Article: Marat Khusnutdinov Came As Advertised For The Wild

[Protec]

The Wild need Ek. He's really the biggest part of the core that pulls the group together. Depth for MN starts with Ek being healthy and the centers behind him. Additionally, Boldy can't be counted on like a Saad, Schenn, or Kyrou. For NSH it's Forsberg, or Josi. Dallas has Hintz, Robertson, Pavelka, and Johnston who just score big goals like it's their job or something. Minnesota has Kirill but it's always kinda a guess after that. Not enough clutch guys if you asked me...

[mnfaninnc]

1 hour ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

I keep seeing people saying they have had bad injury luck this year and would be better without that.  It’s so untrue.  You create your own luck and good teams find a way.

I disagree with this statement, in the comment. I also think the turnover of half the team is a bit drastic, unless you've got 6 forwards and 3 defensemen rotating in and out of the lineup/Iowa. 

First things first: The Wild have been on a 4/5 year penalty run where they've made the playoffs in 3/4 years (yes, I'm waving the white flag this year). For the roster, any roster, to overcome the penalties, and compete for playoff positions, they knew that injury luck had to be far better than average. And, in the past 3 years, they've pretty much gotten that, except for the last few games starting with Shaw tearing his ACL. 

Even good teams sometimes cannot overcome that. However, they do usually have bounce back years when the injuries are behind them, and this would be my expectation next season. 

Puck luck usually comes and goes and over time it evens out. Injury luck, though, and especially to very important players, doesn't necessarily do that. In a year where we were up against the wall cap wise, not having enough cap to bring up the best candidates was a risk that backfired. Even more, not being able to carry 23 in that type of situation was even worse. That was self-inflicted. 

As for the turnover comment, I just don't think going out into free agency is going to be much help. As Guerin's plan unfolds, it is pretty clear that he believed in building through the draft, and developing. We are even closer to that transition point where you can almost see a 3-line team where you cycle guys ready to almost ready through the lineup. With our current situation, I think it is unlikely that anyone more than Hunt is ready on defense, and next season Lambos should be ready enough to get a taste. Dino, Yurov, Ohgren, Beckman, Firstov, and possibly Walker can be cycled through. Lettieri and if we resign Lucchini can probably also have some time up. I would doubt that Haight and if we sign Petrovsky would be ready for a turn, Heidt could get a look out of camp but I suspect he will be a little small for the type of game he plays. 

By seeing these guys in spots and how they look would determine what would need some help at the TDL. Some of these guys won't be ready yet. Some of these guys won't make it. But, we don't know which ones those are yet and where we need the help. One thing we do know for sure, though, is we need help with RHS forwards that have a lethal shot. If there's one place where we need to look outside, this is the one. Goaltending comes in a close 2nd regardless of what we do with Fleury. We simply do not have depth here, as McIntyre and Jones have played themselves out of a job. Even Jones isn't the #1 starter for the Heartlanders.

[Will D. Ness]

We are a young team in cap hell that just went through the worst year injury wise.  Our older vets are not our talent.  Yeah they were given extensions a year too long but they should not be cluttering up the top 6 in two years.  We have a top talent in the KHL that should be here in two years.  The Wall hopefully is our guy in two years.

Future looks bright dudes.

Next year might be another inconsistent year offensively but we might have some guys really break out.  We should have a very solid D corp.  I like our new coach.  He is way more dynamic than DE.  Let's see what he can do with a full year to work with.

[mnfaninnc]

1 hour ago, Protec said:

Just my opinion but there's a spot about 18" off the ice, low, stick-side, where when the goalie reacts into the butterfly, that spot opens and is very hard to stop unless the goalie guesses it's going there. 

Just my opinion again, but I think a good shooter has the advantage greatly if he hits that spot. It was just inside the post and a perfect shot. Much like Schenn's goal last week.(Perfect shot)

I think you're right here, but as I remember it, Fleury was not butterflying on the shot and was standing with a pretty wide base. His reaction/reflex time was just too late, and I'd suggest that this area of his game is starting to fade. Big time goalies make that save when they have to, Fleury couldn't get it done and I think he would want it back.

[mnfaninnc]

1 hour ago, Protec said:

Additionally, Boldy can't be counted on like a Saad, Schenn, or Kyrou. For NSH it's Forsberg, or Josi.

Boldy has some improving to do. I hope he's got the golf tour out of his system and works more on strength and strength on his stick. These soft passes into danger have just got to stop. He's getting better, perhaps he can get more clutch.

[FredJohnson]

But he didn't earn his playing time. (Snark)

[mnhockeyfan03]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

I disagree with this statement, in the comment. I also think the turnover of half the team is a bit drastic, unless you've got 6 forwards and 3 defensemen rotating in and out of the lineup/Iowa. 

First things first: The Wild have been on a 4/5 year penalty run where they've made the playoffs in 3/4 years (yes, I'm waving the white flag this year). For the roster, any roster, to overcome the penalties, and compete for playoff positions, they knew that injury luck had to be far better than average. And, in the past 3 years, they've pretty much gotten that, except for the last few games starting with Shaw tearing his ACL. 

Even good teams sometimes cannot overcome that. However, they do usually have bounce back years when the injuries are behind them, and this would be my expectation next season. 

Puck luck usually comes and goes and over time it evens out. Injury luck, though, and especially to very important players, doesn't necessarily do that. In a year where we were up against the wall cap wise, not having enough cap to bring up the best candidates was a risk that backfired. Even more, not being able to carry 23 in that type of situation was even worse. That was self-inflicted. 

As for the turnover comment, I just don't think going out into free agency is going to be much help. As Guerin's plan unfolds, it is pretty clear that he believed in building through the draft, and developing. We are even closer to that transition point where you can almost see a 3-line team where you cycle guys ready to almost ready through the lineup. With our current situation, I think it is unlikely that anyone more than Hunt is ready on defense, and next season Lambos should be ready enough to get a taste. Dino, Yurov, Ohgren, Beckman, Firstov, and possibly Walker can be cycled through. Lettieri and if we resign Lucchini can probably also have some time up. I would doubt that Haight and if we sign Petrovsky would be ready for a turn, Heidt could get a look out of camp but I suspect he will be a little small for the type of game he plays. 

By seeing these guys in spots and how they look would determine what would need some help at the TDL. Some of these guys won't be ready yet. Some of these guys won't make it. But, we don't know which ones those are yet and where we need the help. One thing we do know for sure, though, is we need help with RHS forwards that have a lethal shot. If there's one place where we need to look outside, this is the one. Goaltending comes in a close 2nd regardless of what we do with Fleury. We simply do not have depth here, as McIntyre and Jones have played themselves out of a job. Even Jones isn't the #1 starter for the Heartlanders.

I just think a long hard look has to be taken at our whole roster.  We have 5-6 NHL forwards and 3 NHL Dman.  Yurov, Ohgren, Firstov can’t get here soon enough. Walker and Beckman are not NHL forwards.  Our goal should be to win the cup and right now we are no where near deep enough.  We have to make big changes.  That should start now.  Bigger, Stronger, Faster.  

[Protec]

8 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I think you're right here, but as I remember it, Fleury was not butterflying on the shot and was standing with a pretty wide base. His reaction/reflex time was just too late, and I'd suggest that this area of his game is starting to fade. Big time goalies make that save when they have to, Fleury couldn't get it done and I think he would want it back.

I 100% agree, Fleury would want a mulligan on that one but I'm telling ya, that is the perfect shot for a right handed guy. It was in the perfect spot. If you look again, above the ankle, below the knee, stick side is a go to spot for right handed shooters. I used to practice that shot. I had a goalie once who got so frustrated in practice that I told him exactly what I saw when beating him. It took concentration not to flinch or react instinctively. Even knowing I was gonna shoot there, I could beat him almost every time. If the goalie's angle is off just a little, you can score goals there 1v1 pretty consistently IMO. NHL scorers are smart. Fleury might be getting old. The combination contributed to that hat-trick goal. I just see it more of a perfect shot by a hot player. 

If Fleury stops that, he's the hero and maybe MN wins. I just think the tendy doesn't always get credit for those stops other times because it looks kinda like a routine wrist shot. It's easy to say "that's a save the goaltender needs to make." Does each tough save in a team win get singled out for a highlight? No. Routine NHL saves that might look easy against Kyrou, Pavelski, MacKinnon, or Forsberg are actually not much different than the shot that go in the net. 

It's a team game so I'm defending Fleury overall. He didn't steal the game obviously but I didn't see brutal goals where he mishandled a puck behind the net or something. The easiest one to criticize was probably the long one from through Chisolm.

If the Wild were healthy and Fleury let in 5 goals on lesser quality chances it would be worse. All things considered it was a good game from some guys.(Rossi) Bad game for Fleury and Knudi who kinda just got screwed on some bounces and plays that went unfavorably against them. Important game nonetheless and MN came up short. I do like their chances better in a 5v5 OT situation if they made the playoffs. Just not looking too likely unless injuries and losses stack up for other teams.

 

[MacGyver]

14 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Yurov, Ohgren, Firstov can’t get here soon enough. Walker and Beckman are not NHL forwards.

Seems not so long ago everyone was hyping and counting on Walker and Beckman now it's Yurov, Ohgren and Firstov. That's the cycle we have been in for too many years. Always hoping on guys who aren't here yet and have proven only that they just might be good enough to play somewhere on a NHL roster or maybe not. Many times they aren't who we wanted them to be. Just like this article. We are already telling ourselves Marat is what we billed him as. After less than an hour ice time in a Wild jersey?? C'mon man do we really know what we got here yet? 

Eagerly pinning labels on guys so quickly will keep you disappointed much of the time. 

[Protec]

4 hours ago, MacGyver said:

Seems not so long ago everyone was hyping and counting on Walker and Beckman now it's Yurov, Ohgren and Firstov. That's the cycle we have been in for too many years. Always hoping on guys who aren't here yet and have proven only that they just might be good enough to play somewhere on a NHL roster or maybe not. Many times they aren't who we wanted them to be. Just like this article. We are already telling ourselves Marat is what we billed him as. After less than an hour ice time in a Wild jersey?? C'mon man do we really know what we got here yet? 

Eagerly pinning labels on guys so quickly will keep you disappointed much of the time. 

Some good points. Hopeful enthusiasm for a new player with a goal-scoring history like Beckman or a KHL-proof is one thing. Crowning somebody a middle-six substitute in a few games is too soon. 
 

I think it highlights the mediocrisms of the Wild overall coming away from Fletcher and Fenton. Those guys hurt the Wild’s depth by getting rid of Tuch and picks, bad trades,(Neideriettr) and their inability to build for long-term success.

The Wild had some good success early which was essentially the Kaprizov bump. That made Wild fans think we were closer to the next level than reality. When you combine the cap penalties and injuries, the Wild just caught lots of bad breaks. 
 

Get em next year and hopefully, “Mean Bill” can do some cleanup and pick the right guys to promote this Summer.

[mnfaninnc]

19 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

I just think a long hard look has to be taken at our whole roster.  We have 5-6 NHL forwards and 3 NHL Dman.  Yurov, Ohgren, Firstov can’t get here soon enough. Walker and Beckman are not NHL forwards.  Our goal should be to win the cup and right now we are no where near deep enough.  We have to make big changes.  That should start now.  Bigger, Stronger, Faster.

I agree with the Bigger, Stronger, Faster conclusion....absolutely. I don't think it's quite as dire as 5-6 NHL forwards though. I can think of 9 that are true NHLers, although they are not all average or above. The thing is, that with our young guys, are they NHL players, or are they NHL players right now. That's my main issue here. I would project Beckman as an NHL player but not Walker. Walker could be a good callup guy. 

But, with your mantra of Bigger, Stronger, Faster, Beckman can match that at 6'2" and gain strength/weight. I think he's fast enough to play, he's got an NHL shot, the only thing he's really missing is the ability to go in and dig out pucks and take punishment. 

The same can be said for Yurov, Ohgren and Firstov as we have no idea what their actual playing weight is at this time. They may also need to be BSF. But, are they NHLers, or are they projected NHLers. 

At some point these guys are going to have to come up, gain experience, and turn themselves into NHLers. Same on defense. I believe we have 6 NHL defenders. 1 is on LTIR, Middleton, Faber, Brodin, Bogosian and Chisholm are all NHL defenders capable, though Chisholm is still learning. If he plateaus where he's at, he won't be for long, he must continue to improve, and, I believe BSF this offseason. Hunt is a projected NHLer, and I think has better attributes than Merrill at this time. But, he's got to clearly beat out Merrill and right now Merrill's game is far more consistent. A coach knows what he gets in Merrill and that's what coaches like. Hunt will be inconsistent as he simply hasn't seen some moves that set him up to get deaked. 

I want a cup too, but don't see us competing for one next year, and likely the year after. That transition time will require patience and tempered expectations. We will see some fabulous plays, but also some awful gaffes. It's just growing pains, but they need the freedom to be able to do both....and learn from the gaffes.

[mnfaninnc]

18 minutes ago, Protec said:

I think it highlights the mediocrisms of the Wild overall coming away from Fletcher and Fenton. Those guys hurt the Wild’s depth by getting rid of Tuch and picks, bad trades,(Neideriettr) and their inability to build for long-term success.

Sadly, they didn't even sell right, both were sold like they were in the scratch and dent section of an appliance store. The allocation of these resources were terrible and both fireable offenses. Hmmm, and both are gone. My hope is that Guerin does not make these same mistakes.

Speaking of which, during Fletcher's reign, we really missed the black hole of 1sts that we whiffed on in the mid 2000s. During Shooter's watch, we have really missed the 1sts and 2nds we traded away in the teens. If you want to blame where we are right now, the holes Fletcher traded away is a good place to look, because those guys would be in their prime right now!

[raithis]

On 3/24/2024 at 9:43 AM, Pewterschmidt said:

Now to Foligno…I know he’s supposed to be a statistical darling but he continues to fail the eye test.  He assisted STL first goal when he turned over puck at offensive blue line when he attempted a cross ice pass thru stl sticks.  Foligno is incapable of consistently making hockey plays.  Tape to tape passes that maintain possession are not his strength.  His hands are terrible.  This guy continues to collect a large nhl paycheck for one season when the Greef line caught lightning in a bottle.  I like 17’s consistent effort and passion, but we’re watching him go full big-body-pylon right before our eyes.  Next year we’ll pay $1M for each post fight helmet spike 

I'm fairly certain it was Hartman who did that, but maybe I am misremembering.