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If not Kapt'n Koviu ... then who?


hf101

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There seems to be a lot of chatter that the "C" should be given to someone else on Wild.  Some tend to think that it shouldn't be worn by Parise or Suter either although Parise seems the most vocal on the ice, imo.  

 

So who on the Wild's roster should be leading this team next season?

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I agree with the fact that Koivu shouldn't be captain.. he can't even get himself fired up most of the time! 

 

out of what we have...

 

my first pick would be:

 

Staal- his effort and production speaks for itself and the guy is a class act.. you'd think he would have the room's respect and would be the best choice out of what we currently have.

 

second pick would be:

 

Spurgeon- I know this one is a little out there.. but I feel Spurg is the most underrated guy on the team.. most people knock his size and I understand why during playoff hockey.. but he quietly puts in his work, is very solid and is someone I think a lot of players on the team respect and would take direction from.

 

I couldn't personally put the "C" on Parise just because it seems silly to have a leader who's play has been declining and isn't on the ice with injuries for seemingly good portions of each season. he's got a lot of heart and with him being local I can see why some would want it though.

 

or... they could always go back to the novelty of the old rotating "C" :63:

 

 

 

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10 minutes ago, rottenrefs said:

The logical choice would be Eric Staal.

 

Really?  Staal only has 1 year left on his contract, I'm not sure that really solves anything for the future.

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The C should go to the player who stands up for the team and inspires the team to follow.

No one can lead someone to follow, they must be inspired to want to follow.

Staal says he doesn't want it, unfortunately for him, I think he is the player that most of the team wants to follow.

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@Gnarkill my second guy for the C (like you) was Spurgeon.

 

I first noted Staal, then began to break down who gets the A's and Spurgeon was tops on my list. Then I started to ramble about Parise getting the other A for his 1/2 to 2/3's of the season he's healthy... And let Zucker carry it for the remainder.

 

If young blood doesn't get a leadership role on this team the whole team will remain stagnant.

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@hf101 true but it's a massive step in the right direction.

 

Consider this: Of the 200 plus players Fletcher has acquired or dealt with as the GM, Koivu is the only one who was here longer than him (Fletcher.) Only one player of those 200 plus has performed much better than expected and that's Eric Staal. Quietly he's played better than Mikko. Quietly he never gets his named mentioned about how good he is at faceoffs (the only remaining plus factor Dumb and Dumber can give Mikko credit for.)

 

Dumb and Dumber = Panties and Chuckles = Anthony Lapanta & Mike Greenlay.

 

Cullen should have worn it during his first stint here but fear not, the Wild's upper management never watched players on the bench eagerly gain knowledge from Cullen while Mikko sat there preening himself like a kitten.

Preening: Something I brought up about three years ago. Ever since they hardly focus the camera on him while he's on the bench.

He goes into his typical routing upon making it back to the bench: Sits, holds his hand out for a towel, then wipes himself, swipes his finger on the inside of his face shield several times, then wipes himself off some more, then holds the towel up behind him waiting for some pissant to grab it from him and if the dude doesn't grab it soon enough to his liking... Mikko shoots him an angry stare. Literally he looks like a cat licking its paws. lol

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58 minutes ago, Tomdog said:

The C should go to the player who stands up for the team and inspires the team to follow.

No one can lead someone to follow, they must be inspired to want to follow.

Staal says he doesn't want it, unfortunately for him, I think he is the player that most of the team wants to follow.

 

That would be Nate Prosser... Who at the very least all his teammates except the angry trio would relish giving him an A.

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4 hours ago, Gnarkill said:

I agree with the fact that Koivu shouldn't be captain.. he can't even get himself fired up most of the time! 

 

out of what we have...

 

my first pick would be:

 

Staal- his effort and production speaks for itself and the guy is a class act.. you'd think he would have the room's respect and would be the best choice out of what we currently have.

 

second pick would be:

 

Spurgeon- I know this one is a little out there.. but I feel Spurg is the most underrated guy on the team.. most people knock his size and I understand why during playoff hockey.. but he quietly puts in his work, is very solid and is someone I think a lot of players on the team respect and would take direction from.

 

I couldn't personally put the "C" on Parise just because it seems silly to have a leader who's play has been declining and isn't on the ice with injuries for seemingly good portions of each season. he's got a lot of heart and with him being local I can see why some would want it though.

 

or... they could always go back to the novelty of the old rotating "C" :63:

 

 

 

 

So far I do not see one yet in our team. Good idea.  I will start with the old team's fashion of rotating "C" every month ( hope Eric Stall will accept this too) until we will find a real team's leader  or until Kaprizov will arrive here. Probably, Kaprizov is going to be a real leader for our team in the future, who is a young , smart , very talented and extremely energetic person on the ice capable to be a nice example  for the entire team.

 

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Interesting comments.  You are all right that the longest standing Wild doesn't necessarily deserve a "C" slapped on his sweater. I would have thought that the "C: would have been changed out several years ago to Parise before all the back issues if there ever was a plan to make a change.  Thus, I don't see one coming until Koivu's contract ends frankly.  Maybe criticism helps?  Last year Giroux stepped up to a new level after a difficult and disappointing season.

 

After looking at the roster there really isn't a player on there that screams out CAPTAIN to me. It's not even obvious that there is an active plan for developing younger players on the roster for leadership roles.  The team must have a leadership group that includes some younger players right?  Besides Koivu, Parise and Suter who is an active part of the leadership group?

 

For example, it is obvious on the Flyers roster that either Couturier or Proverov will be the next Flyers Captain as both are being developed and a part of the leadership group.  There is a plan, and it is obvious.  Maybe it is just Hextall's influence and maybe even Hakstol's but it seems every young player that has been drafted in the first or 2nd rounds were all leaders on their junior teams.

 

It seems Fletcher put all his apples in one bag with Parise and Suter and hasn't even bothered with a Plan B.  Hopefully as others have mentioned Fenton can make a change in player development, but that development also starts with the Iowa Wild too.  Are Spurgeron, Coyle, Brodin a part of a current leadership group?

 

Why not make Suter captain?  

 

 

 

 

 

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I don't like any of our choices for the captain.

 

Few of my favs: Spurgeon (smart and decisive) and Nino (very down to earth, always works hard). If I would have to pick, I would go for Nino.

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1 hour ago, hf101 said:

Interesting comments.  You are all right that the longest standing Wild doesn't necessarily deserve a "C" slapped on his sweater. I would have thought that the "C: would have been changed out several years ago to Parise before all the back issues if there ever was a plan to make a change.  Thus, I don't see one coming until Koivu's contract ends frankly.  Maybe criticism helps?  Last year Giroux stepped up to a new level after a difficult and disappointing season.

 

After looking at the roster there really isn't a player on there that screams out CAPTAIN to me. It's not even obvious that there is an active plan for developing younger players on the roster for leadership roles.  The team must have a leadership group that includes some younger players right?  Besides Koivu, Parise and Suter who is an active part of the leadership group?

 

For example, it is obvious on the Flyers roster that either Couturier or Proverov will be the next Flyers Captain as both are being developed and a part of the leadership group.  There is a plan, and it is obvious.  Maybe it is just Hextall's influence and maybe even Hakstol's but it seems every young player that has been drafted in the first or 2nd rounds were all leaders on their junior teams.

 

It seems Fletcher put all his apples in one bag with Parise and Suter and hasn't even bothered with a Plan B.  Hopefully as others have mentioned Fenton can make a change in player development, but that development also starts with the Iowa Wild too.  Are Spurgeron, Coyle, Brodin a part of a current leadership group?

 

Why not make Suter captain?  

 

I don't think you'll see any young players in a leadership role until The Three Stooges are gone. Maybe Spurgeon, but he misses about 10 games per season. Hard to lead if you're not on the ice. And he'd be showing up Suter, and you can't have that.

Coyle is too streaky. There are some games he's lights out, just hustling and using his size, but then he will disappear for games at a stretch.

Niederreitter is another young guy like Coyle. I think he's feistier than Coyle, but he's another one that can be just flying around the ice one game and then disappear for the next five games... 

Brodin? Please. He's so unremarkable he couldn't get lemmings to follow him over a cliff...

Possibly the next young player the Wild may groom for the C is Luke Kunin...because he should be with the team in about two years, right when Mikko (hopefully) retires. But only if Parise and Suter give their stamp of approval. Otherwise the C will move to Suter. Because Parise can't stay on the ice for more than half a season. 

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In fact, the only thing that differentiates a captain from another player is that he has the right to go in the refs' half-circle and talk to the officials. That's it. If the captain is not on the ice or is injured, then the Alternates have this right. That's only it.

 

The link captain-leader in not relevant in my opinion, because inside the team, the organisation and in the locker room, everybody know who is or are the real leaders. Don't need a letter to mention it. Being a leader is related to an attitude and character, not on a label. 

 

Let me tell you a little true story: once upon a time, my team was in the playoffs semi-final, trailing 0-2 in a best-of-5 series. Then a player took his responsibilities and made a huge speech in the locker room just after the 2nd loss. Sometimes explaining, sometimes yelling, arguing a lot. Hell of a speech, shook the whole locker room. That guy was not the captain, neither the alternate. But he was the leader of that team, and everybody knew it. From that time, we won the next 3 games, winning the series 3-2 en route to the final. Then we swept them 3-0, winning the title. 

 

Wearing a "C" or an "A" is just an additional letter on a jersey. 

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4 hours ago, hf101 said:

Interesting comments.  You are all right that the longest standing Wild doesn't necessarily deserve a "C" slapped on his sweater. I would have thought that the "C: would have been changed out several years ago to Parise before all the back issues if there ever was a plan to make a change.  Thus, I don't see one coming until Koivu's contract ends frankly.  Maybe criticism helps?  Last year Giroux stepped up to a new level after a difficult and disappointing season.

 

After looking at the roster there really isn't a player on there that screams out CAPTAIN to me. It's not even obvious that there is an active plan for developing younger players on the roster for leadership roles.  The team must have a leadership group that includes some younger players right?  Besides Koivu, Parise and Suter who is an active part of the leadership group?

 

For example, it is obvious on the Flyers roster that either Couturier or Proverov will be the next Flyers Captain as both are being developed and a part of the leadership group.  There is a plan, and it is obvious.  Maybe it is just Hextall's influence and maybe even Hakstol's but it seems every young player that has been drafted in the first or 2nd rounds were all leaders on their junior teams.

 

It seems Fletcher put all his apples in one bag with Parise and Suter and hasn't even bothered with a Plan B.  Hopefully as others have mentioned Fenton can make a change in player development, but that development also starts with the Iowa Wild too.  Are Spurgeron, Coyle, Brodin a part of a current leadership group?

 

Why not make Suter captain?  

 

Several years ago Brunette took Coyle under his wing and was working with him after practices. In fact, several young players were getting an extra dose of practices like that to spur them, train them, etc.

 

It also seemed like they were being groomed beyond that from former team leaders. Coyle gained IMO a ton of poise but lost his zeal, his zip and his hard-nosed drive for crashing the net. Of the younger players he and Granlund have been given so many more opportunities than those in their peer group; and I also felt management was selecting them for future roles to do just that.

Trouble is much like Koivu, they don't stand out to make significant 'leads.'

 

2 hours ago, Villette/Lavaux said:

Let me tell you a little true story: once upon a time, my team was in the playoffs semi-final, trailing 0-2 in a best-of-5 series. Then a player took his responsibilities and made a huge speech in the locker room just after the 2nd loss. Sometimes explaining, sometimes yelling, arguing a lot. Hell of a speech, shook the whole locker room. That guy was not the captain, neither the alternate. But he was the leader of that team, and everybody knew it. From that time, we won the next 3 games, winning the series 3-2 en route to the final. Then we swept them 3-0, winning the title. 

 

Wearing a "C" or an "A" is just an additional letter on a jersey. 

 

Not to toot my own horn but several times I've been in similar situations. Soccer for instance in high school. My senior year there were three of us returning for our final year and the other two seniors were going around urging others to select them as captains. They did.

But on the field (and or otherwise) I was the leader. I'm not saying the team lived or died by any of us, but they held the role as some type of honor that literally spoke for itself while they walked around with their heads above others. I dug in and when I said something sh!t happened. Everyone could see they didn't like it but there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it because as young-dumb kids the 'power rankings' were futile if someone stood up and grabbed reign.

 

On the other board I've given several examples of teams I've been on, or coached and or managed, where when I took charge good things started to happen. Some people can lead naturally and some can't - simple as that.

 

However every team sport I've been on there's always something missing. An arrogance, a power struggle, jealousy, bitterness, frustrations and down right 'what the hell is going on here' type "What's in the water?" crap. Players and teammates need to get beyond that sh!t if they're going to be successful.

-

With the Wild there's way too much posturing for who's supposed to be important and who gets walked over or bypassed and IMO it starts with the management of this team putting players in the wrong places. Whether it be on lines 1, 2, 3 or 4... Special teams, favoritism, 4 on 4 in overtime... It just boggles the mind.

 

In the last 4 years this team has put the right people on the right lines and in the right roles on those lines about 4-5 games a season. It works - and when it works they always blow it up.

 

Why? That is the magical question.

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Oh, as I started to elude to... The team kind of put Coyle and Granlund in position to become leaders but neither of them stand out with any leadership material / fiber / character / voice.

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1 hour ago, Jagged Ice said:

I'm hoping Kunin emerges into that role. 

I personally think the Front Office wants him to be the next Koivu but he'll probably have to wrestle the C away from Parise or Suter once Koivu retires or Fenton lets him walk in two seasons. If Kunin was like Gabriel Landeskog, then yeah, I could see him becoming captain and not being cowed by Parise or Suter. Scores, plays with an edge, can carry a team. But I'm just not seeing that in Kunin. And besides, the team is stuck with Suter and Pretzel Boy until 2025...

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9 minutes ago, IllaZilla said:

Scores, plays with an edge, can carry a team. But I'm just not seeing that in Kunin. 

I'm not seeing it either, yet. It's way too early to determine that. He just turned 20 in December. 

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On 5/25/2018 at 6:58 AM, hf101 said:

Interesting comments.  You are all right that the longest standing Wild doesn't necessarily deserve a "C" slapped on his sweater. I would have thought that the "C: would have been changed out several years ago to Parise before all the back issues if there ever was a plan to make a change.  Thus, I don't see one coming until Koivu's contract ends frankly.  Maybe criticism helps?  Last year Giroux stepped up to a new level after a difficult and disappointing season.

 

After looking at the roster there really isn't a player on there that screams out CAPTAIN to me. It's not even obvious that there is an active plan for developing younger players on the roster for leadership roles.  The team must have a leadership group that includes some younger players right?  Besides Koivu, Parise and Suter who is an active part of the leadership group?

 

For example, it is obvious on the Flyers roster that either Couturier or Proverov will be the next Flyers Captain as both are being developed and a part of the leadership group.  There is a plan, and it is obvious.  Maybe it is just Hextall's influence and maybe even Hakstol's but it seems every young player that has been drafted in the first or 2nd rounds were all leaders on their junior teams.

 

It seems Fletcher put all his apples in one bag with Parise and Suter and hasn't even bothered with a Plan B.  Hopefully as others have mentioned Fenton can make a change in player development, but that development also starts with the Iowa Wild too.  Are Spurgeron, Coyle, Brodin a part of a current leadership group?

 

Why not make Suter captain?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suter isn't a team player, he's a me player.  He and Parise basically dictate the locker room dynamic already and that isn't a good thing.  Staal is the only clear choice as captain.  If Staal gets crap from #9, #20 or #11 he should ask them how many cups have they won.  I don't care if he has 1 year left, that's not his fault, that's on Fletcher for doubling down on Captain Klydesdale.  

 

Only other captain choice for me?  Spurgeon.  Zucker wouldn't be a bad alternate IMO.  

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1 hour ago, CreaseAndAssist said:

 

Suter isn't a team player, he's a me player.  He and Parise basically dictate the locker room dynamic already and that isn't a good thing.  Staal is the only clear choice as captain.  If Staal gets crap from #9, #20 or #11 he should ask them how many cups have they won.  I don't care if he has 1 year left, that's not his fault, that's on Fletcher for doubling down on Captain Klydesdale.  

 

Only other captain choice for me?  Spurgeon.  Zucker wouldn't be a bad alternate IMO.  

My sediments exactly.

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If you want to read Disney fairy tale, then Spurgeon or zooker could be Wild Captain. :eyeroll:

But back to this world, those guys are very far from leadership things...poor choices in many ways.

 

And what comes to family guys duo Suter and Parise, they sure are fantastic Captains in the home area. :cheers:

 

Wild has already outstanding Captain Koivu so why to change it? End of this story.

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4 hours ago, EL_CAPITAN_#9 said:

If you want to read Disney fairy tale, then Spurgeon or zooker could be Wild Captain. :eyeroll:

But back to this world, those guys are very far from leadership things...poor choices in many ways.

 

And what comes to family guys duo Suter and Parise, they sure are fantastic Captains in the home area. :cheers:

 

Wild has already outstanding Captain Koivu so why to change it? End of this story.

 

The Disney fairytale is Koivu makes any difference at all to this team as captain.  He's a gutless pansie.  I'd think as a Finn you'd have a difficult time respecting that given your nation's history of perseverance.  

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14 hours ago, EL_CAPITAN_#9 said:

If you want to read Disney fairy tale, then Spurgeon or zooker could be Wild Captain. :eyeroll:

But back to this world, those guys are very far from leadership things...poor choices in many ways.

 

And what comes to family guys duo Suter and Parise, they sure are fantastic Captains in the home area. :cheers:

 

Wild has already outstanding Captain Koivu so why to change it? End of this story.

Just to check you know we are talking about Mikko Koivu (who sucks sac) not Saku koivu his brother. Mikko is over the hill and is probably one of the worst picks for captain right next to Suter. They are not team players, they are not leaders, they don't stick up for their teammates, they throw teammates under the bus, and they are extremely selfish. The silent leader Koivu's contract should have never been extended nor should he have been given a nmc. The wild should do everything they can to attempt to convince koivu, Parise, and Suter to waive their NTC and nmc clauses so the wild can be rid of those anchor contracts. Why are the wild paying between 5.5 - 9 million a year each for koivu and Parise when they would not be on any other NHL teams first two lines? 

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On 5/27/2018 at 7:09 AM, Starofthenorth said:

Just to check you know we are talking about Mikko Koivu (who sucks sac) not Saku koivu his brother. Mikko is over the hill and is probably one of the worst picks for captain right next to Suter. They are not team players, they are not leaders, they don't stick up for their teammates, they throw teammates under the bus, and they are extremely selfish. The silent leader Koivu's contract should have never been extended nor should he have been given a nmc. The wild should do everything they can to attempt to convince koivu, Parise, and Suter to waive their NTC and nmc clauses so the wild can be rid of those anchor contracts. Why are the wild paying between 5.5 - 9 million a year each for koivu and Parise when they would not be on any other NHL teams first two lines? 

 

I agree with most of this.  And the stuff I don't agree with, is simply because I don't think this organization has the will power to do anything like that.  They've let #20, #11 and #9 drive the team culture under the false idea that it will lead them to success.  It hasn't.  Its just created a very expensive country club.  The club might be a nice place to go, and play at...but its not headed towards a championship.  Its ok with above-average mediocrity.  As much as Leipold wanted a fresh set of eyes on this team, I think Leipold should consider taking a big step back.  IMO, its kind of like the parent that asks the coach what their kid can do in order to get better. When you tell them the kid has plateau'd and really is what they are going to be...then the parent tells you that you're wrong because they don't want to face facts that their kid just isn't that good.  

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