Article: The Minnesota Wild Have A Kid Conundrum

[Citizen Strife]

Also, Mojo has the same or more points early on as Nelson, EP40, and Boeser, while only one point less than Thompson, Tuch, and Peterka.  Which one of those is making $800k?

One player isn't killing the team.

 

Edited Thursday at 01:00 PM by Citizen Strife

[MrCheatachu]

Even though his stat-line is looking eerily like Calen-Fucking-Addison, Buium is the only rookie who has seemingly played himself into a spot.

That said, there's been a lot of sloppy passing and failed zone exits/entries this season from the veterans that it's hard to pin it all on the kids.

Maybe you can pin some of the questionable play of the veterans like Faber for not having stability around them and trying to cover up sins of the kids.  There's got to be some advanced stat that shows the impact of making the Faber/Foligno's have to clean up the mess the kids left around rather than playing a disciplined/deterministic game.

But I dont know man...it's 4 games into the season being unable to steal one on the road from a Dallas team with a goalie we've been unable to solve doesn't seem like we should be in full panic mode.

Sadly, on the road against the Caps, Flyers, Rags, Devils is going to be a tough stretch we'll need to see how this team responds...

[Imyourhuckleberry]

1 hour ago, Citizen Strife said:

Hynes isn't running a charity.  He gave 4 different people chances at 2W (and gave them first crack).  Hate Johansson irrationally all you want, but one player getting a couple games higher in the lineup isn't the reason the team is 2-2.  

Maybe they run Boldy or Hartman next.  Hynes isn't out to get Yurov, Ohgren, or Jiricek.  They'd be playing if they didn't have issues or were providing too much upside like Buium.  Koivu, Rossi, and Ek all started as 4Cs at some point.

Some people just want scapegoats...

Zuccarello would obviously be on 2nd line if he were healthy. I believe the main reason Hartman isn't up there is they want him at C due to the Sturm injury. I might try JEE up with Kaprizov and Tarasenko, and run Boldy, Rossi, Yurov on line 2. They could double-shift Kaprizov and sit Yurov out of that line a couple times per game.

I like Foligno, Hartman, Trenin.

The minutes I see show Yurov delivering more fight than Johansson and Johansson is not a setup guy that's helping guys score more than someone like Trenin or Brazeau. He's fast, but he's not crafty and he plays a soft game.

We all understand that Yurov and Ohgren are not leaps and bounds better than Johansson right now, it's that they have an opportunity to grow their games with greater minutes and Johansson is a diminishing product.

I understand why Hynes is doing it, I just think it's a poor decision if the goal is improving the team and winning in the playoffs. I get that his comfort level with the veteran is greater than it is with rookies, but if the rookies get comfortable with greater minutes, their positive impact could increase rapidly and I imagine it will happen, it just isn't happening to start the season.

[Pewterschmidt]

2 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I like Foligno, Hartman, Trenin.

F-ART-T

[Imyourhuckleberry]

Just now, Pewterschmidt said:

2 minutes ago, Imyourhuckleberry said:

I like Foligno, Hartman, Trenin.

F-ART-T

FogHaT

[MNCountryLife]

17 hours ago, NoJoSux said:

Opened the game last night with a NoJoism.

I'm with you on Nojo.  I criticize him often on this site.  I feel like I'm beating a dead horse by constantly getting on him.  The first game of the year against the Blues he played a really good game.  But I also noticed that the Blues were physical with him.  Near the end of that game he was becoming less aggressive.  By the 3rd game of the year he was back to his old ways of putting on a skating drill.  His give-aways and lack of aggressive play causes us to get penned up in our D-zone for extended periods.  It's demoralizing to teammates and makes it difficult on the next line as well because they have to flip the ice.   It is unacceptable from a veteran that is capable of playing better.

I often hear that GMs and Coaches focus on consistent effort as much as skill.  Yet that isn't the case with Nojo.  I don't get it.  What message are you sending to the other players when you let him get away with this behavior.  The only place he belongs is the 13th man sitting in the press box.  Break glass for emergency use only. 

[MNCountryLife]

16 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Jiricek is more a victim of circumstance.  Unless they want to either shunt Brodin's minutes to cover Jiricek (no way in hell), Middleton/Jiricek (eh....), or Buium/Jiricek (God help us), he's the odd man out until Bogo is traded or there's an injury.

Let's not sugarcoat it, Buium brings something so undeniable they put up with his shit.  The others don't have that.

Well said.  

Buium definitely has an X factor.  He belongs on the top 2 lines.  He is improving at a rapid pace.

IMHO:  We need to alter the way we think about our D.  The top two lines needs to be:  Brodin/Buium and Faber/Spurge.   Buium and Spurge are the more aggressive players and would pair up nicely with the more "Stay-at-home" Brodin and Faber styles.  You put your best foot forward on the top 2 pairings.. and that is those 4 D-men.

The problem is that leaves Bogo and Mids.  That pairing struggled last time.  Jiricek needs to be in the lineup. He may be making mistakes but he adds more than he subtracts.   Give him 20 games and he will make fewer mistakes.  We are a faster team and a more aggressive team with him in.  That isn't a kick on Mids are Bogo.  It's just my feeling that they should be victim of circumstance... not Jiricek.

[mnfaninnc]

Quote

It's understandable to want to slow-play these youngsters, but they will need to ramp things up for them and get them ready for the playoffs. Without some of these players in decent roles, the Wild really are just last year's model, plus Buium. They need to be more than that, and if this 5-on-5 offense keeps up, they might need to make that jump sooner than they'd thought.

I like Tony's conclusion here. I understand Hynes' situation. As a coach, you want to know what you're going to get. You don't like surprises, good or bad. Hynes seems to be just like that. However, he's shooting himself in the foot. He's got to give these guys decent minutes and coach them through their mistakes.

For instance, it appears that Jiricek is benched because he made serious mistakes against the Blues. Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the Wild win that game 5-0? It was mostly due to Guus having a good day and Binnington having a bad one, but you just paid Guus #1 money, he's supposed to bail you out now. 

Hynes has got to change his philosophy and get outside his comfort zone. This will require extra minutes for the young guys. Why? Because with this schedule, he will burn out the vets. He takes a very short term look as next game up. He needs more of a long term approach of this is a marathon. 

For me, results this season will not be the determination of Hynes' job. How he is able to develop the kids will be the determination. Each one of these guys needs to take steps forward. If we have a season of a glitch, I don't care. Still add at the TDL. Have a season where you get a good draft pick and keep building. Chicago, Tampa, Florida, LA all had glitches on their way to championships. 

Note to Hynes- You're job is to build a championship roster. The floor doesn't do that, it's the ceiling you have to shoot for. You're going to have to get your gambler side going where you don't worry about getting fired, you worry more about winning the war. Play the kids, be vocal with them during the games, and use each intermission as a coaching session. Those are not usual ways, but you now have to change your usual. If not, their are coaches out there who will.

[mnfaninnc]

18 hours ago, Kato AK said:

NoJo, Hartman, yurov

Here I would prefer Foligno-Yurov-Hartman. Let Hartman take draws but shift to wing. Maybe this could happen when Sturm comes back?

[mnfaninnc]

15 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

Yes we need to figure out if he’s stubborn or stupid.  Stubborn can be coached out of him.  Stupid is as stupid does.

I get this. But this is a process. I've had to coach people out of bad habits before. 

1) you have to get them to quit the bad habit.

2) you have to teach them new habits.

3) they have to pick up the new habits, but this is filled with speed bumps.

4) they eventually learn the new habit and it becomes instinct to them.

On the pinching in, my suspicion is that in all other levels this has worked for Jiricek, and nobody has said anything to him about it. It's instinctive right now. It's got to be broken, and the only way to break it is to play through it, not eat nachos. It starts with him occasionally backing off. That gets praised immediately after the shift. Then when he makes the mistake ask him what he saw, and correct it. 

Also, mandatory practices are needed for the young guys. Work with them on these concepts. It's more time for the coaches but they need to put that in. Just out of curiosity, during the Kings game, did the kids get more ice time in the 3rd period? Based upon NJS's report, it sounds like Johansson was more responsible for the cave in than the rookies.

[mnfaninnc]

15 hours ago, Patrick said:

Also, on what planet do you elevate Foligno and NoJo over Hartman? Seriously WTF is he thinking? 

Let's say that Hynes does elevate Hartman, then who centers the 3rd line? With Sturm out, Hartman has to play center. Haight is already in Iowa, and I'd rather not have to play Jones. Bankier would have been the better callup, since he plays center too.

[mnfaninnc]

3 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Hynes isn't running a charity.  He gave 4 different people chances at 2W (and gave them first crack).  Hate Johansson irrationally all you want, but one player getting a couple games higher in the lineup isn't the reason the team is 2-2.  

Maybe they run Boldy or Hartman next.  Hynes isn't out to get Yurov, Ohgren, or Jiricek.  They'd be playing if they didn't have issues or were providing too much upside like Buium.  Koivu, Rossi, and Ek all started as 4Cs at some point.

It's not charity we're looking for, it's a chance. Why is it that 4 different players were given a chance on L2, but none of them were young players? Hynes has got to change his thinking, comfort zone, and approach. 

I realize we're only 4 games in, and not everyone has gotten the 2nd line chance. Perhaps OgZ is next. One thing seems certain, Yurov has won the 4th line C job as Haight was sent down. Now he's got to climb the ladder.

[Will D. Ness]

20 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

Bankier would have been the better callup, since he plays center too.

I like Bankiers game but he isn't ready.  Haight outplayed by quite a bit.

[mnfaninnc]

1 hour ago, MNCountryLife said:

The problem is that leaves Bogo and Mids.  That pairing struggled last time.  Jiricek needs to be in the lineup. He may be making mistakes but he adds more than he subtracts.   Give him 20 games and he will make fewer mistakes.  We are a faster team and a more aggressive team with him in.  That isn't a kick on Mids are Bogo.  It's just my feeling that they should be victim of circumstance... not Jiricek.

I honestly think it would be better to burn the ships and move ahead. What does this mean? It means that Bogosian is the 7th D, and if he doesn't like that, find him a place where he can be the 3rd pairing. You simply have to play Jiricek at this point and if he completely flops, stick in Hunt. 

Jiricek did not have a great night with Bogosian on the other side against the Blues, but they still won 5-0. Pairing him with Brodin should help that out. Hynes also has to look at the type of defense that Jiricek plays, and that is to cancel out a forward. Nobody else plays that way, but this is something that Brodin can work with. 

I like Bogosian's approach to the 3rd pairing, especially on the right side. This has nothing to do with his performance and everything to do with his age. Truly, it's time for that talk where he is 4th pairing right side. He's owed the conversation and the ability to say whether or not he wants it. I have no problem trading him out for a place he can still play. Guerin is very good at finding places for vets.

[mnfaninnc]

8 minutes ago, Will D. Ness said:

I like Bankiers game but he isn't ready.  Haight outplayed by quite a bit.

Probably true. Bankier was playing a higher line when I saw them in Charlotte last year. But, the real question here is Ben Jones a better option?

[MNCountryLife]

2 minutes ago, mnfaninnc said:

I like Bogosian's approach to the 3rd pairing, especially on the right side. This has nothing to do with his performance and everything to do with his age. Truly, it's time for that talk where he is 4th pairing right side. He's owed the conversation and the ability to say whether or not he wants it. I have no problem trading him out for a place he can still play. Guerin is very good at finding places for vets.

A nice respectable way to handle it.  Agreed.

[0 Stanley Cups]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

I honestly think it would be better to burn the ships and move ahead. What does this mean? It means that Bogosian is the 7th D, and if he doesn't like that, find him a place where he can be the 3rd pairing. You simply have to play Jiricek at this point and if he completely flops, stick in Hunt. 

Jiricek did not have a great night with Bogosian on the other side against the Blues, but they still won 5-0. Pairing him with Brodin should help that out. Hynes also has to look at the type of defense that Jiricek plays, and that is to cancel out a forward. Nobody else plays that way, but this is something that Brodin can work with. 

I like Bogosian's approach to the 3rd pairing, especially on the right side. This has nothing to do with his performance and everything to do with his age. Truly, it's time for that talk where he is 4th pairing right side. He's owed the conversation and the ability to say whether or not he wants it. I have no problem trading him out for a place he can still play. Guerin is very good at finding places for vets.

I would hope Jiricek at least gets to play Saturday against PHI

[MrCheatachu]

2 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Guerin is very good at finding places for vets.

I don't have any inside baseball, but I've gotta think Bogo wants to be in MN.  The google tells me he purchased a house on Lake Minnetonka for $2.8M in 2017 and an athletic article suggests he started coming up here since 2008 for offseason training.

He purchased another house in Edina (appears to be about 4 blocks from FreddyG and 5 blocks from MoJo) to 'shorten his commute.'

His brother, Aaron, was hired into the Wild staff by SillyG and had a nice writeup this summer by Russo.

It's my opinion that Bogo wants to be in MN, and wouldn't entertain finding a new pasture to finish up his career in.

[Mateo3xm]

19 hours ago, greg said:

Juricek trade is looking worse and worse by the day.  Giving up all those draft pics for a guy you won't even play makes that trade as when the Vikings traded all those draft picks years ago to get Hershel Walker.  That worked out well didn't it? 

It’s nothing like the HW trade. Nothing like it at all. Columbus got a good goalie with our first round pick. The prospect we traded to them, we got back on waivers. Hunt was most likely only going to be a 3rd pairing dmen on most teams anyways and he’s now in Iowa. They have more picks from us in future drafts but those rarely work out. Jiricek just needs more time and refinement. Defenders usually take longer to develop.

[Mateo3xm]

19 hours ago, Dango said:

Maybe its time to re visit the Tuch trade idea , throw in a Bogosian , couple picks ,  Vlad  etc ,  give Tuch a little raise  ,might be better than any center we can get .

They aren’t taking players we got from the scrap heat and a very old 3rd pair dmen for Tuch. It ain’t happening 

[ArizonaWildFan]

4 hours ago, MNCountryLife said:

Jiricek needs to be in the lineup.

I can't stand doing things because that's how everyone else does things or how things have always been done in the past. The Wild should be going with eleven forwards and seven defensemen with Jiricek in and Johansson out. Plug and play the kids and get them more minutes. Growth comes with growing pains... suffer a little more now and be rewarded down the road. 

[Mateo3xm]

6 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Also, Mojo has the same or more points early on as Nelson, EP40, and Boeser, while only one point less than Thompson, Tuch, and Peterka.  Which one of those is making $800k?

One player isn't killing the team.

 

I don’t completely disagree with your assessment of nojo and why the coach is playing him over rookies. It makes sense in ways to me but comparing nojo to any of those players is pretty ridiculous especially in a 4 game span. All those players are in their prime(besides Nelson), have far higher upside and will have far more points at the end of the year when they get settled in. It’s not a good comparison.

[Kato AK]

4 hours ago, mnfaninnc said:

Here I would prefer Foligno-Yurov-Hartman. Let Hartman take draws but shift to wing. Maybe this could happen when Sturm comes back?

At this point, I just want to let yurov get his feet wet. Let him adjust to the speed and systems and build confidence. No need to throw him into the deep end and tell him to swim.

[Imyourhuckleberry]

9 hours ago, Citizen Strife said:

Also, Mojo has the same or more points early on as Nelson, EP40, and Boeser, while only one point less than Thompson, Tuch, and Peterka.  Which one of those is making $800k?

One player isn't killing the team.

Honestly shocked they gave Johansson an assist on that Hartman goal. Hartman got the puck a stride or so inside the blue line, after the Blues mishandled a high puck and batted it into open ice ahead of Johansson. Johansson skated to it, made an unremarkable pass back towards Hartman, where Hartman dangled around the Blues player, then the Blues player went down to the ice and swept the puck into his own goal, essentially.  Hartman made the play, with some assistance from the Blues, and Johansson got a free point.

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/min-vs-stl/2025/10/09/2025020015

Against the Kings, Johansson fired a shot that got blocked without reaching the goal and the puck bounced way out to Spurgeon, who scored on a nice wrist shot because Hinostroza(who had won a puck battle at the boards earlier in the play) screened the goalie and helped Spurgeon to score. Johansson gets credit for something he didn't even try to do on that one. Stroh's at least won the puck and screened the goalie, but he gets no credit...

https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-min/2025/10/13/2025020047

Those points are fine, but unremarkable. I have no reason to believe they could not be accomplished by anyone else on the roster. For me, Trenin's one assist on the season to Hartman was more impressive than the 2 credited to Johansson given that the shot came directly from the Trenin pass, not after someone had to make a play to truly create the scoring opportunity.

[Citizen Strife]

I made a post in the other topic about this, but my point on Mojo is more about the "now.". I know Ohgren and Yurov have way more upside going forward.  They should have that second line spot.  But in preseason, four games in, no.  Foligno, Mojo, they had their chances.  Ohgren and Yurov may be better at it if they get called a week from now, a month...or maybe never.

Teams aren't letting elite players or even second liners walk anymore. That or do you want to spend $8-9m only Ehlers or Boeser?  That is the frustration.  Will Guerin punt a year to see how they do?