true of a lot of their guys; like Viktor Arvidsson, Pekka Rinne, even Filip Forsberg had to spend significant time in Milwaukee.  

https://www.nhl.com/lightning/news/tampa-bay-lightning-name-derek-lalonde-as-assistant-coach/c-299471564

Iowa's bench boss Derek Lalonde jumped ship to go to Tampa Bay...

Sounds like a player who is rushing back...usually doesn't turn out well.  

Suter's Rehab Update from the Athletic

I included some quoted material that jumped out to me in the article in case you are not a subscriber.  IMO, it says a lot about Suter's relative arrogance / confidence in that he's right and everyone else be damned.  Enjoy...

Quote

 

They end with Suter lying on a training table as his ankle is worked on. From his back, Suter reminds his physical therapist that he’s already behind his normal offseason skating schedule, and for a second it’s easy to forget that Suter’s injury was so serious that similar ones have ended the careers of professional soccer and basketball players. But, he tells his therapist, he wants to be skating in August so he can be ready for the first day of training camp in September. His therapist bends his ankle another direction and tells Suter to slow down. Remember that rehab can feel frustrating if you look too far ahead without appreciating the week-by-week progresses made, Suter is told. Don’t forget, he’s reminded, that it was only a few weeks ago that he couldn’t walk without a boot.

 

When he arrived, Boyd and foot specialist Fernando Peña were blunt.

 

“They’re like, ‘This is bad,’” Suter said. “They said this could be career-ending.”

Born Salty@cjzero

 

 

Slow mo look at Suter's foot injury, not that Wild fans want to see it again

 

 

Still, Suter scoffed.

“I’m thinking, ‘Come on, guys, it’s my foot, it’s not going to be career-ending,’” Suter said. “‘Fine, you can tell people that if it makes you feel better, but it’s not going to end my career.’ 

 

He’s reminded that doctors and officials have told him to keep realistic goals and not worry about the start of training camp, that this was a serious injury he shouldn’t feel a need to rush back from.

 

By his own admission, Suter can be a bit controlling. “If you want things done right, you have to do them yourself,” he often says.

 

“When I hear that, I don’t really hear it,” Suter says. “I want to be ready for camp and I want to have the best year that I’ve ever had. So I basically just ignore it. I’ll be fine. I’m almost there — as soon as I can get rid of that little hitch I’ve got.”

 

6 hours ago, rottenrefs said:

^ There, fixed it for you. 

Nah, we might as well introduce ourselves.  

Fine, let me help it re-focus...simple like the old chat room days.  

Name: (first name only if you prefer)

Location (keep it as specific or vague as you wish):

Age:

When did you become a #mnwild fan:

Favorite Wild player of All Time (can be current or not):

Jerseys & Hockey Memorabilia:

13 hours ago, Starofthenorth said:

Judging by the heights and weights of the wild invitees you'd think this would be a group of high school freshman or sophomores just hitting puberty. The goalie Kaapo Kahkonen is the largest combined player between height and weight at 6'2" 222 lbs. 

Its a younger group of kids than in years past.  Still a fair amount of invitees given their prospect pool situation.  Not a lot of size in this group as a whole, especially on the blueline where its very clear they care far more about your mobility, puck moving ability than the size to deny the middle of the ice.  Lots of smaller, apparently more skilled guys.  Boudrias is a fairly big kid...and should look like a man among boys out there.  

57 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

 

Greenway should not be given a pass. Sorry, just because you are one of the few prospects over 6'0" and 200 lbs you should not be given a pass.

 

He probably will be up sometime because it is a given Parise will break something and be out for half the season. But he should start in Iowa like every other prospect...sometimes I wish Houston was still the Wild's farm club. I think moving it to Iowa made it far to easy to just call prospects up on a whim...

I am not saying he should be given a pass.  But reading what I have from Fenton, it sounds like the organization is going to give him a free pass.  I agree, having the farm so close makes it kind of easy to have that as their way out.  Although I think our organization keeps closer tabs on what is going on there more than it did during the Aeros' days because of its relative proximity.  

Just now, bbgarnett said:

@CreaseAndAssist  yeah, it'd be fun to go the scrimmage(s) at least for me to see Cates and Menell who are from my neck of the woods.

Cates had a pretty good season in Waterloo.  It will be interesting to see if he is noticeable at camp.  This isn't exactly a star studded group.