Article: Could Raska and Shaw Be the Wild's New Duhaime and Dewar?

[Luke Sims]

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[Citizen Strife]

Would definitely be ok keeping Shaw.  If the he and the Wild end up not agreeing on a new deal, I suppose Khusnutdinov would be a 3C/4C option that wouldn't be a bad alternative.  It'd kinda suck though, since Shaw does so many of the little things so well, and will never quit.

[Pewterschmidt]

Shaw’s got great motor too.  Good for the team and helps prevent jofa helmets.  Research is inconclusive re: neck beards. 
i think hooz grows into a grade A pest in few years when he learns what he needs to be to stay in league.  Raska+hooz+shawzy = 60 grit

[mnfaninnc]

I thought Shaw was a step slower and a little protective of the knee. Both of those things are understandable. I anticipate that he will be rehabbing both knees hard this offseason and come back stronger and faster. He has always played physically above his weight class.

However, should Shaw not come back faster, I can see us moving on from him. He'd likely be a 1st callup but would be in Iowa for an extended period. He might seek arbitration? Really? Look at his yearly stats, he's never spent a full season in the N. He put up 3 points in 20 games last season. He's not really in a position to be negotiating a 1-way deal. Or, for that matter going to arbitration.

I say give him a 2-way minimum and $400k in the minors. Also, I wouldn't be opposed to a 2 year deal. He's had a brutal injury history and showed a bunch of courage when he's been up with the big club. He's inspirational to his teammates, and that effort and perseverance says something. 

Now, with Raska, I liked what he added to the lineup, but let's be real, 180 isn't going to get it done. He hits harder than that, and is only 22. My advice to Raska is get to 195, Elite Prospects has him at 183, this is doable. Raska is only 5'10", so 195 works for him and makes him like a bowling ball. Add in a little Clutterbuck and perhaps we have something here. Is he an answer to the penalty kill? I doubt it.

Fixing the PK might take using better players, not just your bottom 6 guys. Foligno was effective as a killer, but I'd have to believe that Rossi, Boldy, Dino and Ogie will also be good killers. Having Johansson on the PK was like sending an engraved invitation to the opposing PP to score. You can probably still see some gold dust lying on the ice. I wasn't particularly enamored with Hartman on the PK either. 

Just a question but I wonder what Kaprizov + Boldy would look like on a kill? And, could that work against teams who use 4-5 PP forwards? Some offense on the PK would be nice.

[IllicitFive]

8 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Just a question but I wonder what Kaprizov + Boldy would look like on a kill? And, could that work against teams who use 4-5 PP forwards? Some offense on the PK would be nice.

I believe the reason you wouldn't want those 2 on the penalty kill is when an opponent is on the PP they have their top guys out there trying to take advantage and getting tired. This can lead to an opportunity going the other way when the penalty is killed. I would rather have Kap and Boldy going against their 3rd or 4th line right after a kill than expending energy on a pk with little offensive opportunity. I could see at the end of a PK, depending on if the other team has players caught out there longer unable to make a quick change.

[Pewterschmidt]

2 hours ago, IllicitFive said:

I believe the reason you wouldn't want those 2 on the penalty kill is when an opponent is on the PP they have their top guys out there trying to take advantage and getting tired. This can lead to an opportunity going the other way when the penalty is killed. I would rather have Kap and Boldy going against their 3rd or 4th line right after a kill than expending energy on a pk with little offensive opportunity. I could see at the end of a PK, depending on if the other team has players caught out there longer unable to make a quick change.

Also, 40 min TOI every night might catch up with 97

[Citizen Strife]

Main thing is, if you have people like Ohgren and Khusnutdinov (Spurgeon and Foligno coming back from injury as well), the needs of putting Kaprizov and Boldy on the PK becomes almost zero.  Kaprizov is a more aggressive and physical forward than a "star player" should be, but I still wouldn't want him wasting energy.

[mnfaninnc]

4 hours ago, IllicitFive said:

I would rather have Kap and Boldy going against their 3rd or 4th line right after a kill than expending energy on a pk with little offensive opportunity. I could see at the end of a PK, depending on if the other team has players caught out there longer unable to make a quick change.

When we used Dewar and Shaw/Duhaime most effectively, it was sending them out 2nd when the 1st PP unit was tired. We'd usually make the switch about 45 seconds into the kill while the opposing 1st unit was still out there. Then, Dewar and Shaw could pounce on a loose puck and instead of icing it down, look for each other on a breakout. This would be how I'd see Boldy/Kaprizov working. Since there's no icing on the PK, if a faceoff is needed, they can switch out. 

[Will D. Ness]

56 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

Kaprizov is a more aggressive and physical forward than a "star player" should be, but I still wouldn't want him wasting energy.

Or blocking pucks.

[Citizen Strife]

Yeah.  Any of those pucks has the potential to be an injury risk.  Even with what amounts to body armor, it's amazing people don't get hurt by that, skates, or sticks more often.

[FredJohnson]

I REALLY want to make sure there are 2 open spots on the 4th line for NoJo and Frauddie. Lets not ruin this by putting Shawsie and (don't call me Victor) Raska on the 4th.

[Up North Guy]

27 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

I REALLY want to make sure there are 2 open spots on the 4th line for NoJo and Frauddie. Lets not ruin this by putting Shawsie and (don't call me Victor) Raska on the 4th.

I would prefer they have spots in Iowa or elsewhere.

[FredJohnson]

10 minutes ago, Up North Guy said:

I would prefer they have spots in Iowa or elsewhere.

You always have to one up me, huh?

😂😂😂

I'd love that too!