Article: John Hynes's Top-Heavy Lineup Can Help Identify Minnesota's Roster Holes

[Will D. Ness]

11 hours ago, Protec said:

NSH tried to ride their top line and it wasn't enough to beat VAN. MN is in the same spot.

Funny thing is that with a little cap space we probably could have afforded Nyquist and O'Reilly.  Instead we got NoJo and Luccini.  We have young talent and 15M of dead cap expiring in 25-26.

I'm liking our future way more than Nashville and Winnipeg even though they handed it to us this year. 

Also, Boldy seems to be on a good trajectory IMO.  I see no reason to be pessimistic.

[Up North Guy]

22 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

 

I noticed there is an incredible amount of huge dman in this draft, way more than what usually seems to come along, so I made this list of potential players to grab after the first round since most are rated to go after the first. It’s crazy how many quality Right handed Defenders are in this draft.

The Wild are in desperate need of getting bigger on the backend so I sincerely hope they get at least a couple of these guys because of how rare the quantity and quality are.

 

 

Charlie Elick RHD

Projected at pick 22-49

RHD 6’3, 198lbs (one of best skaters in draft, very physical, not a lot of offensive but good D)https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/597844/charlie-elick

 

Adam Kleber, RHD 

Projected at picks 34-93

6ft 5in, 209lbs (Not a lot of offense but good defense, skating needs work)

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/597574/adam-kleber

 

Dominik Badinka RHD 

Projected at picks 23-48

6ft 3, 190lbs (solid/average in every area good blend of offense and defense) https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/727927/dominik-badinka

 

Adam Jiricek RHD

Projected at picks 12-30

6ft 2in to 6ft 3in 168lbs (very good defensively, very physical and punishing despite being listed at 168lbs, hasn’t shown a lot of offense but has the skill to, injured)https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/755151/adam-jiricek

 

Matvei Shuravin LHD

Projected at picks 19-70

6ft 2in 172lbs (solid/average in every area good skater, has potential for good offense)

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/618880/matvei-shuravin

 

E.J. Emery, RHD

Projected at picks 22-62

6ft 3in 185lbs (defensive D that skates well, can shut down, not a lot of offense thou)

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/618957/ej-emery

 

Stian Solberg LHD

Projected at picks 21-58

6ft 2in 201lbs (he plays a heavy, old-school game and is a menacing hitter with a clinical hip-check”, good skater, has offense, well rounded) https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/619175/stian-solberg

 

Tomas Lavoie RHD

Projected at picks 38-83

6ft 4in 225lbs( physical, strong, good skating for size 225lbs, shut down D, big shot but limited offense) https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/610512/tomas-lavoie

 

Jesse Pulkkinen LHD

Projected at picks 24-42

6ft 6in 216lbs (unicorn, physical, good skating for size, high offensive numbers, responsible defensively, late bloomer, over ager(19yrs) https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/709399/jesse-pulkkinen

 

Spencer Gill RHD

Projected at picks 44-80

6ft 3in 179lbs (moves the puck really well, high hockey iq, two way defender, good skating for size, good passer, needs work on defense area, needs more strength) https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/716274/spencer-gill

 

Will Skahan LHD

Projected at picks 39-83

6ft 4, 212lbs (excellent shape, big hits and sound defensively, high hockey iq, good speed, hard to play against, not a lot of offense)

https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/597634/will-skahan

 

Luca Marrelli RHD

Projected at picks 40-92

6ft 2in, 179lbs (good offense two way defenseman, great skater, good passing,good pts production in the ohl (57) good vision, https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=248728

Nice list. Thank you. I would tend to look seriously at the guys who defend well and are good skaters. Offense can be learned as they age.

[mnfaninnc]

23 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

Stian Solberg LHD

Projected at picks 21-58

6ft 2in 201lbs (he plays a heavy, old-school game and is a menacing hitter with a clinical hip-check”, good skater, has offense, well rounded)

This guy sounds like a larger version of O'Rourke. This is where O'Rourke should have started the season at in 2022. It perplexes me that he hasn't gained strength and weight! We need guys like these who then back up the hit with smelly gloves in the face!

[mnfaninnc]

21 hours ago, Protec said:

I'm just saying he doesn't do it enough in the playoffs. KF ratio of points/production for regular season Vs. playoffs is totally different. Zucker was that way. Boldy has kinda telegraphed that. 

You just can't have that and expect to win when EDM, DAL, COL, VGK, and some of the East teams have serious playoff guys doing it every year and getting better at it while MN or Fiala are out real quick. My attitude is that you're wasting your time with skill, and finesse, and guys who can't get it done in the biggest moments.

Now I'm not saying I have the answer for that but I know MN doesn't have those guys right now. 

This sounds like a great endorsement for obtaining Brady Tkachuk. While he hasn't done it in the playoffs already due to not being there, we can tell through bloodlines that he will be that kind of player. At least, that's a better projection than some other guys.

[mnfaninnc]

20 hours ago, Willy the poor boy said:

Just like the DE will never win a 1'st round playoff series I just find it hard to believe that someone who can excel in the regular season can't come through in the post season all things being equal.

I'd like to see what Evason can do "all things being equal." However, he's not had a team like that here, and probably won't have one in his next gig either.

[Willy the poor boy]

13 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

 

 

13 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

And he didn't get 80 points.

He did with the Wild and he's capable of doing it consistently.

B1 asked who wanted him on the team and I said I did. I'm always gonna want scorers like him on the team, but I can listen to the Playoff underperformance argument. I'm just not as ready as some to write him off just yet on that though.

[mnfaninnc]

14 hours ago, Mateo3xm said:

The fact that you are suggesting we trade boldy is absolutely ludicrous. He’s one of the last players you should be worried about. I legitimately think he’s capable of 70-90pts with talented line mates.

While this is intended towards Protec's comment, I've suggested it too. However, I'm not wanting to trade Boldy out, I'm wanting to trade Tkachuk in. To do that, we would have to give dearly and overpay. 

Would I expect Boldy and Rossi to perform well in Ottawa? Yes, in spades. Would I expect Tkachuk to perform well in MN? Same answer. The difference is that I believe Ottawa would get more, far more, regular season points from the package we sent over, but, I'd also expect the Wild to be in the playoffs and get more out of Tkachuk in that venue. I also think that the effort Tkachuk would demand from others would make them better too. 

[mnfaninnc]

CHL Update-

Oshawa went down again. After a 3-0 series lead, they will play their 2nd game 7 now in this playoff season. Kumpulainen no points, good in the dot.

Saginaw is out. No points for Haight.

Moose Jaw forces game 7 with an OT winner. Kalem Parker had no points but was a +4 on the ice when the team scored 4 on the night. He did this another game this series too. 

Prince George plays tonight. They are down 3-2. 

NHL-

The 2nd round is set. VGK is out with all their cap shenanigans. Winnipeg couldn't score against the Avs. Edmonton did Edmonton things to the Kings and Vancouver moves on in the West. Nashville showed that they really didn't have the depth needed, and had we caught them, I think we would have showed the same. 

Draft Lottery is tomorrow, I hope Leipold took Protec's idea and backed a Brinks truck up to Betman's garage. Again, I believe the league owes this franchise some good luck, and #3 would certainly be a start there. I don't know what we can do to help this, perhaps if everyone lights a candle in the window tonight it would help? 

If we were to beat the odds and pick up a lottery ball, what would that do to change the trading picture in MN? I'd have to believe that Lindstrom would be the pick, or, Dadinov falls in their lap. 

[Protec]

1 hour ago, Will D. Ness said:

Also, Boldy seems to be on a good trajectory IMO.  I see no reason to be pessimistic.

I'm not too frustrated but the NoJo thing makes no sense to me. It's so obvious NoJo totally stinks. I keep trying to find a reason for what Guerin is doing on that or how it could fit into a plan.

The NoJo money this year could be so much better allocated IMO with the UFAs available or with a trade. You're right though, not too bad. Prospects are doing well, that's good but the Kaprizov extension is a concern. My favorite "better one year too early than one year too late." philosophy could be a big deal if Spurgeon doesn't have a great year. Maybe Kirill would endure one more garbage year where deadline trades net the Wild picks before another early draft pick. I hope so cause with NoJo and big holes on D, that's how it's lookin...

[Protec]

26 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Draft Lottery is tomorrow, I hope Leipold took Protec's idea and backed a Brinks truck up to Betman's garage. Again, I believe the league owes this franchise some good luck, and #3 would certainly be a start there. I don't know what we can do to help this, perhaps if everyone lights a candle in the window tonight it would help? 

Yes strong bribes is what it will take. Corruption is the name of the game now as much as ever.

[FredJohnson]

1 hour ago, Willy the poor boy said:

 

He did with the Wild and he's capable of doing it consistently.

B1 asked who wanted him on the team and I said I did. I'm always gonna want scorers like him on the team, but I can listen to the Playoff underperformance argument. I'm just not as ready as some to write him off just yet on that though.

Point taken. (Hat tip)

[Mateo3xm]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

While this is intended towards Protec's comment, I've suggested it too. However, I'm not wanting to trade Boldy out, I'm wanting to trade Tkachuk in. To do that, we would have to give dearly and overpay. 

Would I expect Boldy and Rossi to perform well in Ottawa? Yes, in spades. Would I expect Tkachuk to perform well in MN? Same answer. The difference is that I believe Ottawa would get more, far more, regular season points from the package we sent over, but, I'd also expect the Wild to be in the playoffs and get more out of Tkachuk in that venue. I also think that the effort Tkachuk would demand from others would make them better too. 

I don’t know why you’re so stuck on a hypothetical situation in trading for Tkachuk…If he thinks it’s frustrating in Ottawa wait till he comes here. There was a tiny amount of talk about him being frustrated with the situation there. That’s very common, but that team is absolutely loaded and actually going places in 2-5 years. Like I said before there’s no legitimate trade talks of that actually happening. If that was actually true it would be all over the NHL and all the teams would be after him. 
You heard this rumor and absolutely ran with it without checking the validity of it. At least propose a player that we have a chance at. Even the guy who started the rumor said it would be dumb for Ottawa to trade him.

I would absolutely love to have BK and trading Boldy for him wouldn’t be horrible but I would still suck since he hasn’t even entered his prime years yet.

[Protec]

Yeah, I doubt a move of that magnitude would be realistic but it's fun to imagine. That's about all Wild fans can do.

Toronto is another example of a top-heavy team and guys who really don't step up for playoffs. They can never score more than two goals in a playoff game, why do they struggle in the playoffs? Like MN they've got a core of offensive skill guys more than well rounded Ek types and drop-off in depth. The teams still in it have two or three good lines and a 4th line that can chip in one every couple playoff games. For example Colorado can win handily with #29 held off the scoresheet cause Parise or Trenin score a greasy one and Nishushkin gets 2-3. The Wild and a few eliminated playoff teams have one line and that's where it tails off. 

At least MN isn't on the hook for Marner or Fiala money because some of these guys just aren't playoff performers. If I was drafting, I'd be looking for big game guys as a priority. 

[Will D. Ness]

3 hours ago, Protec said:

I'm not too frustrated but the NoJo thing makes no sense to me. It's so obvious NoJo totally stinks. I keep trying to find a reason for what Guerin is doing on that or how it could fit into a plan.

The NoJo money this year could be so much better allocated IMO with the UFAs available or with a trade. You're right though, not too bad. Prospects are doing well, that's good but the Kaprizov extension is a concern. My favorite "better one year too early than one year too late." philosophy could be a big deal if Spurgeon doesn't have a great year. Maybe Kirill would endure one more garbage year where deadline trades net the Wild picks before another early draft pick. I hope so cause with NoJo and big holes on D, that's how it's lookin...

So I'm thinking that next season is going to be a fun one to watch especially if the young guys show up and smack BG and Heinz in the face to break the spell of the  NoJo dream weaver skating routine.  

I'm liking our D if Spurg is healthy and 95% the player he was and pairs up with Midds and both return to form.  Chisholm?  That guy has major potential.  

With just average goaltending we might be somewhat competitive.  I'm really looking forward to watching the young guys play mostly.  

[Mateo3xm]

On 5/5/2024 at 9:36 PM, Protec said:

That's a persuasive argument and perhaps Boldy's 1 playoff goal in 12 games will improve. 

That was kinda my point which is the Wild lack real playoff depth and big game guys. Boldy could become one, maybe. Or that line can get loose in the playoffs with some other threat to draw the enemy fire to some degree.

It's been cool to see that line succeed, but I give most of the credit to 95pt #97 who was on a tear late in the year. Do I really dislike Boldy, no. I am watching guys like Lundell, Jarvis, and Johnston who keep scoring and setting up playoff goals nearly every game. The important part is the Wild need that and have to find it somewhere. 

NSH tried to ride their top line and it wasn't enough to beat VAN. MN is in the same spot. Too top heavy a line with Ek driving it. No second layer of attack or balance. Boldy is a nice player but it would be much better if he could drive a line or was a clutch guy or powerful force. Let's hope he doesn't like last season's start and end. If he determines to come into 24-25 on fire and prove me foolish to question his big-game-ness, then that would be fantastic. The top line in the league stats you use don't mean squat though if the team still comes up short. Obviously it's more important the team wins than individual or line stats.

Hockey is a team sport. It’s not Boldy fault this team has no depth past the first line. You can’t expect one line to carry any team to the playoffs. It just doesn’t make sense to me that you’d be looking at Boldy for faults. The fact we have no depth after them isn’t Boldys fault, it’s the GMs fault. Sure it would be nice if Boldy could elevate a line but very few players can, especially when their linemates are over the hill, rookies or 4th liners on a Stanley Cup team. Boldy is doing his job just fine. If the team was better I have no doubt the playoff production would be there. That top line is fantastic for the playoffs, it’s got size, grit, speed and a ton of talent.

that top line hasn’t been together in the playoffs, if they have it wasn’t for very long.

[mnfaninnc]

The reason I hopped on Tkachuk had nothing to do with the rumors, I heard of them after I put him as a target. And, yes, I'd overpay for him. The fact that he is upset about losing, and possibly disgruntled is where I'd jump. 

Not everything has to be public, he could have told Staios that he wants out and kept it private. Shooter always negotiates trades in private. I just think Brady Tkachuk has way more of an impact than what's on paper. I wanted Matthew when he became available too. 

Here's the thing, a Tkachuk like player is exactly what this team needs. I read his report card yesterday from seven sens, or something like that. They do critic him on losing his temper when they are losing. But, this guys got fire in the belly. It's what you want from a guy. Everyone works harder around him. 

Mateo, you're right, Ottawa is stacked...on paper. They haven't made the playoffs in 7 straight years. What's wrong? I think one thing is that they have a lot of young stars but not the veteran presence needed, and not enough discipline to play defense. But, they've played more wide open because they needed to at least be entertaining. 

I'm not so sure Tkachuk would be that frustrated here. We haven't missed the playoffs for 7 straight years. He is what we don't have. We don't have a top line scrum guy. We don't have a drive the net and quit playing the perimeter guy (well, enough of them, I'll concede Ek is like that), we don't have a clutch scoring guy outside of Kaprizov (no, Boldy is not that guy....yet), and we don't have a lot of big bodies with hands like his. We also don't have that guy who absolutely, positively, HATES losing!

The slant I had was that he was from middle America, perhaps he wanted out of Canada like his brother? I wasn't even aware of him possibly being disgruntled but knowing his makeup, I had a suspicion he might be. I also don't really care which Tkachuk I get, and I'd be doing cartwheels if we got both. And, if there are other Tkachuk kinds of players out there, I'd be interested in them too. I can only hope that Foligno trains with them in the offseason and becomes more like them.

[Up North Guy]

3 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

The reason I hopped on Tkachuk had nothing to do with the rumors, I heard of them after I put him as a target. And, yes, I'd overpay for him. The fact that he is upset about losing, and possibly disgruntled is where I'd jump. 

Not everything has to be public, he could have told Staios that he wants out and kept it private. Shooter always negotiates trades in private. I just think Brady Tkachuk has way more of an impact than what's on paper. I wanted Matthew when he became available too. 

Here's the thing, a Tkachuk like player is exactly what this team needs. I read his report card yesterday from seven sens, or something like that. They do critic him on losing his temper when they are losing. But, this guys got fire in the belly. It's what you want from a guy. Everyone works harder around him. 

Mateo, you're right, Ottawa is stacked...on paper. They haven't made the playoffs in 7 straight years. What's wrong? I think one thing is that they have a lot of young stars but not the veteran presence needed, and not enough discipline to play defense. But, they've played more wide open because they needed to at least be entertaining. 

I'm not so sure Tkachuk would be that frustrated here. We haven't missed the playoffs for 7 straight years. He is what we don't have. We don't have a top line scrum guy. We don't have a drive the net and quit playing the perimeter guy (well, enough of them, I'll concede Ek is like that), we don't have a clutch scoring guy outside of Kaprizov (no, Boldy is not that guy....yet), and we don't have a lot of big bodies with hands like his. We also don't have that guy who absolutely, positively, HATES losing!

The slant I had was that he was from middle America, perhaps he wanted out of Canada like his brother? I wasn't even aware of him possibly being disgruntled but knowing his makeup, I had a suspicion he might be. I also don't really care which Tkachuk I get, and I'd be doing cartwheels if we got both. And, if there are other Tkachuk kinds of players out there, I'd be interested in them too. I can only hope that Foligno trains with them in the offseason and becomes more like them.

I heard somewhere (sorry i went to college in the 60's so memory is bad) that Tuch is on the market also.

[mnfaninnc]

15 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

I heard somewhere (sorry i went to college in the 60's so memory is bad) that Tuch is on the market also.

If this is true, I'd suggest we go pick him back up! He needs to come home!

[TheGoosesAreLooses]

On 5/6/2024 at 11:02 AM, mnfaninnc said:

While this is intended towards Protec's comment, I've suggested it too. However, I'm not wanting to trade Boldy out, I'm wanting to trade Tkachuk in. To do that, we would have to give dearly and overpay. 

Would I expect Boldy and Rossi to perform well in Ottawa? Yes, in spades. Would I expect Tkachuk to perform well in MN? Same answer. The difference is that I believe Ottawa would get more, far more, regular season points from the package we sent over, but, I'd also expect the Wild to be in the playoffs and get more out of Tkachuk in that venue. I also think that the effort Tkachuk would demand from others would make them better too. 

We have to make playoffs for Tkachuk to perform well in this scenario. I don't think we have a sniff at playoffs if you drop 130pts from our lineup. 

I really like Tkachuk and I see what you are saying, but giving up Rossi and Boldy would be unforgivable and would dilute the talent even further on this team. 

Let's be clear, to trade players in, we have to offer more than the other destination teams. We have to overpay and with the drafted talent we have it just isn't worth it. It would be different if we could get something for Zucc or 1 of the other pensioners that are steel strapped to this team but trading away our young talent is heading this franchise in the opposite direction we want to go and undoes the building Guerin has been doing for the past 3-4 years in a single trade. This is before we mention that Boldy alone is the same in points as Tkachuk and takes far less penalties. We are already the forth most penalized team. Ottawa is number 1. With the current makeup of our PK, we should be minimizing those minutes not bringing in another albatross in that respect.

[mnfaninnc]

6 minutes ago, TheGoosesAreLooses said:

I don't think we have a sniff at playoffs if you drop 130pts from our lineup. 

The net loss in this scenario is more like 50+ points. But there is still 1 position left unclaimed so it will probably be less. 

Let's also remember that I'm not trading for a player approaching his mid 30s, this is a player who is 24. He's got plenty of tread left on the tires. 

I believe that the fire he has and the total hate of losing pushes this guy to be a franchise attitude changing player. 

A lot of our penalties are the lack of disciplined, unearned stick infractions that drive a guy nuts. Tkachuk earns his PIMs. The stick penalties will generally be of the cross check variety (though everyone gets the occasional high stick called). But, we have 2 problems with penalties. 1) taking them, especially the lazy ones, and 2) drawing penalties. While Tkachuk takes a lot of penalties, he is quite adept in drawing penalties too. Many of the penalties he takes are coincidental, so he's taking somebody with him. He only had 6 fights last year, so there are 30 PIMs. I'd suggest he had at least a couple of meltdown 10 minuters in there too. He gets in a lot of those after whistle scrums where they usually take 1 player from each side for roughing. 

So, the penalties aren't a large concern for me. As for our current situation of the PK? Well, I don't believe that Tkachuk plays on that unit, and so far, neither do Boldy or Rossi (though you could argue they probably should). So, Heinzy's got to figure this one out on his own. Personally, I believe both Dino and Ogie would be good on those units, perhaps as a team. 

If we were able to somehow trade up with the Ducks and grab Lindstrom, then that would be my substitute for Rossi's points, and I'd expect 30-40 next year from him. Heidt could pick up points, and Ogie and Dino are almost assured to increase their production. I'd also expect some bounce back from Freddie (if he makes the team) and Foligno (who was playing hurt for some of those 55 games). 

Also, when I wrote this (and I wouldn't change obtaining Tkachuk even now) I was assuming that Yurov was coming over and would chip in about 40 points his 1st year. 

[MNCountryLife]

On 5/6/2024 at 3:50 PM, Protec said:

Toronto is another example of a top-heavy team and guys who really don't step up for playoffs. They can never score more than two goals in a playoff game, why do they struggle in the playoffs? Like MN they've got a core of offensive skill guys more than well rounded Ek types and drop-off in depth. The teams still in it have two or three good lines and a 4th line that can chip in one every couple playoff games. For example Colorado can win handily with #29 held off the scoresheet cause Parise or Trenin score a greasy one and Nishushkin gets 2-3. The Wild and a few eliminated playoff teams have one line and that's where it tails off.

I 100% agree with this assessment.  It is great to have a top guy like Kirill, but we need 3 more lines that are all capable of producing something.  I'll take 3 quality players that chip in 20 goals a year over a 1 guy that scores 40/year.  

[Protec]

17 hours ago, Up North Guy said:

I heard somewhere (sorry i went to college in the 60's so memory is bad) that Tuch is on the market also.

It's been known Buffalo is in need of a goalie. Could MN swing a trade for Tuch with Gus and perhaps another guy or two? At one point, a month ago I was thinking about this and Rossi & Gus came to mind. They lost Middlestadt and have some other forward UFAs like Olafsson who might be gone. They lack experience on defense. Does Spurgeon's 10-team list have Buffalo on it? Does MN think they can sign a UFA or two with their available $$$? Could Merrill be useful in Buffalo? He's affordable and expendable in MN if we expect Chisholm and Hunt to improve their strength and defensive abilities? Or do the Wild like the idea of bringing in another top end defender like Skjei or an affordable guy like Roy. If MN got Tuch let's say for Gus & Rossi the money/scoring equalizes and they can afford to get Roslovic or another affordable NHL center AND a nice defenseman.

Tuch's 4.75M is pretty good for what he brings. A guy who could be a top line wing to replace stink'n Nojo or a 3rd line upgrade over Foligno if he gets hurt or shuffled around. Would certainly help MN's balance. I like Rossi's guts & skill but I don't know if he gives MN the balance needed for the West.

More than anything the UFAs and potential for trades is the most interesting thing for this off season. MN has an opportunity to shake things up and hopefully NoJo just retires.

[MNCountryLife]

There are things I like about the Wild Roster.  Add Spurgeon back into the lineup and Middleton will likely play dramatically better hockey giving us 2 lines of pretty solid D-men.   Ek, Rossi, KNut are 3 very responsible centers that can all play 200 foot games.  Boldy and Kirill both played outstanding hockey.  Foligno should return in the fall ready to go and he is a solid depth player.  I prefer it when he does not fight.  He has that hunger to win and it is contagious.  Ohgren played solid and could provide a little more depth and youth for us.

  Avoid injuries and get rid of Nojo and playoffs are achievable.