Article: Was Zeev Buium the Slam-Dunk Pick Everyone Thought?

[Adam Overby]

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[Mateo3xm]

I think Eiserman will be a very very good player and he has done some things that no other player has done but he definitely needs some work on the defensive side of his game. I could see him regularly scoring 30-40 goals a season. I’m still happy we picked Buium though. Buium did things that no other college defense man has ever done at that age. There’s actually many things. Go to his college page and see for yourself.

Buium really doesn’t have any glaring weaknesses and even said he was holding back offensively. I really think this kid is going to be special. Maybe not Makar special but potentially a little below that. I don’t really see why we’re playing the what if game at this point. I think we definitely made the right pick but we will know in a few years.

 

[Imyourhuckleberry]

Gabriel Perreault was 5'11" and 165 pounds. He finished 4th on his college team in goals as a freshman with 19 and he's a very good prospect, but he's not the center the team was looking to add to their prospect pool. David Edstrom seems more likely to have been the pick if they decided against Stramel.

Assuming he isn't traded, the Wild likely witness Edstrom's transition to NHL ice in a couple years as a 3rd or 4th line C for Vegas. That's who I'll be comparing to Stramel for years.

Boston College lost their top 2 point getters(William Smith and Cutter Gauthier) from last season to pro contracts, so we'll see if that hurts Perreault or not. He does still have #8 pick overall in the 2023 draft, Ryan Leonard, there and Leonard might be centering his line.

With Eiserman picked #20 this year and Buium projected by many as a top 5-8 pick, that selection seems like a no-brainer, particularly with top defenders like Spurgeon likely aging out in a few years.

 

[FredJohnson]

Draft picks...

[Citizen Strife]

The Wild have many holes to fill.  Brackett and Guerin probably thought, "Why the fuck is this guy still on the board," and got a potentially Faber+ out of the deal.  A 30-40 goal scorer would also be nice, but all signs point to no one being Buium's level in the current defensive prospects.  Heidt and Yurov alone might make Eiserman redundant in a season or two.

 

Edited July 22 by Citizen Strife

[FredJohnson]

8 minutes ago, Citizen Strife said:

The Wild have many holes to fill.  Brackett and Guerin probably thought, "Why the fuck is this guy still on the board," and got a potentially Faber+ out of the deal.  A 30-40 goal scorer would also be nice, but all signs point to no one being Buium's level in the current defensive prospects.  Heidt and Yurov alone might make Eiserman redundant in a season or two.

 

I keep hearing 'reporters' say that Brackett and GMBG are more likely to draft players that are likely to make it to the NHL rather than guys that have a certain skill or guys that "might" be stars if everything goes right.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

Also, the Wild have had goal scorers like Gaborik or Fiala, who are primarily offense-only. Have they ever had a defenseman like Heiskanen? A difference maker from the blue line could make the game that much more exciting.

[Citizen Strife]

59 minutes ago, FredJohnson said:

I keep hearing 'reporters' say that Brackett and GMBG are more likely to draft players that are likely to make it to the NHL rather than guys that have a certain skill or guys that "might" be stars if everything goes right.

And that's the thing to keep in mind about Stramel and Kumpulainen.  Size isn't something you can teach, just like pure offense isn't either.  The team is slowly balancing out the roster to not be a bunch of twigs.  Even Rossi can hold his own defensively in most cases despite his size.  I remember seeing the list of developmental players in camp, and Stramel was pretty much the biggest or 2nd biggest guy there.  I'm hoping injuries don't derail his momentum and mental state enough that he just ends up a big AHL body.

Say what you will about Greenway's offense, but when the GREEF line was there, it was almost some weird magic trick.  

It's merely a waiting game at this point.  Rossi and Faber succeeded first.  Ohgren and Khusnutdinov could carve out 4th line and hopefully more eventually with more time.  The defense is in flux more than the six signings would indicate.  If Buium hits, that's something the Wild have...never(?) really had.  Suter and Spurgeon put up points, but more in the serviceable almost stars kind of way.

[mnfaninnc]

1 hour ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

Have they ever had a defenseman like Heiskanen? A difference maker from the blue line could make the game that much more exciting.

Yes, they had Burns.

[mnfaninnc]

Adam, I really don't agree with your take, especially when it comes to Guerin/Brackett picks. I get that there is a lack of patience around, but let's be honest: These guys are picked in the late teens early 20s. They need the full 5 years to develop. That said, some appear to be coming in early. 

Quote

Unfortunately, Bill Guerin hasn't yielded much fruit from the draft during his tenure. Over his last five drafts (2020-2024), only one player of the 32 the Minnesota Wild drafted has eclipsed 25 NHL games: Marco Rossi, an undersized center the fanbase clings to with clenched fists of hope. 

Let's remember that these guys were drafted later AND they were disrupted in their development with covid.

Sure, let's highlight Rossi, the 1st pick of this regime. He's still early. So is Ogie. Dino is about on time. Hunt is about on time. The Wall may be early (because goalies typically take even longer to develop). 

But here is the real thought: Lambos. He was drafted with The Wall in 2021. He just finished his 1st season in the A. It didn't go well. Rushing these guys to the N isn't going to help. 

It appears that the Guerin approach is to make sure these guys are ready to contribute in the role they were supposed to fill. They play down until they are ready. So, when you say we have one guy drafted by this team that has made it, it's pretty much by design that they're not here yet.

I want them to be ahead of schedule too, but the fact is that we have an owner who values playoff invitations very highly. If the prospect is not ready to compete at that level, they are put in developmental leagues. This is how it works here.

Another thing that is important is that when this team is ready to contend, they will be a 200' team, not a flashy team and definitely not a boring team. They will win in all 3 zones. They will need to take the body and they will have good special teams. They will play the game the right way and that includes bodychecking. Some guys can't do that yet. Eiserman may never learn that.

Was Buium the right pick? He was the last blue chip defender standing in this draft. He was worth trading up for, especially with the little we had to give up. Yes, he was the right pick with the way this draft fell. Do I wish there was someone else there? Yes, a bigger guy. But those guys got taken, so there's nothing we could do about it unless we traded with someone like CBJ. 

I am looking forward to the kids coming in. I like to watch their development. I was prepared for 6 rookies last year, but that is not how Guerin wants to stagger. This is going to be a very interesting team these next 2-3 years. My hope is that there is enough there to convince Kaprizov that this is his best possible place to contend for a cup. 

These types of articles are easy to write. You know what is harder, to write articles profiling the prospects and their advances. I know it's not August yet where we usually get a top 20 under 25 series, but how about the physical, mental and skill growth of each of our kids? It will take some digging to find out, but those are where we need to be headed in the dog days of July. Does anyone think that maybe these kids would pick up the phone if they were called? Maybe if management knew of the profiles, they'd alert them to pick up on a certain number? Or, maybe they leave all of that up to Russo?

[Imyourhuckleberry]

44 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Yes, they had Burns.

Burns was bad defensively though and never reached 50 points with the Wild.

I thought of him, but he didn't become quite as dynamic until he left MN. Faber might be better than Burns. He already recorded a higher point total than Burns ever did with the Wild.

Edited July 23 by Imyourhuckleberry

[Patrick]

When you describe Boldy as a perimeter winger with good hands you lose all credibility. And your "undersized" Marco Rossi is the same height and weight as Brad Marchand and has put up nearly identical stats at this point in his career. But don't let facts get in the way of a good hatchet job! 🤡

[AOWild]

1 hour ago, Patrick said:

When you describe Boldy as a perimeter winger with good hands you lose all credibility. And your "undersized" Marco Rossi is the same height and weight as Brad Marchand and has put up nearly identical stats at this point in his career. But don't let facts get in the way of a good hatchet job! 🤡

What else do you call a player that goes MIA in the playoffs, or forces you to check the lineup to make sure he's on the bench during the regular season?

 

How effective do you predict Rossi will be in a third round playoff series?

[AOWild]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Adam, I really don't agree with your take, especially when it comes to Guerin/Brackett picks. I get that there is a lack of patience around, but let's be honest: These guys are picked in the late teens early 20s. They need the full 5 years to develop. That said, some appear to be coming in early. 

Let's remember that these guys were drafted later AND they were disrupted in their development with covid.

Sure, let's highlight Rossi, the 1st pick of this regime. He's still early. So is Ogie. Dino is about on time. Hunt is about on time. The Wall may be early (because goalies typically take even longer to develop). 

But here is the real thought: Lambos. He was drafted with The Wall in 2021. He just finished his 1st season in the A. It didn't go well. Rushing these guys to the N isn't going to help. 

It appears that the Guerin approach is to make sure these guys are ready to contribute in the role they were supposed to fill. They play down until they are ready. So, when you say we have one guy drafted by this team that has made it, it's pretty much by design that they're not here yet.

I want them to be ahead of schedule too, but the fact is that we have an owner who values playoff invitations very highly. If the prospect is not ready to compete at that level, they are put in developmental leagues. This is how it works here.

Another thing that is important is that when this team is ready to contend, they will be a 200' team, not a flashy team and definitely not a boring team. They will win in all 3 zones. They will need to take the body and they will have good special teams. They will play the game the right way and that includes bodychecking. Some guys can't do that yet. Eiserman may never learn that.

Was Buium the right pick? He was the last blue chip defender standing in this draft. He was worth trading up for, especially with the little we had to give up. Yes, he was the right pick with the way this draft fell. Do I wish there was someone else there? Yes, a bigger guy. But those guys got taken, so there's nothing we could do about it unless we traded with someone like CBJ. 

I am looking forward to the kids coming in. I like to watch their development. I was prepared for 6 rookies last year, but that is not how Guerin wants to stagger. This is going to be a very interesting team these next 2-3 years. My hope is that there is enough there to convince Kaprizov that this is his best possible place to contend for a cup. 

These types of articles are easy to write. You know what is harder, to write articles profiling the prospects and their advances. I know it's not August yet where we usually get a top 20 under 25 series, but how about the physical, mental and skill growth of each of our kids? It will take some digging to find out, but those are where we need to be headed in the dog days of July. Does anyone think that maybe these kids would pick up the phone if they were called? Maybe if management knew of the profiles, they'd alert them to pick up on a certain number? Or, maybe they leave all of that up to Russo?

Early or late.....we didn't have one prospect to challenge MOJO or Gaudreau for a roster spot?  Do we this year?  IfRiley & Liam make the team this fall who else is ready to take a spot next year?  Who forces Billy to make tough decisions behind Yurov & Bium?

[Citizen Strife]

If the players don't play well enough to warrant a look, they just plain don't.  Hynes, Brackett, and Guerin know who they are hitching their future to:

 

Wallstedt

Yurov

Buium

Heidt

Ohgren

Khusnutdinov

 

Khusnutdinov was the first to get regular playing time, and the best you can say is he's Dewar's replacement.  If he end up better, you've got a steal as a 2nd rounder.  Ohgren already proved himself better at scoring than Beckman in less games, so there's hope there he's going to meet or exceed what a Hartman can do as a scoring option (40-50 pts).  The rest have sky high hopes as those offensive options that outshine what Rossi, Zuccarello, and Ek do and maybe even Boldy.  Imagine hitting on another Kaprizov player in that group, or even an 80-90 pt player.  What if Rossi, Faber, or Boldy ARE those and just need a couple more seasons?  Buium being another Faber at minimum would be tremendous.  That's your top pair for a decade.  Wallstedt may or may not be that new shiny goaltender to grow alongside them...but it'd be nice if he is.

Every other player in Iowa or getting chance now don't have the sheer production, speed, size, or NHL level fuck you grit (I know we hate that word) to be those irreplaceable players yet.  Nothing says they won't...but Guerin, Brackett, and Hynes see these players way more than any of us.  There's still every chance the team goes after McGroarty if the want to.  Maybe he's that guy if the want to trade hard enough.  They just saw Buium fit a more dire need.

The players the new people have to beat are the Chisholms, Bogos, and etc. just to be serviceable NHL standard, much less difference makers.  Letteri, Lucchini, Addison, Walker, Beckman, etc weren't those guys.  

 

 

Edited July 23 by Citizen Strife

[Wej]

Let me get this straight...You the Wild to take a undersized offense only winger over a PP QB?  Eiserman has a ton of flaws in his game, hence the fall to #20.

[B1GKappa97]

If Zeev had gotten taken, and I was honestly surprised that he even fell to #12, then I would've been hoping for Eiserman with our pick. I think the goal scoring is definitely something we could use in the pipeline and in the future top-6. That said, I'm not mad they got an heir-apparent to Jared Spurgeon who has won big games in the Xcel already. In fact I think it was exactly what they needed to do in this draft given the lack of development from our previous blue-line draft picks. 

This though:

Quote

Unfortunately, Bill Guerin hasn't yielded much fruit from the draft during his tenure. Over his last five drafts (2020-2024), only one player of the 32 the Minnesota Wild drafted has eclipsed 25 NHL games: Marco Rossi, an undersized center the fanbase clings to with clenched fists of hope.

Come on, man. Brock Faber was from the same draft class as Marco Rossi and he didn't get his first full season until last year either. That's your typical turnaround for draft picks.

So if the 2020 draft class is JUST NOW breaking into the NHL, why do you expect more from the 2021 (Wallstedt, who may get his first real NHL action this coming season) or 2022 (Ohgren, also an NHL possible, and Yurov, likely arriving next year) drafts already? 

You're expecting the apples to be ready to eat in Spring instead of waiting for the Fall and then blaming it on the tree.. 

Edited July 23 by B1GKappa97

[Will D. Ness]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

Imagine hitting on another Kaprizov player in that group, or even an 80-90 pt player.  What if Rossi, Faber, or Boldy ARE those and just need a couple more seasons?

I wouldn't say another KK97 but I'm thinking Boldy is going to be close to 1 PPG next year... especially if they keep that top line intact.

[Pewterschmidt]

19 minutes ago, B1GKappa97 said:

Yurov, likely arriving next year

I'm not trolling B1G Poppy, but I remember when Carson Lambos was the next white knight for this organization.  Really do.  Who else remembers.  Yurov is the current Calder trophy winner in waiting.  Can we all stand down on Yurov?  or is that just what fandom does to us...I don't know the answer to that question but I'm getting tired Marge.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

15 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Yes, they had Burns.

Also, in his draft year, Burns played in the OHL and recorded 15 goals and 25 assists in 68 games(40 points/68 games = .59 PPG).

Zeev Buium played in the NCAA and recorded 11 goals and 39 assists in 42 games(50 points/42 games = 1.19 PPG). It's also roughly an 18 goal in 68 game pace, so Buium was substantially better while facing a higher level of competition.

World Juniors is likely a higher level than OHL as well, and Buium added 3 goals and 2 assists in just 7 games there, so if we add those, it would be 14 goals and 41 assists(55 points) in 49 games for Buium in his draft year(1.12 PPG). Winning a championship while recording the most non-goalie ice time is also meaningful.

World Junior Summer Showcase is coming up July 26th - August 3rd, and hopefully Buium stands out as a clearly higher level player than his peers.

Players representing 10 different states have been invited to the World Junior Summer Showcase. Minnesota leads the way with 15 players, followed by Illinois (9), New York (6), California (4), Massachusetts (3), Michigan (3), Florida (2), New Jersey (2), Alaska (1), Pennsylvania (1)

[B1GKappa97]

29 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I'm not trolling B1G Poppy, but I remember when Carson Lambos was the next white knight for this organization.  Really do.  Who else remembers.  Yurov is the current Calder trophy winner in waiting.  Can we all stand down on Yurov?  or is that just what fandom does to us...I don't know the answer to that question but I'm getting tired Marge.

I don't think Lambos was ever a white knight tbh. He was seen as a value get when we took him in 2021, for sure, but going into that draft nobody saw him as the potential top-10 talent that he was previously. 

Unlike Danila Yurov who really only fell because of geopolitical reasons unrelated to him besides his country of birth. And while I agree that this fanbase can get over its skis hyping up prospects (coughBECKMANcoughHEIDTcoughWALKER) I do think that for Yurov to produce what he did in what's arguably the 2nd best league in the world does bode well for his transition to the NHL. 

Of course Khusnutdinov also did very well in that age year in the KHL and then fell off the map the next season, but something tells me that Yurov, who his team strongly tried to keep around, probably won't experience the same downfall and get traded off like Marat was. 

 

Edited July 23 by B1GKappa97

[Imyourhuckleberry]

29 minutes ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I'm not trolling B1G Poppy, but I remember when Carson Lambos was the next white knight for this organization.  Really do.  Who else remembers.  Yurov is the current Calder trophy winner in waiting.  Can we all stand down on Yurov?  or is that just what fandom does to us...I don't know the answer to that question but I'm getting tired Marge.

Lambos is still a good prospect, but he didn't lead his team in scoring in the 2nd best league in the world and win a championship with them. Not in the WHL and certainly not in the KHL. There are reasons to believe Yurov will be a strong contender for the Calder trophy while Lambos will not.  Lambos having Faber and Buium in front of him for PP time will also be a reason, but Yurov will have every opportunity to shine like Kaprizov did in his rookie year.

He may not win the Calder, and Kaprizov had strong competition as well, but Yurov will likely be among the finalists.

[Tony Abbott]

15 hours ago, Patrick said:

When you describe Boldy as a perimeter winger with good hands you lose all credibility.

I don't agree with that assessment, but Bill Guerin has basically said that about Boldy for two seasons, particularly after the playoff loss against Dallas.

[mnfaninnc]

16 hours ago, AOWild said:

Early or late.....we didn't have one prospect to challenge MOJO or Gaudreau for a roster spot?  Do we this year?  IfRiley & Liam make the team this fall who else is ready to take a spot next year?  Who forces Billy to make tough decisions behind Yurov & Bium?

AO, I think you missed the point. 2020 was the 1st draft that Guerin/Brackett participated in. In 2020 they drafted Rossi, Dino, O'Rourke, Hunt, Novak (who had cancer after the draft and is probably going to need even more time to develop). Even with Myocarditis, Rossi beats the 5 year timeline, which he probably should have being a top 10 pick.

2024 should be when the others in this draft class arrive. Dino and Hunt have already debuted, O'Rourke, to me, looks like he will not make it, and I kind of take that personally because I thought he was a great pick, just the type of player we needed, but he, like many of the other draft picks refused to bulk up. And, out of all the other draft picks, with the type of game he played, he most needed to do this.

In 2025 we would expect to see The Wall, Lambos, Peart, and Bankier. In 2026 we should see Ohgren, Yurov, Haight, Lorenz, Milne, Spacek (though he was an overage pick and might qualify for 2025). In 2027 we should see Stramel, Kumpulainen, Heidt. 2028 would be Buium, Ritchie, Kiviharju, Soini, Leskovar. The goalie Wutzke would be later because goalies take longer to develop.

That is the timeline we are looking at. It appears that Ohgren will be early, Milne has a possibility of being early, Heidt is probably early and even with Yurov spending another year in the K, he will be early. This will be when you start to see those challenges to already established NHL players. 

I could be persuaded that Buium will come in early since he had a rating of between 5-7 and dropped. I could also be persuaded of something similar for The Wall and Yurov. Heidt would be a pure bonus.

Give these guys the proper developmental time. There's a reason that established NHLers are still NHLers. So far, the best these guys have is their dream. When they get their chance, cup of coffee or not, they've got to come in and make a difference. This is exactly how Mason Shaw made the roster and Guerin flipped his waiver pick up back on waivers. He's willing to do it, but the players have to do their part to convince him it's the right move at the right time.

Thankfully, I believe that Heinzy will have a very spirited open training camp where anyone can claim a position and the vets better be ready for all contenders for their spot.

[mnfaninnc]

4 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

I remember when Carson Lambos was the next white knight for this organization.  Really do.  Who else remembers.  Yurov is the current Calder trophy winner in waiting.  Can we all stand down on Yurov?

I think it's fine to hype up Yurov, but why the hate for Lambos? He's still a very good prospect. He had a tough year 1 in the A, but had very little defensive coaching too. But, so did all the other defenders who made the jump. He's not due to arrive until after this season. I can tell you this, if he put in the gym time and came out at 210, he'll get everyone's attention (he was drafted at around 200).