Article: The Wild Need A Backup Plan For Kaprizov's Line

[Aaron Heckmann]

View full article

[Will D. Ness]

I think the backup plan should actually be the status quo and try something new next season.

On paper, Rossi is the guy to play with KK and MZ.  We tried Ek with KK a couple years back and it was ugly.  They have different strengths.  Ek and Boldy are a better fit.

[Willy the poor boy]

Myself, I'd like to see them trade Lizard. I just think age may have caught up with him with the lack of production the last 3'rd of the season. He did have an abdominal injury so maybe it was just that, that slowed him down. If I'm trading him that's the angle I'd take. I'm not buying into KK will be pissed if we trade him either.

I like how JoJo played in the brief time he was here. It would interesting to see how he would do on a line with KK. I'm a yuge Hartzy fan so I'd like to see him center KK and JoJo and see how that goes. Ek would work also but I'd rather see Hartzy there. Where does Rossi fit in though? I think you'd like to surround him with some talent. They'll figure it out.

[Protec]

I'm pretty optimistic GMBG works out some deals this off-season and the Wild should be a similar team again with the core guys we're used to.

 

It's the complimentary players and prospects who show out at camp that I'm interested to see. I would not be surprised to see big steps taken by guys like Milne or Haight. Not to mention what Walker and Beckman do. Obviously, we'd love to see Shaw get back and Rossi boost his grit-level. The Wild have a group competing to win those jobs and the Wild will be filling some vacancies even if they don't trade Zuccarello or decide to sign another Reaves or Nyquist type player for those roles.

[Backwoodsbob]

Quote

Kaprizov is the superstar, so he has to be accountable for not scoring a single goal in the postseason this spring.

Not saying it made a difference but Kaprizov did score a PP goal in the post season!

I thought that Ek played well between Kaprizov and Zuccy until the injury. It was an unfortunate event but it does prove a point that the players need to be able to play alongside different linemates as the coaching staff tries to shuffle the line-up. Maybe HCDE can mix up the lines a little more during the reg. season next year? At least Deano will have a bettter feel for what works and what doesn't.

I would've like to seen how Nyquist would do between Boldy and MoJo or even Kaprizov and Zuccy. Nyquist impressed me in the post season on his hockey IQ/sense and energy. Sucks that the Wild are limited with Cap space. Would like to see Nyquist for another season.

[mnfaninnc]

16 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Myself, I'd like to see them trade Lizard. I just think age may have caught up with him with the lack of production the last 3'rd of the season. He did have an abdominal injury so maybe it was just that, that slowed him down. If I'm trading him that's the angle I'd take. I'm not buying into KK will be pissed if we trade him either.

I'm of this same sentiment, I think it's time for the Lizard to head to one of 22 possible destinations. But, in keeping with this piece, we had better have a backup plan since this is the last season Zuccarello is signed for. The wheels falling off was concerning.

But, did the fall off of production have a reason? YES, for both players.

Hartman was hurt early on in the season when he went to swing with his right hand in a fight, winced, and was out for an extended period of time. He was never the same player which told me that he came back and gutted out the injury. In the playoffs, I'm also betting damage was done to his knee and he continued to gut it out after that. Hartman showed his heart (pardon the pun), and much of his undisciplined play had to do with being handicapped with one good shoulder. He looked to me like he had lost significant strength from his right upper body.

Zuccarello also had something he was dealing with for quite awhile. I believe Guerin called it an upper groin injury. I noticed something was off in January, Zuccarello's turns were not crisp and he spun himself out a few times. But, he also gutted it out with very little down time. To me, with his skating, it looked like this lingered for the rest of the season as he was also missing his normal jump. 

I agree with trying a Boldy-Ek-Kaprizov line. It makes us pretty much a 1 line team. But, on the PP, these guys do work well together. Eventually, Kaprizov gets new linemates. He has been most effective having a center who can drive the middle and have some grit. I'd argue that Ek's skill is above Hartman's. 

But, here is the question from up above: Would Nyquist be a better fit than Zuccarello?

[mnfaninnc]

14 hours ago, Protec said:

It's the complimentary players and prospects who show out at camp that I'm interested to see. I would not be surprised to see big steps taken by guys like Milne or Haight. Not to mention what Walker and Beckman do.

Milne did not have a good statistical season for Iowa, but, he looked improved coming down the stretch. (from the highlights I saw) He seemed to be getting double the chances he was earlier in the season.

Haight's trade was really good for him, but he disappeared, as well as his teammates, in the 2nd round of the CHL playoffs. I think there is a lot of potential still locked up in Haight, and he could be one of those late bloomers. I see him on a Shaw-Dewar path, needing 3 years of seasoning in the A. 

I believe Beckman needs to add some strength still for the next level. His shot is great, and he beat several goalies while up here, just not the posts. His skating could also use some explosion. 

Walker really wore down as the season went on. He wasn't getting points late in the season in the A either. Switching from a college schedule to a professional schedule is usually a tough transition. Even Boldy hit the wall his 1st year, and arguably this year too. 

I think I'm with you, though, we've got to see what these complimentary pieces have. At some point, we're going to have to transition out of the placeholders and into the new era. I believe next season is the season to do it.

Has Hartman so overperformed his contract that he won't be resigned after this next year? I can't see us going with Zuccarello beyond this year and would favor trading him out this season.

[Protec]

Inject the grit is good, but injecting the elite Swede-ism is even better.

Between Reaves, Sundqvuisst, and Nyquiist, the most offense would be from Nyqvuist. 

Reaves or Sunndqvuist would be more size/muscle but probably less expensive, or easier to replace.

5-6 weeks isn't too long and we'll begin to see a better picture of what it will look like at training camp.

[bean5302]

Having a stacked 1st line is the way to go in my opinion. The Wild have got to be able to score goals and having a line which is just a monster is the best way to get consistent pucks into the net.

As for the lines further back, it gives a better chance to see who elevates themselves and their teammates. Somebody is going to step up and it would be really nice to easily be able to identify talent since the Wild absolutely need to make the most of their young prospects and up and comers to stay relevant with the buyouts crushing the team. It's harder to identify talent when there's a stud on the line and two guys who are feeding or being fed by a known high performer.

The Wild can also adapt their game play to compensate for a lack of offensive firepower on different lines. They can play tighter on defense and choke down an opponent's opportunities.

Hartman is not the guy I want centering the first line. It's not that I dislike him, I just want the top guys together creating fits for the other team. Watching the playoffs, it was so clear how frustrated Kaprisov (literally typed Kirilloff first haha) was. Kaprisov was playing smart, but he just wasn't getting help.

Edited May 14, 2023 by bean5302

[mnfaninnc]

23 hours ago, bean5302 said:

Hartman is not the guy I want centering the first line. It's not that I dislike him, I just want the top guys together creating fits for the other team.

It's like he can play there but is not the longterm solution to the position. They need a real center there. Since the PP has Ek on it, and Boldy and Kaprizov are both productive on it, to me, this seems like a natural fit.