Minnesota Wild Season Grades: Brad Staubitz

In two offseasons, Wild fans lost the team winning, and the enforcer winning fights. It's a raw deal no matter how you look at it. 

Sure, Stuabitz played more minutes than Scott or Boogaard ever would have played, and he enhanced the defensive abilities of the team. Still, you can't help but long for a good beat down when the team is getting smoked, and there just was not that element this year.

I'm probably alone in that belief though, so let's get right to the grades.

GRADES

JS- GRADE: C He was quite marginal for most of the season, but as the season winded down, he became a much better player and was a big part of the 4th line down the stretch. He managed 4 goals and an assist in the final 11 games, after scoring no goals in the entire season before that. He wasn't Boogaard, but he wasn't supposed to be. Those 4 goals made him 4 goals better than Boogaard in his last few years with the team. He wasn't a terribly good fighter and was prone to taking dumb penalties, but he wasn't as dirty as I had made him up to be (he was a little dirty at times though). Staubitz did his job, but at the same time, I won't miss him once he leaves. His grade rises a bit because of those last few games in which he inexplicably outscored everyone but maybe 1 or 2 players. 

Elise- GRADE: C Added some toughness but not as much as the Wild have had in recent years. But did have a good run at the end of the season...Staubitz, offensive machine? (probably not.)

Dan- GRADE: C- We all knew what Fletcher brought him in for: to fight and to hit. For me, Staubtiz is one of the hardest to grade. You know he isn't there to score points or to eat up tons of minutes but what do you have say when he plays multiple 5 minutes games? Thats barely any ice-time, but can we really fault him? That isn't his job. 

Bryan- GRADE: C+ His final handful of games saved his bacon. Staubitz was brought in to "replace" Derek Boogaard, despite that not really being his role, nor being capable of doing so. For my taste, there were too many times, Staubitz did not stand up for his teammates, and was not the physical player he needed to be. That said, I don't think we have seen his full offensive upside, and if he were to use his physical side more, he would create some space to show his game more. He did have 15 majors this year, so he didn't fail, but he has some room to improve.

Nathan- Grade C- Staubitz was supposed to be a fourth line wing who could help the Wild run four lines while providing a physical presence. Frankly, he didn't fill his role either as a solid checker or as a pugilist (not that the Wild really needed the fighting role filled in general, in my opinion).

Cumulative GPA: 2.00 C

Final Thought

I miss John Scott. I know no one else does, but come on. Which would you rather watch?