Article: A Veteran Defensive Core Shouldn’t Stop the Wild From Playing Zeev Buium

[Justin Wiggins]

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[Up North Guy]

i think Hynezy has shown that he can be creative with his line-up. This isn't a bad scenario to try.

[mnfaninnc]

I have always thought we played far better going 12-6 than 11-7. But this year our 11-7 looked a little better. Having that extra defender helps in case of injury on the backend. He could also be used if the team is down and we need offense. He could be over the boards following a PK. 

Injuries have a way of sorting these things out. For instance, we have no idea how many players are simply gutting it out right now because there is no money for callups. I wouldn't be surprised if OgZ sees time too. 

I'm still on contract watch wishing he'd sign soon. I don't see anything wrong with signing the deal and then heading to the Hobey Baker award presentation. Then, catch a nice flight to Vancouver. Bring Matt Davis with you to the contract signing, maybe we can fit him in too.

[mnfaninnc]

Also, on the contract thought, since Zeev is 19, if he plays less than 9 games this season, does his contract slide???

[MNCountryLife]

Zeev is only 19, but the kid looks great.  I've watched more than a few games of Zeev and he checks all the boxes of player that can transition quickly to the N.  He rarely mishandles the puck and is a stick to stick player that makes good decisions.

Nothing against Merrill and Bogo either.  For a 3rd pairing they have played very respectable hockey.  If they chose not to play Buium all you can do is say Bogo and Merrill have earned it.  But I think Buium can be just as defensively sound and provide dramatically better upside for offense. If successful he may be able to give us a boost to get past round 1.

Lastly, let's be honest.  The Wild are still not a contender for the cup even with Kirill and Ek back in the lineup.  Albeit they are definitely better.  It may be more important to get our new young players some valuable ice time so they can improve and be ready when the roster fully fills out.

[mnfaninnc]

2 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

Lastly, let's be honest.  The Wild are still not a contender for the cup even with Kirill and Ek back in the lineup.  Albeit they are definitely better.  It may be more important to get our new young players some valuable ice time so they can improve and be ready when the roster fully fills out.

What would happen if the teams the Wild faced in the playoffs suddenly had the same injury difficulty that they had during the regular season? Maybe we can now get some injury luck?

[Imyourhuckleberry]

Landeskog will be getting ice time for the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate for the Vegas Golden Knights. Possible playoff return for him in Colorado, if things go well.

I certainly wouldn't mind seeing the Wild add Buium to their playoff rotation, assuming his leg that got banged up a bit last game isn't causing him trouble after the weekend.

[Burnt Toast]

JW you sold me on getting ZB in the lineup. Let’s get aggressive and play to win. It gives other teams something else to worry about when they face the Wild. 

[MNCountryLife]

5 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

What would happen if the teams the Wild faced in the playoffs suddenly had the same injury difficulty that they had during the regular season? Maybe we can now get some injury luck?

Maybe, but 4 rounds of puck luck?

[Trade Deadline Hero]

“The Wild are also deep on the blue line, with established veterans patrolling the third pairing.“

I would argue that the Wild are so far from deep when talking about our defense. It’s probably our weakest area. The fact that the sharks had 7 goals says everything. Sure, Flower was rusty, but so many of those goals were preventable. Merrill for Future Considerations, is a liability, bench him. 
 

With all this said, I think it’s a huge mistake to put Buium in and burn his ELC for a first round exit, especially when we are and will continue to be so strapped for cash. It’s an absolute waste. 

Edited 7 hours ago by Trade Deadline Hero

[OldDutchChip]

very exciting indeed BUT caution - the kid is still a kid. to play him against Vegas or Jets is asking for trouble. these are grown man (and very skilled) who will pounce on him and will make us pay for his every mistake - and the kid will make a mistake - it's just a nature of things.

we have continuity in the lineup and we have a goal - to win R1. the goal is not to cheer for a kid prospect and make room for him (unless he is just an immediate Makar - which is impossible).

introducing him into PP or sheltered time is also still dangerous as he has had none of the practice time.... unless he is a wiz and knows all the plays in and out - then we are asking for trouble. we already have a lot of fancy pants players (zuccy, boldy, kap, MJ) - adding more and revealing it during PO is a likely recipe for disaster.

i guess i'm a little more hesitant than others on a flashy 19 yo D prospect .... wild need to not make a mistake and throw off team chemistry - if the kid needs time -  give it to him, don't rush him in unless he really REALLY is as advertised.....

Hypothetical - i would be more willing to play Jiricek (not happening) or Yurov (not happening)

[Burnt Toast]

44 minutes ago, OldDutchChip said:

we have continuity in the lineup

What I see are exploitable weak links. Just as Alex G. was a couple of seasons ago. Other teams can beat our third pairing D without breaking a sweat. The only way they hold up is if the forwards play an extremely disciplined game,  constantly covering up their mistakes and shortcomings. I actually like the players, they just aren’t very good.Kinda like Calen A. I really liked him too. Unless ZB says he’s afraid to play NHL minutes, let him play. It’s worth the risk especially because you’re not losing anything by doing so. 

[Trade Deadline Hero]

3 minutes ago, Burnt Toast said:

What I see are exploitable weak links. Just as Alex G. was a couple of seasons ago. Other teams can beat our third pairing D without breaking a sweat. The only way they hold up is if the forwards play an extremely disciplined game,  constantly covering up their mistakes and shortcomings. I actually like the players, they just aren’t very good.Kinda like Calen A. I really liked him too. Unless ZB says he’s afraid to play NHL minutes, let him play. It’s worth the risk especially because you’re not losing anything by doing so. 

Except we’d be wasting his ELC year. That’s my biggest concern. We don’t have the money for all of this signing next year. We have to resign Kirill, possibly Rossi (or whoever replaces him) and of course that pesky backup goalie because Lord knows Wallstedt will not cut it. 

[mnfaninnc]

Here's what I found out:

Quote

What Is An Entry Level Slide?

When a player on an entry-level contract is 18 or 19 years old¹, their entry level contract is slide eligible. This means their team may choose to return them to junior and avoid using a year of their contract. In this case the contract slides. The net effect is that the term length of their contract doesn't start. There are still cap implications for each impacted year.

Exception : A player who signs an entry-level contract at age 19, and then turns 20 before Dec 31 of that year is not slide eligible

From the example above, Z. Buium is 19 right now with a December 7th birthday. He would then NOT be eligible for the slide, so any games played this season would, in fact, burn a year of ELC. 

So what? If Zeev is everything we think he's going to be, the actual difference is that instead of about a $1m cap number for the seasons through '27-28, he will need to get paid from his RFA status in '27-28. 

Here's the issue, would Zeev get enough experience in 1 regular season game + playoffs to be worth losing a year at a $1m cap number? This is exactly the business side debate we have. The cap is expected to be at well over $100m, and with our current salary structure, we could probably fit it in, but that also likely costs us a pretty good player not on the roster at about $6-7m. 

The other part of that is, would that $6-7m player be blocking one of the kids who could have decent production in the Wild lineup? Maybe the kid doesn't put up the same numbers, but is just as valuable with other aspects, such as Foligno's very good defensive play. Maybe that big money player sucks defensively. But, for reference, B. Tkachuk makes around $8.7m so we're very close in salary to that type of player. It might not be a signed $6-7m UFA, but a contract we take on in a trade. 

TDH has a valid point on burning that, and especially if Zeev's leg isn't quite 100%. What is the value of 1 playoff series in which the team loses? What is the value of 2 playoff series where the team gets out of round 1 and Zeev plays a role in that? Is signing Zeev dependent on burning a year or will he head back to DU if we don't?

[mnfaninnc]

In the column "for" signing and activating Zeev in the 11-7 format, was last night's game where Spurgeon went out for a period. If we employed Justin's idea, Zeev would have then slid into a regular shift playing the right side (possibly) where Spurgy was until the 3rd period when Spurgy was back.

Spurgy, to me, didn't look the same in the 3rd period either. 

Our defense has several times this year, more times than I can remember, had to play extended or finish a game with 5 defenders. This would be an argument for thinking about an 11-7 lineup. I believe the reason for this trend is the emphasis on blocking shots (though that had nothing to do with Spurgy's missed time). Having that extra defender also helps in the case of defenders heading to the penalty box. 

Also, in a playoff series, things tend to get a little more physical. I've felt like Midsy and Bogosian both keep their foot off the gas sometimes in hits and extra-curriculars because they are more valuable on the ice. If there were 7 defenders, could they be let loose to play more physically and not worry about 5 in the box? 

In taking Justin's St. Louis example, the Blues' defenders played large and physical against the Wild. They knew they had reinforcements should someone take a penalty. Perhaps that was a bit freeing for them to play that way. They didn't take penalties, but they also didn't allow the Wild into the middle of the ice. Maybe this is a pretty good idea?

[Burnt Toast]

44 minutes ago, Trade Deadline Hero said:

Except we’d be wasting his ELC year

Wild management have pushed a lot of chips in the pot with the hand they’re playing this season . I’m getting sucked in to the “win now” scenario. I agree with your assessment let’s bank some $ for down the road. 

[mnfaninnc]

Last night's game was a real bust. I didn't think that Calgary had so many large bodies...or maybe they just played that way. Here were a couple of observations:

• Maybe it was just me, but the ice in the Saddledome seemed to be really choppy. I don't remember them having such poor ice. Pucks were bouncing all over the place, and rolling a lot. I realize both teams have to play on it, but, I've always thought choppy ice is an equalizer and the Wild have always had trouble with that type of ice.
• Calgary played really physical. The Wild did/could not match it player for player. I think we've got too many finesse players who won't do it, and this typically comes from the Swedish/Finnish system players in the league.
• Rossi, in particular, got bumped around way too much for my liking and knocked down more than I can remember. The good news is he popped right back up. My hope is that this is not a preview of what we will see in the playoffs. 
• Where the heck was Foligno when we had players getting molested? Seriously, isn't his role to make it easier for the other players to play? He was nowhere to be found. This was his time to shine with what he can do. I saw 1 bomb hit, and he needed far more. If this is a preview to the playoffs, we're in trouble.
• Our defense was all over the place. One in particular, Faber, has got to play more disciplined within the structure. 
• The 1st goal was all on Goose. He cannot make that play behind the net. Everyone else was not in position for that turnover. The broadcast team mentioned it as a miscommunication between Goose and Faber, this was not the case, Goose simply gave possession back to the Flames and wasn't in position for what happened next.
• If this was the play of the Flames' team consistently, and not in desperation, IMO, they are a better team than the Wild at this point. Hopefully, tonight, we get a better result.

[Patrick]

What has Brazeau done to deserver any ice time?  There are three guys in Iowa who deserve the time more than him.  That trade gets worse the more Brazeau plays.  I love the idea of 11-7!

[OldDutchChip]

1 hour ago, Burnt Toast said:

What I see are exploitable weak links. Just as Alex G. was a couple of seasons ago. Other teams can beat our third pairing D without breaking a sweat. The only way they hold up is if the forwards play an extremely disciplined game,  constantly covering up their mistakes and shortcomings. I actually like the players, they just aren’t very good.Kinda like Calen A. I really liked him too. Unless ZB says he’s afraid to play NHL minutes, let him play. It’s worth the risk especially because you’re not losing anything by doing so. 

We are likely to draw Vegas, who push pace and are big and physical….i’d be careful at putting a kid, that basically at this point is mostly offense, in high stress PO situation against Vegas. Sure - play him against Ducks. Let Bogo rest a bit. But against Vegas the risk is there. 
all I’m saying - be smart - don’t play him for buzz, play him if he can handle himself on both sides

[mnfaninnc]

1 minute ago, OldDutchChip said:

We are likely to draw Vegas, who push pace and are big and physical….i’d be careful at putting a kid, that basically at this point is mostly offense, in high stress PO situation against Vegas. Sure - play him against Ducks. Let Bogo rest a bit. But against Vegas the risk is there. 
all I’m saying - be smart - don’t play him for buzz, play him if he can handle himself on both sides

I was under the impression that Zeev's defense is really good too. When I watched him, I didn't quite see Makar, but I did see a good balance and a willingness to be physical, though, that was not his 1st choice. I think his defensive style will look very similar to Brodin's (defeat the opponent with better skating and a better stick, bodychecking is a last resort). 

While the N is way more competitive, I think if he can elevate the speed of his game, much like Faber had to, he will be less of a liability defensively than a Johnny Merrill. 

[mnfaninnc]

5 minutes ago, Patrick said:

What has Brazeau done to deserver any ice time?  There are three guys in Iowa who deserve the time more than him.  That trade gets worse the more Brazeau plays.  I love the idea of 11-7!

He didn't play last night, Vinny was in for him, and got bounced around a lot. 

[OldDutchChip]

7 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I was under the impression that Zeev's defense is really good too. When I watched him, I didn't quite see Makar, but I did see a good balance and a willingness to be physical, though, that was not his 1st choice. I think his defensive style will look very similar to Brodin's (defeat the opponent with better skating and a better stick, bodychecking is a last resort). 

While the N is way more competitive, I think if he can elevate the speed of his game, much like Faber had to, he will be less of a liability defensively than a Johnny Merrill. 

Can’t see him holding his own against Vegas giants at this stage (but he can surprise me)

[mnfaninnc]

Wow, Russo answers the question of why wasn't Zeev in Calgary? Because Crotty is with the team right now with Midsy day to day. Crotty has to be reassigned before they can add Zeev to the roster. What a mess!

While it's easy to blame Guerin or his new cap guru for this, it's simply not that easy. However, twice Guerin has rolled the dice and gambled that the team would be reasonably healthy. After last season, a logical thought would be, "well, injuries can't be this bad again." Or another logical thought could be "going to the cap was a mistake, maybe I should learn something from that."

Guerin left a little more room this offseason but not nearly enough. It's a tough call when you're down $15m in cap space with a mandate for a playoff invitation (or at the very least to be a competitive team which they have delivered as promised 4/5 seasons). Sometimes to stay competitive there is some fudging with cap padding for emergencies. 

In this case, instead of keeping your eyes down the road looking far ahead of your vehicle, I think the front office took their eyes off the road and started looking at waze on their phone or something. This would have happened at the TDL when Nyquist was acquired along with Breezers. Was it too much to add Buium at the end? Would Buium have ended his DU days and flown immediately to Calgary? There was also absolutely no way of knowing whether or not DU would repeat. Buium could have just as easily been in the finals today.

One thing I do suspect is that Guerin has a very general vision for where the team should go, but is short on a lot of details. Details come from meticulous planning, and at least somebody in the front office should have a roadmap on how to get there, and why we must sacrifice some short term pain for long term success. My hope is that we can get this figured out. We need a meticulous guy in there who can juggle and loophole with the best of them. These guys don't become available all that often and a team that blows up their front office might not be the team to take guys from. Bottom line, I think we need to steal a cap guru or AGM that can handle juggling while chewing gum and walking at the same time.

[MNCountryLife]

1 hour ago, Patrick said:

What has Brazeau done to deserver any ice time?  There are three guys in Iowa who deserve the time more than him.  That trade gets worse the more Brazeau plays.  I love the idea of 11-7!

Calgary won the physical game against us and Braz didn't play.  I thought he played well against the sharks. 

[Burnt Toast]

1 hour ago, OldDutchChip said:

all I’m saying - be smart

I’m with you. I’ve changed my opinion and think it’s best not to burn a year of his ELC. I want to have as many assets as possible moving forward as our older players get replaced. I’ll be happy letting this season play out as a possible “Miracle on Ice.”