Article: Wilderness Walk: Wild Get Nasty

[Thomas Williams]

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[MNCountryLife]

This is a different team without Ek and Shaw.  I can't put my finger on why.  But we are in the D-zone longer, our fore-check isn't quite as good, the top line struggles more.  Those 2 guys are energy guys and play with passion....it is contagious.  It was good to see the Wild get riled up last night. They needed something/anything to provide that passion and energy.  They will need it for 60 minutes in the playoffs....

[B1GKappa97]

I saw some posts in the game thread saying Rossi looked good and I gotta say... I couldn't disagree more. Dude looked completely lost out there to me. If he has to play in the post-season, we're in trouble. 

Granted I didn't stay up to watch the 3rd period, but 1 and 2 made me feel like we should just trade him before he tanks his value even further. I thought this guy was supposed to be an offensive dynamo? So far from what I've seen he's just a penalty magnet who stands around on the ice too much..

[Tony Abbott]

I don't know how you defend the Hartman hit, really. Even the broadcast was tying themselves into knots trying to do so saying stuff like "Well, he does play on the edge."

[viper3119]

3 hours ago, B1GKappa97 said:

I saw some posts in the game thread saying Rossi looked good and I gotta say... I couldn't disagree more. Dude looked completely lost out there to me. If he has to play in the post-season, we're in trouble. 

Granted I didn't stay up to watch the 3rd period, but 1 and 2 made me feel like we should just trade him before he tanks his value even further. I thought this guy was supposed to be an offensive dynamo? So far from what I've seen he's just a penalty magnet who stands around on the ice too much..

Considering his linemates were in constant flux last night and he got the least amount of minutes out of anyone, yes even Reaves got more, what is Rossi supposed to do? He's a top six center but keeps getting put in a bottom six roll and went from get 20+ minutes a night in Iowa to less than 10 yesterday.  

 

Also, it's funny how everyone forgets how long it normally takes a player to develop. Eek took almost 2-3 years playing in the nhl to become the player he is today get regular minutes and not this 8.5 minutes junk that Rossi is getting.

[mnfaninnc]

3 hours ago, B1GKappa97 said:

I saw some posts in the game thread saying Rossi looked good and I gotta say... I couldn't disagree more. Dude looked completely lost out there to me. If he has to play in the post-season, we're in trouble. 

Granted I didn't stay up to watch the 3rd period, but 1 and 2 made me feel like we should just trade him before he tanks his value even further. I thought this guy was supposed to be an offensive dynamo? So far from what I've seen he's just a penalty magnet who stands around on the ice too much..

I disagree with you on this.  I've ripped Rossi pretty hard over his performance of gliding, soft passes, standing around, lack of hustle.  This was corrected last night.  He showed off his speed and agility, he hustled around the ice.  He was sharp on his puck handling.  

If there is improvement that needs to be made, it would be meshing with his linemates, but that takes time.  He did go to the front of the net often, but kind of bunched up with Foligno also being there.  I saw stark improvement from one night to the next.  This is encouraging.

[mnfaninnc]

13 minutes ago, Tony Abbott said:

I don't know how you defend the Hartman hit, really. Even the broadcast was tying themselves into knots trying to do so saying stuff like "Well, he does play on the edge."

I'll defend it, he took a shot at Kaprizov just a bit earlier.  Ehlers, to my knowledge, is a skilled player and not a dirty one.  But, Hartman hit him hard in retaliation for that hit, some rough rides all game, and probably for the Logan Stanley (who wasn't in the game) hit the last time they met.  

I've said all year, the one thing that referees fear the most is a game getting out of hand.  They have to file too much paperwork, and get scrutinized for their calls, and reviewed.  They had a borderline 3rd period of that exact thing happening.  Referees need to know that this is not the same Wild/Mild team that used to be, and they will take a game out of hand and embarrass the officiating if they believe the calls were unfair.  The referees brought this on themselves by not calling the trip on Boldy earlier before the 3rd goal.  They had it coming.  

After Boldy awkwardly hit Morrissey in the corner, and Morrissey limped to the bench, I did not see him return. Hartman did the right thing, target one of their best players and send a message.  I was ready for '80s night after that.

[MNCountryLife]

Agreed.  I didn't have a problem with the hit. Ehlers was skating fast and was being physical.  He was skating directly at Hartman.  Hartman saw it and dished the puck and braced himself properly.  Ehlers intent was to hit Hartman.. at least until the puck was passed.  Was it interference?  Maybe/Questionable.  Hartman only moved slightly to align himself to the hit.  If he doesn't it would be construed as a trip.  I liked the hit.  Send a little message that we are not the meek and mild wild team of old.  

 

I also liked Dean's response on the bench.  He really backed his players.

[MNCountryLife]

I thought Rossi looked slightly better in the 3rd.  But I have to admit.  I'm not a fan of his lack of aggressive play.  He doesn't engage quickly enough.   He seems intent on waiting for the puck to pop out of a mess.  Yet the players in the NHL are too good for that.  You have to go and take it away.  You have to be physical.  

[hockey_fan_87]

1 hour ago, Tony Abbott said:

I don't know how you defend the Hartman hit, really. Even the broadcast was tying themselves into knots trying to do so saying stuff like "Well, he does play on the edge."

I am not sure that you have to defend the Hartman hit.  He was called for interference and, as we all know at the NHL level, when they actually call "interference" on a play is very subjective.  I really have no problem with Hartman getting a minor for interference.  I think the problem is adding an additional roughing call on him for getting jumped.  Hartman getting a second penalty was a terrible call.   

The additional no-call on the Boldy hook/trip was an intentional no-call by the refs.  There is no-way they are that incompetent.  They had to see that play in the middle of the slot with a player driving towards the net.

[Tony Abbott]

I don't know, you can't let a hit like Hartman's get an offsetting call. Maybe they should've just called a double-minor on the interference instead of the roughing, but you can't not send him to the box after that.

[hockey_fan_87]

1 hour ago, Tony Abbott said:

I don't know, you can't let a hit like Hartman's get an offsetting call. Maybe they should've just called a double-minor on the interference instead of the roughing, but you can't not send him to the box after that.

What I meant is Hartman goes for interference and the Jets player goes for roughing, for jumping Hartman.  If the Jets player did not jump Hartman, they would have been on the power-play.  My point is they should have lost that power-play after jumping Hartman.

[B1GKappa97]

3 hours ago, viper3119 said:

Considering his linemates were in constant flux last night and he got the least amount of minutes out of anyone, yes even Reaves got more, what is Rossi supposed to do? He's a top six center but keeps getting put in a bottom six roll and went from get 20+ minutes a night in Iowa to less than 10 yesterday.  

 

Also, it's funny how everyone forgets how long it normally takes a player to develop. Eek took almost 2-3 years playing in the nhl to become the player he is today get regular minutes and not this 8.5 minutes junk that Rossi is getting.

Rossi is averaging 12:15 minutes of icetime according to HR. Which is more than Ek got in his rookie year when he played 15 games.

And had 7x as many points. With more shots. And was +1 instead of -5. 

[B1GKappa97]

3 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I disagree with you on this.  I've ripped Rossi pretty hard over his performance of gliding, soft passes, standing around, lack of hustle.  This was corrected last night.  He showed off his speed and agility, he hustled around the ice.  He was sharp on his puck handling.  

Sure, he went to the front of the net. That was about the only positive I saw. One shift he 'finished' a check a little late, so that was cool too... but he was definitely still standing around for long portions of his shifts from what I saw. 

Maybe he stepped it up in the 3rd, like I said I didn't watch that one, but from the 1st and 2nd period it looked pretty clear why the HC has been hesitant for him to play him at this level. 

I'd go so far as to say he was the worst player on the ice aside from Klinberg based on what I saw.. and I would really like to like the guy, given his draft status. 

[WIWild]

SMH Hartman got suspended for checking someone. The cross-check to JoJos ribs (between padding) was just a fine.

[IllicitFive]

5 hours ago, viper3119 said:

Also, it's funny how everyone forgets how long it normally takes a player to develop. Eek took almost 2-3 years playing in the nhl to become the player he is today get regular minutes and not this 8.5 minutes junk that Rossi is getting.

I couldn't agree more, not everyone is Kaprizov or Boldy. Most take time to transition, especially with a lost year. I also think the chemistry part is being forgotten, I thought he was supposed to be more of a playmaker than a sniper. I may be wrong here but if that is the case playmakers need chemistry, snipers are more able to create their own space (see a Fiala type)

[Protec]

Rossi has done nothing for the regular season in the NHL. There's one thing to have a projection during your draft year, but the NHL opportunity has been presented a couple times. It's just so weird to lead the preseason for the entire league and then just fizzle hard in the first 15 games. To say he's a top line player or should be getting minutes on the 2nd line is so crazy to me when there's like 15 other forwards who have earned a spot above Rossi with hustle and production. Shaw, Dewar, Duhaime, Beckman, and Walker have all looked better in the same role. I know it's just been a few games here at the end of the season to go with the early season stuff, but altogether it's been worse than expected. It's not like Rossi is facing the Bruins or Knights. His games have been against average teams but it's weird cause whenever he's in the team is crummy.

[mnfaninnc]

19 hours ago, Tony Abbott said:

I don't know, you can't let a hit like Hartman's get an offsetting call. Maybe they should've just called a double-minor on the interference instead of the roughing, but you can't not send him to the box after that.

Why not, Tony?  Referees do it to us all the time!

[mnfaninnc]

13 hours ago, Protec said:

Rossi has done nothing for the regular season in the NHL. There's one thing to have a projection during your draft year, but the NHL opportunity has been presented a couple times. It's just so weird to lead the preseason for the entire league and then just fizzle hard in the first 15 games. To say he's a top line player or should be getting minutes on the 2nd line is so crazy to me when there's like 15 other forwards who have earned a spot above Rossi with hustle and production. Shaw, Dewar, Duhaime, Beckman, and Walker have all looked better in the same role. I know it's just been a few games here at the end of the season to go with the early season stuff, but altogether it's been worse than expected. It's not like Rossi is facing the Bruins or Knights. His games have been against average teams but it's weird cause whenever he's in the team is crummy.

I think we're seeing the same thing.  i'd just like to see him up there as a trial, it's not like we have anything to play for tonight.  Rossi did improve from one night to the next.  I suppose the experiment is mostly chemistry, to see if he meshes with any particular players.  He didn't look like he meshed with Foligno/Steel, but Steel got sick too quickly to know.  He and Boldy do have a connection, I thought Nyquist might be a good addition to that line.  

One thing you see a lot in a young player isn't the passiveness, but it's the willingness to defer.  What we're wanting out of Rossi is to take it, don't worry about deferring to the veterans, do what you do best.  Somehow, it seems that what I've seen with him gliding, soft plays, is him deferring.  Honestly, only experience cures that.  

We saw this with Brodin early on, especially as Suter's partner.  Brodin had the ability to move the puck and skate it up, but he mostly deferred to Suter.  Perhaps that's part of the European culture that can get frustrating in the North American market?  You see it in the Swede/Finn game where they will defer shots in the home plate area often to try for tap ins somewhere else.  Koivu was particularly bad about that. 

Does Rossi need a bit more attention from coaching?  Likely. Most young players need extra time with the coaches, going over video, restressing what they want to see, correcting mistakes, and the big one: building confidence. 

This coaching staff signed up for a transitioning team. Everyone knew it was coming. They knew they'd need to do this, just like Army has to down in Iowa with his rookies.  Perhaps it is too much for this coaching staff, and they need some more assistants?  There's probably not room on the bench for more, but there could be in the video rooms and locker rooms.  It is one reason why I've advocated for Koivu and Housley to take over position development roles within the team, specifically responsible for developing those positions within the system.  It could be others, but those 2 seemed to have unique perspectives to give and ties to the area.

[Protec]

The reason I don’t like the “Rossi should be on the top lines argument”.

It is the same as saying all the bottom six forwards for the Wild, who have all played better than Rossi, don’t allow Rossi to succeed. AND, Dean Evason doesn’t know what he’s doing. He should get the unproven rookie in there. Just bump a veteran who brings more to the table.

It is not a strong argument. Small player, European style game. High skill. Not physical. No explosive speed or power. High HIQ. Good playmaker/PP specialist. He’ll have like 20 NHL games. Its a season he can build on. For me, I think the Wild should move on already if they can. I wonder if teams would trade much given Rossi’s medical history.

[Pewterschmidt]

Look at a player like Dewar who CREATES grade A opportunities each game whether he’s playing PK or he’s 5v5 but playing short handed because Reaves is his line mate and he’s still catching up with the play coming thru neutral zone.   Why shouldn’t Dewzy get opportunity to play with better line mates. If it’s simply because Rossi was taken 9th and Brackett needs to save face, the logic is faulty.  And we’ve learned by now that Guerin is a “no free lunch” and “zero entitlement” kind of guy

[Backwoodsbob]

I'm curious to how does Hartman get suspended a game for interference?

Swaney and Giroux each will make his NHL debut. ... Addison, normally a defenseman, will play forward. ... Hartman, a forward, is serving a one-game suspension for interference against Winnipeg Jets forward Nikolaj Ehlers during a 3-1 loss Tuesday. ... Gustavsson will make his third start in four games. ...

 

[B1GKappa97]

16 hours ago, Backwoodsbob said:

I'm curious to how does Hartman get suspended a game for interference?

Repeat offender.