Article: Zeev Buium Used the World Stage To Build Anticipation For Next Season

[Luke Sims]

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[Citizen Strife]

Offensive totals and +/- by the defensemen this season.

Spurgeon: 32, +8

Faber: 29, -2 (ick)

Middleton: 21, +11

Brodin: 20, +10

Bogo: 16, -6

Chisholm: 12, -5

Merrill: 6, -8

 

I mean...Buium had to help, right?

 

 

 

 

[Sam]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

Offensive totals and +/- by the defensemen this season.

Spurgeon: 32, +8

Faber: 29, -2 (ick)

Middleton: 21, +11

Brodin: 20, +10

Bogo: 16, -6

Chisholm: 12, -5

Merrill: 6, -8

 

I mean...Buium had to help, right?

 

 

 

 

The Wild as a whole were pretty icky. You can make the excuse that they battled injuries and whatever. But -2 is pretty bad, I’ll give him the pass this time. Hopefully Middleton stays offensive and it’s not just a unicorn of a year.

[mnfaninnc]

-2 on the whole year isn't horrible, especially if there was a run of injuries that affected things. When Faber was merely eating minutes, to get us through games, that was useful too. 

Personally, I felt that the 4 nations tournament was too much for Faber with his responsibilities on the team. I thought he came back looking drained, more so than Boldy did. 

I do think Buium will help, but I still see a logjam at the position. I'd really like to see a Jiricek-Brodin pairing, and a Buium-Spurgeon pairing. That leaves Middleton-Faber as a pairing that has been successful in the past. I think with those pairings, you could probably just role the pairings and give them pretty much equal time. 

This will help Faber with his minutes and probably give him more in the tank as the season goes on. There is also the possibility Faber simply went through a sophomore slump and will be better next season. Remember, in '24, Midsy had a pretty bad +/-, but he rebounded this season. 

[FredJohnson]

But is he big enough for Billy?

[mnhockeyfan03]

I wouldn’t read anything into how anyone played at the worlds.  I watched several games.  It’s played on Olympic ice (15 feet wider) and there was no checking at all.  Basically glorified scrimmages to put on a show and not get hurt.  Zeev needs to add 20lbs at least of muscle this summer.  We need beef to be able to clear the front of the net.  Right now only Middleton and jiricek have that ability.  Faber, Spurg and Brodin don’t and thus our penalty kill is terrible.  Other teams know they don’t have to pay a price to go to the dirty areas against us. 

[PNW Wild]

2 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Zeev needs to add 20lbs at least of muscle this summer.

Is that so he can be ~20lbs heavier than Cale Makar? Because Makar should get cut he's so worthless (sarcasm...)

[FredJohnson]

11 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Offensive totals and +/- by the defensemen this season.

Spurgeon: 32, +8

Faber: 29, -2 (ick)

Middleton: 21, +11

Brodin: 20, +10

Bogo: 16, -6

Chisholm: 12, -5

Merrill: 6, -8

 

I mean...Buium had to help, right?

 

[Sam]

16 minutes ago, PNW Wild said:

Is that so he can be ~20lbs heavier than Cale Makar? Because Makar should get cut he's so worthless (sarcasm...)

I never understand this concept either, but my guess is that they must not think he will be as talented as Makar, so he will need to beef up to play strictly defense. 

[mnhockeyfan03]

29 minutes ago, PNW Wild said:

Is that so he can be ~20lbs heavier than Cale Makar? Because Makar should get cut he's so worthless (sarcasm...)

 

7 minutes ago, Sam said:

I never understand this concept either, but my guess is that they must not think he will be as talented as Makar, so he will need to beef up to play strictly defense. 

Really your going compare Zeev and Makar?  Let’s see how Zeev develops he is very raw.  The is small that is a fact 

[MNCountryLife]

I thought Buium made mistakes against Vegas but played better than Merril on D and gave us more offensive upside.   He simply wasn't used to playing in a league where everyone is elite.  BG needs to let him play next year so he gets acclimated and Zeev will be a staple on our lineup. 

[mnfaninnc]

The reason he needs to add 20 lbs. of strength is to take the beating of an NHL season. Guys like Spurgeon are unicorns doing it at their weight. There's a lot more to being a defender than skating well and moving the puck.

Colorado plays a completely different system than the Wild, and the Wild expect their defenders to defend. Buium, against a much bigger Vegas team, battled, but he'll need that strength and weight to tie guys up along the boards, clear the front of the net and absorb punishment from defenders and blocked shots. 

I do think he'll get there. He's the little brother. Did anyone see his brother when he got drafted? The guy is absolutely ripped and about 3" taller. I don't expect Buium to get to his weight, but I do expect him to be at 200. Some of this will be natural filling out, but a lot of it will have to be in the gym. His brother will challenge him more than any of our strength coaches will. It should be a fun time at the Buium estate!

Checking in on Heiskenan and Makar they are listed at 197 and 187. 

[Up North Guy]

1 hour ago, mnfaninnc said:

His brother will challenge him more than any of our strength coaches will. It should be a fun time at the Buium estate!

I wonder if their parents are investing in a beef ranch.

[FredJohnson]

19 hours ago, mnhockeyfan03 said:

Really your going compare Zeev and Makar?  Let’s see how Zeev develops he is very raw.  The is small that is a fact 

The point is that just because a prospect isn’t X lbs or Y feet tall does not guarantee they will be ineffective or unsuccessful. It’s absolutely inept to judge them by their physical dimensions. Makar is a prime example of a player that is smaller than average but has succeeded. The comparison isn’t Makar to Zeev, it’s Makar’s size to what many say is too small to succeed.

[bisopher]

4 hours ago, FredJohnson said:

The point is that just because a prospect isn’t X lbs or Y feet tall does not guarantee they will be ineffective or unsuccessful. It’s absolutely inept to judge them by their physical dimensions. Makar is a prime example of a player that is smaller than average but has succeeded. The comparison isn’t Makar to Zeev, it’s Makar’s size to what many say is too small to succeed.

Agreed, and if you change out the name Makar for Marchand, it would 100% apply to Rossi...

[RedLake]

Trade them all and rebuild. Next year will be the same ol shit plus some shit FA signings.