Article: Declan Chisholm May Have Found A Future In Minnesota

[Luke Sims]

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[Citizen Strife]

I saw a stat during last night's game that the Wild went from the worst goals by defense before January 18th (or something close), to the best since.  Chisholm has helped with that, but I think the defense and goaltending as a whole has turned around very well.  They limited Anaheim in shots quite well last night, making Fleury's job easier.

I am A-Ok running Chisholm back as 3rd pair guy.  Winnipeg's loss is the Wild's gain.

[Fezig]

I like the Chisholm addition. Anything that keeps Merrill off the ice is fine with me. 

[IllicitFive]

While his defense isn't Brodin or Faber level its serviceable. He moves his feet and can move the puck on breakouts. As of today he only has 18 NHL games played, when he first got here there were some head slapping D'OH moments but there seem to be less of those already. Only 24 years old, so still has some time to grow his skill set. Already like him way more than Addison. Call it wishful thinking but maybe we are starting to see the building blocks of what is to come.  No team can have every spot filled with superstars, need serviceable, non liability players. I think Chisholm, Shaw, Lucchini and Lettieri fit this mold. I am not saying don't replace these players but responsible lower cap hits mixed with your Ek's Kap's and Boldy's are how you build a contender. 

If he can up the defensive and physical part of his game along with the offense he already brings he could be a wonderful asset to have for a 3rd, maybe 2nd pairing.

[Pewterschmidt]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

Wild went from the worst goals by defense before January 18th (or something close), to the best since.

I credited this to Hynzy and his 'system' getting traction with the boys, less to any individuals

[Pewterschmidt]

I've seen enough from Chisolm to say that I'd put him as #5 D-man today.  After a full season of experience + his offensive instincts (hard to teach that), he could crack the top #4 (looking at you Midsy).  Nice work waiver wire watcher in the front office.  I'm guessing this wasn't a super savvy move as most other teams were waiting in line to make this pick up, but at least you guys didn't take a long lunch on this day.

[Burnt Toast]

It looks like Chisholm has found a home here playing for the Wild. Now please bring in Chychrun before the 2025 season, pair them together and give them a cool name. 

[Will D. Ness]

Chisholm is a rookie that is pretty much making the nightly gaffe or two on the blue line.  He is a liability right now, but one you live with IMO.  His upside is magnitudes higher than the non NHL quality player in Addison.  Once he cleans it up, who knows how good he can be.

In the defensive zone he needs to be a little less passive and play more physical in the times that warrant it.  Put him in MNCfan's training program.  

[Patrick]

Because Chisholm has mostly played with Merrill I don't think it's fair to look too closely at his defensive stats. John Merrill might be the dumbest hockey player to ever step on the ice. I'm excited to see what he brings when he has a d partner who has more than a few brain cells bouncing around. It should unlock more of his offensive abilities.

[Willy the poor boy]

2 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I've seen enough from Chisolm to say that I'd put him as #5 D-man today.  After a full season of experience + his offensive instincts (hard to teach that), he could crack the top #4 (looking at you Midsy).  Nice work waiver wire watcher in the front office.  I'm guessing this wasn't a super savvy move as most other teams were waiting in line to make this pick up, but at least you guys didn't take a long lunch on this day.

Long lunch? Not on Guerin's watch. He cracks the whip!

[MNCountryLife]

I think Hunt has earned an honorable mention here.  At 21 years old he has played some respectable minutes.  

[Willy the poor boy]

2 hours ago, Burnt Toast said:

It looks like Chisholm has found a home here playing for the Wild. Now please bring in Chychrun before the 2025 season, pair them together and give them a cool name. 

Chi-Chi's

[Protec]

The Beard & Chisel defensive pairing sounds good. 

[Pewterschmidt]

25 minutes ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Chi-Chi's

Chicklet's

[bisopher]

3 hours ago, Fezig said:

I like the Chisholm addition. Anything that keeps Merrill off the ice is fine with me. 

And Goligoski as well...

[Dean]

K-nat won me over last night with a nice hit in beginning of second. He finished off a much bigger d man dumping puck in . Most guys would have just bumped the guy , he finished his check. From the little I saw of him I liked his physicality and tenacity.  It seems he has the strength to play in nhl . His only issue it seems is communication. . It’ll be interesting to see him dialed in with kappy and bolds. My guess is he jumps Rossi . 

[Burnt Toast]

2 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Chi-Chi's

That’s OUTRAGEOUS!!

[mnfaninnc]

21 hours ago, Will D. Ness said:

In the defensive zone he needs to be a little less passive and play more physical in the times that warrant it.  Put him in MNCfan's training program.  

Quote

At 6-foot-1, 190 lbs., Chisholm is the prototypical NHL defender. His size makes it harder for opponents to move Chisholm off the puck and gives him a little more oomph behind his physical play. 

This is where Luke and I certainly disagree, and where WDN has made a real good point. 6'1" 190 simply is not a prototypical size for an NHL defender. The height is fine, but between 200 and 205 is what's needed to defend properly. 

And this is simply where Chisholm needs to focus. His skating, skill and agility are great, but on bigger forwards, he really struggles to pin and cancel out these forwards. Putting on 15 lbs. of muscle, though, will make this much easier, not hurt his speed and agility and allow him to absorb more physical plays and stand up through a whole season. 

It's really pretty simple, put the work in the gym that you need to do. While there is something to be said about making this voluntary, it is my belief that sitting down with each prospect and telling them where they need to be on this scale to be taken seriously needs to happen, be stressed, and when they get to Iowa again be emphasized. 

We've had some very good prospects come into the A, but they have collectively failed in the strength/weight gain area. I realize that doing this isn't fun and usually a sacrifice, but if you want to live out your dream, you have to do it. It is a crime that Ryan O'Rourke is not 210 by now. If he was at that weight, he'd likely be ready for an NHL call up, and probably stick around. For him to only be in the 190s is a terrible waste of resources! His whole game is based on meanness and heavy contact. There is absolutely no way he can do that in the N at 190. More than any other player in Iowa, he needed to get this done!

Similarly are Carson Lambos and David Spacek. Lambos came in close to 200 lbs. He doesn't have much to add but needs to add it. Spacek was a little smaller and needs to put on more weight just to fully compete.

Should the coaches be showing these guys the listed weights of the rest of the central division? Look at where they are in their own league standings and how pitiful that defensive corps has played. Look at the difference between Zane McIntyre's save% from last year and this year. This is directly on the defense and something just isn't right there. This will happen with young players. 

What is completely mystifying is that we've got like 4 grinders in the player development area. All of these guys are big guys who had to bulk up. How is this not getting passed down to the kids?

[Will D. Ness]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

We've had some very good prospects come into the A, but they have collectively failed in the strength/weight gain area.

100%. 

Also, when we draft smaller guys it is a necessity that the team should have already anticipated and implemented.