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  • The Wild Could Use A Little More Attitude


    Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
    Jonathan Ryan

    Entering Wednesday’s road game against the St. Louis Blues, 33-year-old Marcus Foligno led the team in hits. Foligno is a good guess for anyone wondering who’s actively leading the team in hits.

    Foligno entered the game with nine, 43rd in the league. 60 minutes and six hits later, Foligno now rests at 14 hits through four games, 19th in the league.

    That’s a good sign for a team with an attitude problem; the problem is they don’t have one.

    Yakov Trenin also threw six hits against St. Louis, putting him at 11 for the season and 41st in the league. It was another good sign for a team still searching for this year’s identity. 

    I’m not saying they weren’t playing physically before the Blues; they’re seventh in the league in total hits. But how effective have those hits been? They certainly haven’t worn any teams out this season. Eight of their opponent’s nine goals this year have come in the second or later period. Still, the Wild have stayed in those games and have come away with points.

    The point is that this team may need an attitude adjustment if it wants to continue playing meaningful games next April. And it will have to be a big attitude adjustment if it wants to have any success going into May.

    At 33, Marcus Foligno may not have all the juice the team needs to win the physical game on the ice. Hockey is still a physical game, right? Speed, skill, and skating abilities are all a premium in the modern NHL game. Still, who will protect the Wild’s premium players when no one is establishing boundaries?

    Was there an answer to that shot Ek took, the heart and soul of this team? No. I’m still waiting to see that develop into the team’s dynamic.

    No Wild player has recorded a fight through four games, and the Blues delivered big hits to three of the team’s most important players Wednesday: Faber, Foligno, and Boldy. All three hits came in the first period, and there was no discernible response.

    Smart teams don’t let their opponents bait them into dumb penalties. The best answer is to score on the power play. However, the officials didn’t penalize Adam Larsson for his hit that injured Eriksson Ek. 

    Similarly, on Wednesday, St. Louis’ Phillip Broberg drew blood on Hartman late in the third period. The game was nearly over, but even so, the Wild had no response. Maybe there was no rationale to drop the gloves at that point; perhaps it was better just to take the power play.

    Eventually, the Wild may be left vulnerable to injuries if they don’t respond to opponents who play recklessly. Do you think Hartman has any history in St. Louis that may have brought a little extra attention? Marc-Andre Fleury remembers.

    With injuries to the team’s captain and assistant, they can’t afford to lose anyone else, not this early, not to players essential to the team’s success. The Wild need to set boundaries, and the team has yet to present their enforcer for 2024-25.

    Foligno has fought 14 times in the last two seasons, and Middleton’s dropped the gloves 11 times

    Trading away Brandon Duhaime (7 fights in ’24) and Pat Maroon (6) last season also traded away some of this team’s grit and toughness. I think it’s fair to wonder whether Foligno and Middleton are enough for 82 games. 

    Ryan Hartman is a tough, physical player. However, he’s more prone to a fine, suspension, or penalty minutes than dropping the gloves at mid-ice to send both teams a message.

    Yakov Trenin rarely fights (although he fought Zdeno Chara once). If provoked, Lauko may drop the gloves, but the Wild lack muscle. Four games in, that might be a problem. If they don’t develop a little more attitude on the ice, they risk more injuries like Eriksson Ek’s.

    I’m not calling for blood, and I’m not looking for entertainment. I’m not demanding anyone on the Wild fight on a regular basis or play recklessly, either. They need to be able to protect Kaprizov, Boldy, and the team’s goal-scorers at a moment’s notice. They also must be ready to play the heavy game next spring. It’s an attitude and mindset that appears missing. That should be developed sooner, if not already, with this veteran group. 

    The Wild’s roster isn’t ready to match up with the league’s heavier teams. That’s okay; the front office built a roster that skates well and plays sound defense. Still, the team’s scorers may be vulnerable this season, and that will only become more evident the longer the Wild take to develop a more fitting response to the elbows that have drawn blood to two of the team’s top centers.

    Maybe goaltender Filip Gustavsson’s game-ending goal against the Blues was the appropriate response, and it was glorious. But seriously? The goaltender scored a goal before the team even dropped the gloves. 

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    This feels like your baiting us to rip on Foligno.  Well I for one will not take the bait.

    What exactly is Midzy doing in that picture?

    Edited by Pewterschmidt
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    Here is some interesting info on age, weight, height etc that came out via the athletic.

    Mn Wild 2024-2025

    30th in weight at 196.1 lbs

    30th in height at 72.7in

    9th in age at 29

    30th most Canadian players with 27.3%

    (We have the highest amount of European players by percentage in the entire NHL)

    We have the 14th most first round picks on the team(teams above us are mostly all rebuilding such as Buffalo, Ana, Phi. 

    42.6% of all nhlers are first round picks.

    46.1% of the rest are 2nd plus rounders and 11.3% are undrafted. Very interesting stuff. Kind of shows how important those first rounders are.

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    Double edged sword. Want attitude but don't want dumb, unnecessary, ill-timed penalties that'll cost games, especially with a suspect (but improved) PK.

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    34 minutes ago, Mateo3xm said:

    Here is some interesting info on age, weight, height etc that came out via the athletic.

     

    Mn Wild 2024-2025

    30th in weight at 196.1 lbs

    30th in height at 72.7in

    9th in age at 29

    30th most Canadian players with 27.3%

    (We have the highest amount of European players by percentage in the entire NHL)

    We have the 14th most first round picks on the team(teams above us are mostly all rebuilding such as Buffalo, Ana, Phi. 

    42.6% of all nhlers are first round picks.

    46.1% of the rest are 2nd plus rounders and 11.3% are undrafted. Very interesting stuff. Kind of shows how important those first rounders are.

    Euro-ratio too high. 😁

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    We all knew this team is on the smaller end of things. Pushing for a smaller team to play a rougher game is a good way to have a bunch of injuries. Let's play to our strengths. You can still be aggressive without going out of your way to throw hits. The first couple games that Foligno/Trenin line looked like they were more focused on getting hit than playing the puck. I thought they looked better in our game with STL and are making more hockey plays. Goons are a thing of the past, let's keep them there. So far, I think it is safe to say that Foligno, Hartman and Trenin has been our least effective line. 

    I think that Lauko, Khus line looks awesome. They play hard, bring intense pressure and speed but are, on average, a smaller line. I will take that every day of the week when they play a fast paced game, give no time and space with the puck, play the body and still have the ability to create mistakes and offence with their high pressure style. It is far more effective than a couple goons head hunting while the puck is penned in our zone.

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    1 hour ago, Mateo3xm said:

    Here is some interesting info on age, weight, height etc that came out via the athletic.

     

    Mn Wild 2024-2025

    30th in weight at 196.1 lbs

    30th in height at 72.7in

    9th in age at 29

    30th most Canadian players with 27.3%

    (We have the highest amount of European players by percentage in the entire NHL)

    We have the 14th most first round picks on the team(teams above us are mostly all rebuilding such as Buffalo, Ana, Phi. 

    42.6% of all nhlers are first round picks.

    46.1% of the rest are 2nd plus rounders and 11.3% are undrafted. Very interesting stuff. Kind of shows how important those first rounders are.

    Low center of gravity?

    Low man winz?

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    Wait...did I miss something?  Are we calling the Larsson elbow dirty now, because even with my homer glasses on, I don't think it was an intentional elbow.  Looks to me he played the puck off the wall and his elbow caught ekker on the follow through.

    Quote

    Similarly, on Wednesday, St. Louis’ Phillip Broberg drew blood on Hartman late in the third period. The game was nearly over, but even so, the Wild had no response. Maybe there was no rationale to drop the gloves at that point; perhaps it was better just to take the power play.

    Really?  There was a 4 minute minor on that one because of the blood with 4:03 left in a game...that you've got a 2 goal lead in.  You let the scoreboard do the talking (and a goalie goal) on that one, because that double minor was a dagger to close out the game.

    Honestly, those two examples are not great ones that I want to see gloves on the ice.  If anything, the wild are finally demonstrating some discipline.  That reputation they had sure didnt help them out in the Dallas series...

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    3 hours ago, Protec said:

    Euro-ratio too high. 😁

    I do agree. Need some more Canada boys. There is a correlation with Stanley Cup teams having a lot of Canadians on them.

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    1 hour ago, Mateo3xm said:

    I do agree. Need some more Canada boys. There is a correlation with Stanley Cup teams having a lot of Canadians on them.

    Just no teams from Canada.

    cdM.gif

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    4 hours ago, Sam said:

    Who’s Al?

    Al Borlin. No, just kidding, Patrick and I think we've identified a pattern. Artificial Intelligence. 😎

    spacer.png

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    In the game with Seattle, I thought Foligno and Trenin were great and played real heavy. That's what I want from them, playing heavy. The fights are optional but huge hits can bring people out of their seats. 

    There are times to send a message and sometimes you have to drop the mitts, but so far this season, I have seen no reason to. But, put a finger on one of those scorers, and you immediately target one of their scorers. Doesn't have to be a fight, the reverse hit Hartman put on Ehlers a couple of seasons ago sent the exact same message.

    But in Seattle, I'd be surprised if Dunn woke up the next morning ready to go. He got the heavy treatment and limped to the bench multiple times. 

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    Exactly 33 fights in the league this year.  14 teams with zero fights.  Team with the most fights Philadelphia with 4.  Teams with the top 4 record in their divison 8 have zero fights.  Florida has 3, Calgary has 2, New Jersey has 1 and Dallas has zero.  Bottom 8 teams in the league have 10 fights.  

    Reality is the league isn't a fighting league anymore.  Fighting or being extra physical doesn't get you wins or loses.  

    Strong solid hockey gets you wins.  You can be strong on the puck without fighting.  That is the problem with the Wild at times.  They spend a lot of time on the outside of the rink not wanting to be strong in the middle.  

    Look at past Stanley Cup winners or even the people who play for the Stanley Cup, they all have people strong on the interior of the ice.  The Wild only have a few players that know how to do that.

    Foglino or Middleton fighting will not make the team strong on the puck. 

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    On 10/18/2024 at 5:43 PM, mnfaninnc said:

    Doesn't have to be a fight, the reverse hit Hartman put on Ehlers a couple of seasons ago sent the exact same message.

    This is how I'd rather Hartman address something if something needs to be addressed.  It seems like every other time he fights, he gets injured.

    More importantly though, he's been more composed and disciplined this year, something I'm glad to see more of out of him.

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    21 hours ago, raithis said:

    This is how I'd rather Hartman address something if something needs to be addressed.  It seems like every other time he fights, he gets injured.

    I believe the last fight he had was early in the season 2 seasons ago. He tore something on the right side and was out for a long time. I'm not sure it ever got fixed. While he's feisty, I don't think he can chuck rights anymore. So, he is a bit reduced to reverse hits. You are right on target Raithis.

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