Minnesota Wild Season Grades: Antti Miettinen

To drive the point home further, that would be three defensemen, a guy who missed nearly 50 games, a fourth line forward, and third line center. Let's just say, the 35 points was a bit underwhelming. 

With that type of intro, you can venture a guess at the type of grades Mittens received. Please know, none of us enjoyed giving them. Make the jump, if you would.

GRADES

Elise- GRADE: D+ Oh boy, I haven't seen all the grades but I think this could get ugly. Miettinen's play went down this year, and he definitely didn't impress anyone, but not all the blame can be put on him because that's not his role. He gets a lot of flak from people about not being able to finish and missing obvious plays, and a lot of it is deserved, but he was also thrust into a top line role that he shouldn't have been. That being said, he probably won't be back.

Dan- GRADE: B We all know what to expect from Miettinen. 35-40 points goals along side Brunette and Koivu and he does it again. However, he is forced into the first line, a position he really isn't suited for. That should not affect Miettinen's grade since that lies solely on the General Manager. 

Nathan- GRADE: D-. The only reason Mittens doesn't get an F is because he works hard, creates scoring opportunities but isn't talented enough to finish. He's a very, very solid third line guy. Unfortunately, Mikko Koivu protects him or something. Miettinen should NOT be on the first line of an NHL franchise. It's that simple. He's not fast enough, not a good enough playmaker and can't finish. He hits more pipes than Snoop Dogg, and if it weren't for the fact that he had a garbageman picking up his trash and time with the captain on his line he'd be looking at trying to break 20 points instead of 35. Time to let Miettinen either slide down the pecking order to head out of town.

Cumulative GPA: 1.26 D

Final Thoughts

Antti Miettinen is harder on himself than any member of the media could ever be. I can guarantee you, without asking him, that he is miserable about this season's performance. While we can admire his ability to see just how bad he played, and to not find it acceptable, the truth is, it was still pretty bad. As many said in the post above, the first line was never a place for Mittens. How he ever found a role on that line is beyond me, and there never was a clear answer. If he wants to stay in the NHL, he really needs to accept less money and find a role as a checker with some offensive ability.