Article: Wilderness Walk: Matt Boldy Out Week-to-Week

[Thomas Williams]

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[mnfaninnc]

Well, this sucks. I really wish we would use the LTIR strategy a little better. Even if just 1 of Spurgeon or Boldy was placed on it, we could have cap relief to carry 23 players. 

I absolutely hate the 11/7 format with this team, and expect to see Addison up on the wing a bit tonight.

[M_Nels]

18 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Well, this sucks. I really wish we would use the LTIR strategy a little better. Even if just 1 of Spurgeon or Boldy was placed on it, we could have cap relief to carry 23 players. 

I absolutely hate the 11/7 format with this team, and expect to see Addison up on the wing a bit tonight.

Definitely bites but we're only 2 games into the season, NHL seasons are a marathon and not a sprint so we need to let those guys heal up to 100%.

Think the only silver lining to going 11/7 is we should see a healthy dose of Kap on the 2nd line. Might do him some good to get away from Zucc a bit and allow him to play more free and with the speed of Mojo. Through the first 2 games they are already trying to force things too much leading to turnovers. Hopefully Kap can get going because we're definitely going to need the scoring in Boldy's absence. 

[Beast]

That’s a blow.  Likely not going to see many points the next few weeks.

Another note, ESPN released their top 100 players.  Only 2 Wild players on the list, inexplicably.  Boldy at 77 and Kaprisov at 17 (down from 7 last year).

Hard to imagine Tomas Hertl (100), Ryan O’Reilly (99), Nazem Kadri (86) and a handful of other centers as better players than Ek, who is not on the list.

Owen Power (98), Morgan Reilly (96), John Carlson (94), Drew Doughty (92), Moritz Seider (78), and a handful of others being considered better d-men than Spurgeon and Brodin seems interesting.  There’s an argument there for some because of youth, but you can’t tell me any GM is taking Doughty over those two.

Kaprisov is ranked behind Elias Pettersson, Alexander Barkov, Connor Hellybuck, Jason Robertson, etc. is laughable.

They have Jack Hughes ranked higher than Auston Matthews.

Interesting read.  Some good analysis and some real head scratchers.

 

[mnfaninnc]

I got to read another Athletic article for free. Let me share a couple of quotes: 

Quote

At the end of his presentation, Walkom cued up a video montage, broadcast on TVs around the room, showing roughly 20 clips of the biggest names in the coaching ranks going off on officials. Fists shaken. Fiery red faces. F-bombs flying.

“It was like getting called into the principal’s office and you’re not sure what it’s about until they hit play,” said Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer, grinning.

For the coaches, it felt like they were back in their playing days, the hair on the back of their necks standing up as they prayed they wouldn’t be shown blowing up after a bad turnover or missed coverage.

Minnesota Wild coach Dean Evason, for one, kept thinking: I hope they don’t show me motherf—ing the referees. I hope I don’t come up, I hope I don’t come up.

“And,” Evason said with a sheepish laugh, “there I am.”

Quote

The presentation brought laughter. The GMs loved it. And the league intended the video less as a tongue-lashing and more tongue-in-cheek. But the message was clear, and commissioner Gary Bettman drove the point home, addressing the group after the montage ended. The cameras are always on you as a coach, he emphasized, so tone it down with the officials. Communicate, don’t cuss them out. Having clips of coaches lose their minds all over social media and on TV isn’t what anybody wants.

“When we’re all telling the refs to f— off, it’s not a good visual for the league,” Evason said. “When the camera’s on us and kids and people are watching us and we’re telling people to f— off, screaming, it’s not right. The league’s message was, ‘Sometimes it gets heated, but let’s tone it down.'”

This helps explain why Goligoski got hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. However, as shown by the cameras, Goligoski just barked at the official and didn't bring any body language into the situation. Usually, avoiding the body language gets you a pass, apparently not this year with this referee.

I don't know what the referees have been told, but some have interpreted it differently. Referees now seem to have very thing skin and rabbit ears. This article was geared toward the coaches, but it seems the players are also now being targeted. Lettered individuals now get away with more. Goligoski doesn't wear a letter. This may be why he got tagged. What is weird, though, is that Goligoski has paid his dues and as a longtime vet in the league, he should have bought some good will with referees. He also was right, Reaves did hold twice on the shift that went uncalled. 

So, the oral tongue lashings with expletives are now being cracked down on. Our reputation with referees is that we do this a lot, but never follow through with action when frustrated. I would suggest that our methods must also change. Quit yelling at the refs and take it out on the other team. If you feel the refs are being unfair, let the game get out of hand. 

This was a real interesting article and well worth the read. Michael Russo and Joe Smith wrote it together. 

I've got experience officiating several different sports. While it's all lower level, the principles remain the same. Coaches are always seeing things from different angles and what looks obvious to them sometimes isn't from the referee's angle, and vice versa. They do want communication, and they do want to vent frustration some times. 

Several times, we have been instructed to emphasize certain behavior and certain infractions. That is to cut down on that stuff. Some games we'd call tight and let the captains know at the beginning of the game it would be called tight. Sometimes I'd let both coaches know that my strike zone was a little bigger than most. They appreciated the heads up. Consistency is the main thing that coaches and players want, and you'd be surprised how many things you can miss simply because you weren't looking straight at the infraction, or you were screened by a player and couldn't see it. The hard thing is you have to call what you see and can't call what you didn't see but thought it happened. Other times, you have to see with your ears and make a call based on what you heard more than what you saw. 

What really gets hard is when someone comes into the games having a bad day and starts to take it out on opponents and referees. Everyone wakes up on the wrong side of the bed once in awhile, but when it carries over to the rink or field, it's not good. Ejecting people or giving them 10 minute misconducts does affect how referees call the rest of the game. They're human too. 

When games get out of hand, or even players, the spotlights come on the referees. The best referees are the ones who you never knew were even assigned the game. Meltdowns usually put the spotlight on the player, but then it glares on the referees for an extended time. And, should video review show that the referees missed stuff or called things unfair, then the spotlight stays on them for awhile. Some referees need to be taught a lesson. Some are thick skinned and don't. What is most concerning is that the NHL has lost a bunch of veteran referees which were replaced with rookies. It will take time for them to settle in and build a rapport with the players. These are the ones who need lessons typically. 

[MrCheatachu]

6 minutes ago, M_Nels said:

Think the only silver lining to going 11/7 is we should see a healthy dose of Kap on the 2nd line. Might do him some good to get away from Zucc a bit and allow him to play more free and with the speed of Mojo. Through the first 2 games they are already trying to force things too much leading to turnovers. Hopefully Kap can get going because we're definitely going to need the scoring in Boldy's absence. 

Yeah, it sucks that Bolds went down, especially with what looked like a shoulder injury.  Seems those have a nagging tendency to drag out (see: Greenway, Foligno, etc).

However, I believe the plan is to ride Kaprizov like a rented mule and filter him through all lines.  It's really unfortunate with our cap situation Beckman/Walker aren't getting a shot.

That said, hopefully with Kaprizov filtering through all lines, we'll get to see if there's some chemistry Rossi x Kaprizov that a lot of commenters here seem to think is going to be magic.

[mnfaninnc]

1 minute ago, MrCheatachu said:

However, I believe the plan is to ride Kaprizov like a rented mule and filter him through all lines.  It's really unfortunate with our cap situation Beckman/Walker aren't getting a shot.

Week to week would seem like at least 3 weeks out of the lineup which is pretty close to LTIR. Why not use the LTIR early in the season to get the young guys up here? 

[MrCheatachu]

Just now, mnfaninnc said:

Week to week would seem like at least 3 weeks out of the lineup which is pretty close to LTIR. Why not use the LTIR early in the season to get the young guys up here? 

It can be applied retroactively, but if they put Spurgeon on it, he'd be eligible to come back Nov 4 vs. the Rangers (10 games).  Boldy would be Nov 7 vs the Islanders.

My guess is the timeline is more optimistic for those guys and having them back (especially Spurgeon) is worth more than getting Walker/Beckman up to slot in at the top of the lineup.   There's also the possibility that their anticipated recovery time for their injuries arent going to hit that window either so they wouldnt be eligible for LTIR.  The league can call 'bullshit' and have a player assessed by their physicians to determine if they are able to return...I'm not sure that's ever happened, or if it has they havent publicized it.

However, on the 14th, Joe Smith tweeted that Spurgeon, while he was working out, was not back skating again.  I'd hope the call to put him retroactively on LTIR would come in the next week or so.

 

[mnfaninnc]

7 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

There's also the possibility that their anticipated recovery time for their injuries arent going to hit that window either so they wouldnt be eligible for LTIR.  The league can call 'bullshit' and have a player assessed by their physicians to determine if they are able to return...I'm not sure that's ever happened, or if it has they havent publicized it.

However, on the 14th, Joe Smith tweeted that Spurgeon, while he was working out, was not back skating again.  I'd hope the call to put him retroactively on LTIR would come in the next week or so.

The fact that Spurgeon isn't skating yet seems to put him in the November 4th window anyway. I'd think if we could call up a couple of guys with the cap (not sure if we could only do 1 player since we do have the roster space) it would help us more for the next 7 games or so. 

[Will D. Ness]

Goligoski needs to be LTIR.  Do they have an injury called old age?

[MrCheatachu]

2 minutes ago, Will D. Ness said:

Goligoski needs to be LTIR.  Do they have an injury called old age?

Allergic to his equipment.  It's the Marian Hossa special.

[MNCountryLife]

Well.. BG will start to see early in the season if he has guys that can step up or will they step out.  Sure would be nice to stick them on IR and let some A players move in.

[MrCheatachu]

I didnt realize Goose was out...welcome to the show Sammy!!!  (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont callup Khaira or Petan)

Edited October 17, 2023 by MrCheatachu

[Protec]

This team is gonna need to pull their socks up and compete harder to win. Need a big game or three from the goalies.

Lots of teams dealing with injuries. These players aren't really in contact shape coming into the year IMO. Kinda but they're coming off Summer and warmup camp but the real deal is harder hockey. Hopefully these players can get back and establish some rhythm together.

[Protec]

19 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

I didnt realize Goose was out...welcome to the show Sammy!!!  (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont callup Khaira or Petan)

Walker or Khaira would be my first choice if I'm Dean. Those guys can best plug in and contribute.

[MrCheatachu]

6 minutes ago, Protec said:

Walker or Khaira would be my first choice if I'm Dean. Those guys can best plug in and contribute.

I could see arguments for both...Khaira looks good, you can afford to keep him up (now) when everyone's healthy if you send Mermis back down.  BUT this is a shot to get Walker up here without having to wait until we accumulate cap, especially if we're staring down an LTIR situation.

Basically, we can always afford Khaira, but this is a window to get a glimpse at Walker...which is why I'm hopeful to see him.

[M_Nels]

2 minutes ago, MrCheatachu said:

I could see arguments for both...Khaira looks good, you can afford to keep him up (now) when everyone's healthy if you send Mermis back down.  BUT this is a shot to get Walker up here without having to wait until we accumulate cap, especially if we're staring down an LTIR situation.

Basically, we can always afford Khaira, but this is a window to get a glimpse at Walker...which is why I'm hopeful to see him.

Either one of those 2 or Lettieri. Think it's time to #freeSammyWalker though, we have seen enough Petan to know he ain't it. 

[Imyourhuckleberry]

1 hour ago, MrCheatachu said:

Basically, we can always afford Khaira, but this is a window to get a glimpse at Walker...which is why I'm hopeful to see him.

Based upon the first 2 games in Iowa, Khaira seems the most deserving forward, but Sammy Walker did have a good training camp/preseason.

I think they'll go with Khaira first. His size/stick could help on the defensive end as well as on offense.

[Willy the poor boy]

3 hours ago, MrCheatachu said:

Allergic to his equipment.  It's the Marian Hossa special.

Allergic to frozen water.

[Willy the poor boy]

2 hours ago, Protec said:

This team is gonna need to pull their socks up and compete harder to win. Need a big game or three from the goalies.

Lots of teams dealing with injuries. These players aren't really in contact shape coming into the year IMO. Kinda but they're coming off Summer and warmup camp but the real deal is harder hockey. Hopefully these players can get back and establish some rhythm together.

Hopefully the Wild skaters stay away from Xhekaj tonight That guys been laying people out left and right.

[MrCheatachu]

10 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Hopefully the Wild skaters stay away from Xhekaj tonight That guys been laying people out left and right.

Known tough-guy Marco Rossi better have his head on a swivel...

 

[Up North Guy]

3 hours ago, MrCheatachu said:

Known tough-guy Marco Rossi better have his head on a swivel...

 

Great. All this team needs is a goon taking out Rossi. Maroon and Moose better be on point.