Article: Winnipeg May Be A Turning Point For John Hynes' Wild

[Tom Schreier]

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[Dean]

I remember the Winnipeg games. They usually hammer on kappy while the rest of the team does nothing. Kinda like suter having his way with kappy . Punching tough guy lowery in head a few times doesn’t seem like much of a deterrent or does a Rossi cat fight . Maybe run Ehlers, and Robertson a few times as a deterrent.  The wild need the boogeyman! Rip Derek. 

[Protec]

Losing games by a close margin to good teams is what we should expect but it hurts now due to the division points and bad start.

The Wild have less room for error and two losses in regulation to WPG are painful because there was an important opportunity to recapture points while keeping them from WPG. With no Kyle Connor, Minnesota should have been poised to win but couldn't. If you consider wins against Boston, perhaps it evens out but the Central division points could be more important down the stretch.

MN needs to prove it every game til they're back in a playoff position. They're entitled to nothing and still don't protect #97 or punish other teams.

#wildeasytoplayagainst

[MacGyver]

The Winnipeg series was a good opportunity to gain some ground in the division but it was an opportunity missed. They will probably get past the Blues but after that it gets tougher. The Coyotes are a tough out and have four points on the Wild. They have an upcoming game against them and that is another huge opportunity. You can bet Dumba and Zucker are going to be pumped to have good games. 

This is typically how the Wild roll having to play desperate hockey long before most of the league. If you make the playoffs you are a team of injured walking dead from playing weeks of playoff style hockey. I think Russo said one to two weeks on Kaprizov and longer on Gus pending mri results. 

Going to be tough gaining ground in the Central division. You are going to have to win the majority of your games in regulation to climb the ladder. Tall order for the Wild right now.

[mnfaninnc]

11 hours ago, Protec said:

MN needs to prove it every game til they're back in a playoff position. They're entitled to nothing and still don't protect #97 or punish other teams.

#wildeasytoplayagainst

Essentially this is the summary right here. This team is quite easy to play against. The strategy was set as soon as the callups came. I realize Petan had a point, but he was the wrong callup, Fogarty was the right one because of his size and strength. This needed to be a heavy game, and when they called up Petan, they completely signaled to everyone it would not be. 

16 hours ago, Dean said:

Punching tough guy lowery in head a few times doesn’t seem like much of a deterrent

Maybe I make too much of this, but Lowery was the first guy to go. The problem was, that was it. It should have been a long afternoon in the penalty box for both teams. Why Lowery? Because he wears the C. Maroon takes on the C, then our lettered guy, Foligno, needed to step up and go after a more skilled player. Again, do not ask someone to dance, go do it. An exception here is Duhaime. His rookie year, he dropped the gloves and nothing happened and he was penalized and looked like a rookie. 

He tried to get his opposite number to go but to no avail. Why not leave him and go after defensemen? He had enough speed and tenacity to go after Morrissey who still hasn't been challenged for his crosscheck on Staal's neck. And, messing with a 70 point defenseman will certainly get someone's attention.  

I was disappointed in the outcome. The 2nd Winnipeg goal is directly on Fleury, he's simply got to make that stop on the PK. Losing that lead so quickly was hard. But my main disappointment was the way we played. We came out and played an excellent 1st period, but once again could not put in a full 60 minute effort playing the way they needed to play. 

Protec is right above, they were easy to play against in periods 2 & 3. Without Kaprizov, there can be no let up in this style. They have to bring it all. game. long. If they don't, we will sag in the standings and be the 4th team out of the mix. We're not that far out of a playoff spot, but I'm pretty sure we just surrendered 3rd place in the division. 

For us fans, playoffs aren't everything these next 2 years, that's more of a Leipold thing. If we fade early, he will be missing far more than those 2-3 playoff game gates, he'll also be missing sellout crowds leading up to the playoffs. 

Injuries are a part of the game. Unfortunately, this season, the injuries have happened to our highest paid players. The difference in the replacement of those players is stark. And, because of the resignings, the team ages more making them more susceptible to the injuries. We'll be better off in the long run if we miss the playoffs the next couple of years, so I'm ok with that. We were promised a competitive team by Guerin through this phase, however, injuries aren't an excuse, they are a reason this time around.

Does anyone know how The Wall's LBI is going? I'm thinking his opportunity is here now with Goose2 out for a couple of weeks. If we have to use McIntyre, we're in big trouble.

[MNCountryLife]

We got thumped by the Jets.  They are the better team and it showed in almost every phase.  It was a good measuring stick for us.  We are playing better than November but still not where we need to be every night.

[MNCountryLife]

I see we called up 3F, 1D and 1G.  All of them age 28 or older.  I sure would like to know the logic behind these call-ups.  Are they worried about young guys losing confidence?  Are the older players actually playing better in IA and have earned the call-ups?  Do they view these older players as potential full time NHL players in the future?

Just seems crazy that we are in the midst of a season where we are obviously not poised for a cup run and we still are not giving ice time in the N to our primary prospects.

[mnfaninnc]

Quote

Yurov clarifies his status

Contrary to Twitter reports, Wild first-round pick Danila Yurov didn’t need to sign an extension by the KHL trade deadline last week. Yurov and a source close to Yurov said he can sign at any time this season or afterward.

“That was the last day for clubs to make transfers and announce new players, but re-signing contracts is possible all season long,” Yurov told The Athletic.

Quote

As we reported in last week’s Wild Insider, Yurov hasn’t made a decision yet to stay at least another year in the KHL, but it’s clear his team is talking about a new contract with him and the Wild would be OK with that decision if the KHL is a better option for the talented forward to continue his development rather than playing next season in the AHL.

This little tidbit was buried in Russo/Smith's insider article. We thought it was a done deal for Yurov in Russia. It's still cloudy. I think what will make the difference here is whether Yurov has a chance to make the N roster. Yurov is only 20, and he is listed at 6'1" 172 on Elite Prospects. Of course, being in Russia, nobody really knows if that is still accurate. My take is that if Yurov is close to 195, he comes over, if he's still in the 180s or less, he stays another year. 

This next one is concerning for me:

Quote

That’s because the Wild considered the matter dealt with when Jake Middleton fought Dillon later in Saturday’s game. Plus, this was a game they needed to win, and players didn’t want to put themselves in a bind penalty-wise.

“You’re not going to go after Dillon,” Foligno said. “It’s one of those things Middsy responded already, and that’s the way at least our team plays hockey. We’re not going to go out there and start dirty cross-checking guys and taking minors and stuff like that and getting us out of the game. We gotta learn from that in the past and we inflict the physical pain on guys and then that’s the way we forecheck. It’s the way we came out in the game.”

There is a huge difference between '80s night and being easy to play against. I felt like '80s night was warranted and I did not consider the matter closed after Midsy took on Dillon. And, my beef was not with the name on the back of the jersey as much as the front. We played 1 strong period and came out with a 1-0, and then pissed it right away by taking a foot off the gas. 

Here's the problem with Foligno's take. He felt like they played the right way! This is more of the Evason affect that has to be purged from the system, and my hope is that Hynes can get this done. Evason put up with less than a 60 minute effort each game. In fact, last season, one could argue there was no 60 minute game produced by the Wild. 

They've been starting quicker, I give them credit for that. But they still will not play a full game, and this should be demanded of them. Personally, I think this goes back to days off vs. practices where the work ethic disappears. You are down some really good players, work ethic is the only way you're going to win. We are now down to winning shift by shift at this point. You cannot take a shift off, and for veteran older teams this is not a fun message. I do not know if they can handle that type of game, but they must outwork every single team right now, and not just barely, pretty significantly. We simply do not have the talent right now to win, so we'll need to find another way. A 🔥 goalie could help things a bit, and Fleury can get hot.

Tonight we've got Calgary, no longer a big team. We've got to play a 60 minute bone crushing game against this team to eek out 2 points. Anything less than that just won't get it done! These are the types of games where Foligno needs to consistently put up 12-15 hits a game, and the whole team finishes their checks. Goals won't be pretty, we'll need some greasy ones and some decent bounces and if you get a HDSC, you've got to bury it. 

[mnfaninnc]

and in WJC news, so long Canada in the quarters! Maybe they did need Heidt?

[mnfaninnc]

29 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

I see we called up 3F, 1D and 1G.  All of them age 28 or older.  I sure would like to know the logic behind these call-ups.  Are they worried about young guys losing confidence?  Are the older players actually playing better in IA and have earned the call-ups?  Do they view these older players as potential full time NHL players in the future?

Just seems crazy that we are in the midst of a season where we are obviously not poised for a cup run and we still are not giving ice time in the N to our primary prospects.

I would say some of the kids simply aren't ready, specifically the defenders. Hunt has been recalled, but he looked pretty silly against the Bruins. I'd rather give him some shifts next to Spurgeon instead of Goligoski which is a terrible pair. 

As for the goalie, The Wall has an LBI, and I'd expect that if he can get that taken care of, he will be exchanged for McIntyre, because McIntyre is clearly not playable. Hunter Jones doesn't even have enough confidence to play in the A.

As for the forwards, what you are looking at are Lettieri (now hurt) Petan, and Lucchini, I think. Fogarty is also on that same depth area. Beckman has an LBI and Walker is just finding his game again. Bankier has played all of 9 games since he started out the season hurt. Milne is yet to play. Swaney and Hentges are hurt often. 

The opportunities are there for the kids to take them, unfortunately, they are not healthy enough to get that call. Very poor timing for them to get hurt. Also, as a former coach, some of these young guys you don't want to give too much too soon to. I understand the process and I was very protective of my players too. You want them in positions where they can succeed, and right now, for the healthy ones, those positions are playing meaningful minutes in the A. The learning curve for many of the kids, and especially the defenders has been pretty steep this year. If you call them up, they will be expected to produce and at the very least not make mistakes. I don't think they are at that level yet, and we have plenty of eyes down in Iowa knowing where they're at. I suppose it would be different if we were eliminated from playoff contention. 

[Will D. Ness]

I remember that Mason Shaw tore his ACL in that game vs Vegas.  It was the turning point of the season.  Ek got hurt soon after that game and we went from competing for the top spot to resting players if I remember right.

These two Jets games were a major letdown.  Lots of factors in play here.

I have to say that some of it has to do with Spurg coming back.  Faber relinquished his leadership role and it affected his play.  He looked like a rookie at times and just didn't have it.  Spurg didn't come back firing on all cylinders either and Goligoski decided to pass to the Jets more than the Wild.

Gus was having an excellent game before going out.  Fleury wasn't bad but didn't get it done either. 

Offensively it wasn't as bad although luck in general was more with the Jets.  I don't think they outplayed by a wide margin and mostly these two games were decided by small intangibles in spite of it all.

Injuries will always mess with chemistry and we don't have depth either.  Even our AHL guys are getting injured.  I wouldn't throw in the towel after these two losses but it sure is disappointing.

[Up North Guy]

3 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Does anyone know how The Wall's LBI is going?

According to Sarah M at the Star Tribune he is getting close to returning. That is all i have seen.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

4 hours ago, MacGyver said:

Coyotes are a tough out and have four points on the Wild. They have an upcoming game against them and that is another huge opportunity. You can bet Dumba and Zucker are going to be pumped to have good games. 

Bjugstad and McBain there too. McBain(early 3rd round pick from 2018) didn't suit up for the Wild, but was traded for a 2nd round pick, which I believe became Hunter Haight. With 4 points in 5 games against Minnesota, the Wild are among the top point per game opponents for McBain, with Chicago being the only team that has allowed more points by the young forward.

The comparison to the Vegas back-to-back is interesting considering that Laurent Brossoit was the winning goaltender in game 2 of both.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Bankier has played all of 9 games since he started out the season hurt.

Looks like Bankier has had a fairly promising start(6 points in 9 games), but certainly wouldn't expect him to be in midseason NHL form given it's his first year in the AHL and he'd been injured for more than half of it.

Seems like Khaira has been one of the better forwards for the Iowa Wild, based upon statistics, and he seemed to play well in preseason. I'm a bit surprised he hasn't gotten any ice time in the NHL this season.

 

[Imyourhuckleberry]

3 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

and in WJC news, so long Canada in the quarters! Maybe they did need Heidt?

With his 2 points per game pace this year, seems like Heidt could have found a place on the Canada team...

Looks like U of Michigan, Boston College, and U of MN make up a large portion of the US scoring.

U of Michigan has 3 of the top 10 tourney scorers in 2023 #34 pick-Gavin Brindley, 2022 #14 pick-Rutger McGroarty, and 2022 #13 pick-Frank Nazar. They also have Michigan's leading scorer, defenseman Seamus Casey(2022 pick #46), helping out the US team.

Boston College has 2023 #4 pick-Will Smith, 2022 #5 pick-Cutter Gauthier, 2023 #8 pick-Ryan Leonard, and 2023 #23 pick-Gabe Perreault all shining for the US team, among skaters. They also have 2023 pick#69 in goal from Boston College.

The Gophers contingent have chipped in their fair share, Snuggerud(4th in tourney goals), Oliver Moore, and defenseman Ryan Chesley(game-tying goal in the 2nd period against Czechia[who just beat Canada]). No more goals were scored the rest of the way and the US team took the W in the shootout(2-1 in shootout tallies).

US should play in the semifinals on January 4th.