Article: Can Matt Boldy Become A 50/50 Player?

[Chris Schad]

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[MNCountryLife]

He won't get there with Nojo on his line.  Nojo doesn't engage himself when an opponent has control of the puck.  Causing much of the play to move into our D-zone.  I used to see Fiala do this as well when he was first with the Wild.  He would circle away rather than engage the opposing player physically.  Fiala got exponentially better when he learned to engage and fight for the puck.  Nojo has a good stick and can obviously skate well.  If he doesn't engage he doesn't belong on the ice.  If he does engage he can be an ok player.  But I didn't see that happen at all last year.  Boldy will never get 50/50 if Nojo plays like that and is his line mate.

[OldDutchChip]

Greater chance zuccy is back to 80 pts than Boldy sniffing at a 100 pt season

If he does, that would be crazy and awesome for us! 

But likelihood - very much a dream 

[Pewterschmidt]

22 minutes ago, MNCountryLife said:

He won't get there with Nojo on his line.  Nojo doesn't engage himself when an opponent has control of the puck.  Causing much of the play to move into our D-zone.  I used to see Fiala do this as well when he was first with the Wild.  He would circle away rather than engage the opposing player physically.  Fiala got exponentially better when he learned to engage and fight for the puck.  Nojo has a good stick and can obviously skate well.  If he doesn't engage he doesn't belong on the ice.  If he does engage he can be an ok player.  But I didn't see that happen at all last year.  Boldy will never get 50/50 if Nojo plays like that and is his line mate.

Agree.  Nojo is a 75% multiplier on and Boldy predictions as long as they’re on same line.  I’m big Boldy fan, and bigger nojo hater.  He’s really that bad. 

[Enforceror]

Boldy and Ek going to crush it this year. That being said, projected lines for tonight:

Kap - Fleury - Foligno

Boldy - Faber - Leskovar

Middleton - Guerin - Trenin

Heidt - Gorg  - Reaves

No defense needed, no can defense.

 

[Burnt Toast]

7 minutes ago, Enforceror said:

Kap - Fleury - Foligno

MAF’s fairwell tour. “ Going out in Style”. HOF Center, well done!! We finally got our undisputed 1C. It was worth the wait. 

[FredJohnson]

Can Matt Boldy Become A 50/50 Player?
 

Insert 50-50 joke here. 😂😂😂

[Imyourhuckleberry]

50 goals from Boldy certainly feels like a lofty number, but it would really go a long way towards the Wild leaping into contention if he can get close to that.

[Citizen Strife]

I'll take him getting to 40/40 first...

[WildRam]

I know this is just BG trying to build up and motivate Boldy, but Nojo must have beer flavored nipples if Billy thinks Boldy can hit 50 / 50 with Nojo on his line. 

[Amaddeo]

I think he could realistically be a 40-40 guy. 50-50 is pushing it, a lot of he’d have to be way more selfish and shoot the puck a lot more. If you have Kap knocking on 50 on line 1 and Boldy at 40 on line 2, I’d say we would be in an amazing spot. I don’t like the Zuccy-Hartzy-Kap line anymore. I get why Hynes is going to this for depth scoring, but I would load the top line again and let the other lines figure it out. I do think there is enough depth to load the top line up again. Keep Rossi and Hartzy together, maybe Oghren on the wing. 
 

I guess we will see what happens. I do think with a healthy d core and even league min goaltending, this team will do well enough to be a tough team to play against. 

[Citizen Strife]

I'm not sure yet, but I think they are flipping Rossi and Hartman for this last preseason game...so people might get their wish.  It's kind of a wash right now.  Rossi has more offensive upside and subtle defense, but Hartman is a little more straightforward and feisty.

What I've seen of the 1st line has been good, so I don't think you could go wrong with either in the top spot.

[Citizen Strife]

From the Hockey News (they say Projected, but they probably got it from Russo or Smith somewhere)

 

Kap/Rossi/Zucc

Mojo/Ek/Ohgren

Foligno/Hartman/Trenin

Lauko/Khus/Gaudreau

 

Brodin/Spurgeon

Chisholm/Faber (Middleton Still Out)

Merrill/Bogo

 

Fleury

[Patrick]

I'm still in shock that the Wild are breaking apart the Ek, KK, and Boldy line.  Putting them together was the only thing keeping them close last year. With a healthy defense it would have been enough.  Breaking them apart gets you less from KK and less from Boldy and less overall. Stupid.

[Protec]

MN has enough talent, they should be really good on the PP. That's where I would want to see the talent loaded up. 

Otherwise, balance lines can roll along and as a team, you can push the game's pace. MN was very good 5v5 two years ago before NoJo. If they can get back to that and have a good PP, lookout.

Of course MN has to win some Central Division games other than CHI.

[Citizen Strife]

Having heard the recent Russo/Pants podcast, I'm wondering if Protec is Russo's burner account.  He just exploded about LaPanta's (quite wrong) assumption that Johansson has outplayed Ohgren. 

Ohgren is not a Kap/Boldy/Faber type "I'm better than everyone else" type performer right now, and Mojo doesn't have that AHL clause Merrill does.  There are reasons Ohgren is playing well (being with Ek definitely helps).  

I'm content letting him be the #1 injury option for now, because it sure doesn't sound like Guerin is going to get phone calls about Mojo until the trade deadline, if at all.  But you know Russo.  If Rossi isn't on the top line, or a rookie is SO shit he can't deny it (Heidt), he'll bang the "they are being blocked out drum."

If Ohgren was the only player on his line doing ANYTHING, I'd buy it.  But Ek makes everyone look good or mask other people enough that you don't notice the problems.

[Gritty.Not.Pretty]

5 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

Can Matt Boldy Become A 50/50 Player?
 

Insert 50-50 joke here. 😂😂😂

Doggone it, I was going to give him a 50/50 chance

[Citizen Strife]

You know, shots like the one Zucc just scored on the power play keep proving to me writing him off is a BAD idea.

[Pewterschmidt]

NEWS FLASH!!!  MaRat is better than a 4th line center on this team.  He's going to be a legit NHL level contributor THIS SEASON.  Not someday, THIS SEASON.  Why are you yelling P-Oria?  This kid is showing offensive flashes that are very encouraging.  He looks like the needle mover we need from our first wave of prospects.  Don't write this kid off a 4th line Dewar 2.0.  I think he's going to be much more.  

Prediction: by mid-season he's playing top six center minutes, most likely due to injury fill-in duty.  Not predicting he's going to bump Rossi or Ek down, but he'll get opportunities and he'll deliver.

[Enforceror]

Mojo decided to have a good night.

[Citizen Strife]

I know it's a small sample size against three teams, but I think the Wild have a lot of encouraging signs for the season.  Other than Dallas, they didn't really give up a lot of offensive zone time.  Their high end defense seems to smother other teams and it gives Fleury, Gus, and Wallstedt time to make up the difference.  

Offensively, I'm seeing contributions from everyone other than the third line (which isn't their job).  Their role is also to be annoying and keep killing offensive momentum for the other team.  But I'm not really worried about them either.  Hartman has offensive talent, and Foligno and Trenin should be good enough to pot goals every once in a while.

Kaprizov and Zuccarello seem very motivated as top line guys and PP merchants.  Rossi sure seems like he wants to stay there, but we'll see if his production matches that.  He's got Ek and Hartman as fall back options.  I don't expect him to be lazy.  Ek is Ek.  He will be what he is, and that is some otherwordly presence on both sides of the puck.  The 4th line (Lauko and Khus specifically) have shown more than enough to tell me this isn't the same weak ass 4th line from late last year.

 

[Pewterschmidt]

We can stop worrying about 97 going to CHI.   That team is about a decade away from being relevant.  Better chance bedard comes here

[Protec]

CHI is not a good team. At the same time, the Wild beat them good. 

MN also got smoked by Dallas. The Wild cannot afford to get their doors blown off in the Central. Last year was brutal and Chicago was the only Central team they beat regularly. 

Boldy will need to score a lot and MN's depth will be required to help win games. Defense should be better. Goaltending should be good. Kaprizov needs a quicker start. The Norwegian Hobbit could be in for another year after this. MN needs to win in the Central most of all. 

P.S. One NoJo gimme-goal at the end of a Blackhawk-beatdown doesn't do jack to improve my opinion of him as a player. I coulda made that play straight outta 40+ beer-league. Credit to Ogie for the 1st assist and poise. 2v1 like that will happen every few games for almost any player. We cannot allow positive vibes to develop. NoJo has become a non-factor AND in games against Vegas, Dallas, Colorado, NSH, STL, he plays a fearful, weak, style of hockey that shows his age and urgency-level. I'd rather see Jones get an audition for that spot. NoJo is a negative factor in important games. He's toast, prove me wrong. 

[Up North Guy]

5 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

I know it's a small sample size against three teams, but I think the Wild have a lot of encouraging signs for the season.  Other than Dallas, they didn't really give up a lot of offensive zone time.  Their high end defense seems to smother other teams and it gives Fleury, Gus, and Wallstedt time to make up the difference.  

Offensively, I'm seeing contributions from everyone other than the third line (which isn't their job).  Their role is also to be annoying and keep killing offensive momentum for the other team.  But I'm not really worried about them either.  Hartman has offensive talent, and Foligno and Trenin should be good enough to pot goals every once in a while.

Kaprizov and Zuccarello seem very motivated as top line guys and PP merchants.  Rossi sure seems like he wants to stay there, but we'll see if his production matches that.  He's got Ek and Hartman as fall back options.  I don't expect him to be lazy.  Ek is Ek.  He will be what he is, and that is some otherwordly presence on both sides of the puck.  The 4th line (Lauko and Khus specifically) have shown more than enough to tell me this isn't the same weak ass 4th line from late last year.

 

I like Rossi on the KK97 line. My only concern is that it would be two small guys and KK. Hartman on the 3rd line is a no brainer for me. He seems perfectly suited for that. Maybe switch EE and Rossi? Rossi with Boldy and Ohgren would be a pretty good line I think. (note: NoJo has no place on this line-perhaps the bread line waiting for a check?) I really am starting to like the 4th line as well. If the defense can hold up it's end the team may have a path forward this year.

[Up North Guy]

2 hours ago, Protec said:

CHI is not a good team. At the same time, the Wild beat them good. 

MN also got smoked by Dallas. The Wild cannot afford to get their doors blown off in the Central. Last year was brutal and Chicago was the only Central team they beat regularly. 

Boldy will need to score a lot and MN's depth will be required to help win games. Defense should be better. Goaltending should be good. Kaprizov needs a quicker start. The Norwegian Hobbit could be in for another year after this. MN needs to win in the Central most of all. 

P.S. One NoJo gimme-goal at the end of a Blackhawk-beatdown doesn't do jack to improve my opinion of him as a player. I coulda made that play straight outta 40+ beer-league. Credit to Ogie for the 1st assist and poise. 2v1 like that will happen every few games for almost any player. We cannot allow positive vibes to develop. NoJo has become a non-factor AND in games against Vegas, Dallas, Colorado, NSH, STL, he plays a fearful, weak, style of hockey that shows his age and urgency-level. I'd rather see Jones get an audition for that spot. NoJo is a negative factor in important games. He's toast, prove me wrong. 

I would just requite what you wrote. Could not agree more.