2014-2015 General Wild Discussion Thread II (MOD WARNING POST #645)

[tomgilbertfan]

In adjusted save percentage – which takes into account quality of chances – only Darcy Kuemper of the Minnesota Wild has a lower one (.887) than Smith (.897) this season at even strength.

From an article about Mike Smith

 

[DANOZ28]

HELP ME! my hockey teams fallen and it cant get up. these guys should have to all wear life alert at the next practice. wpg just beat the hawks so we could lose the next 2 games and be just 1 point (i think) ahead of colorado! ps the last 2 years we've had slumps then good luck , i fear this year our luck may run out.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Odds of making the playoffs

 

[kfan22]

right now I am hating the Vanek signing! he is lazy and does not want to buy in to the system. I said back in June I thought the Wild should target Iginla over Vanek so far i think I am right. Not saying Iginla would have us in a playoff spot right now but he would always work hard and not take shifts off and would be another leader in the locker room

 

[Blizzard6411]

Fire Yeo and players to their strengths.

That is all!!#

 

[Teddy10Beers]

Last night against Philly we had a faceoff in the offensive zone and Yeo puts out the 4th line to take the draw. During Yeo's tenure I've seen this happen over and over and over again. For a team that struggles to score goals could someone explain to me why Yeo does this?

 

[NHL1674]

Some quotes from Russo's latest blog.

I’ll do more of a state of the team story in the next couple days, but I got with GM Chuck Fletcher during the second intermission for about 10 minutes. He’s not happy the way the team’s playing, but he made clear he believes in the team he constructed and the gist of the interview is players shouldn’t wait for some roster shakeup or coaching shakeup to get its act together.

It’s up to the players. The chance of some blockbuster seems minimal. He said Yeo is “absolutely safe,” ridiculed the question even being asked and said the coaches are doing everything they can.

Yeo also said after the game that it’s up to the players.

Cooke missed seven weeks with a hip injury, so he watched a lot of games from above and completed only his second game back tonight.

He came out to an empty, quiet locker room, pointed to the team mottos plastered on the walls that read, “accountability, character, commitment and work ethic.” He said they better get back to that stat.

Koivu said, “We’re a very frustrated team. We’re the ones who’s causing that and we have to find our way out of it. It’s literally as simple as that. … I don’t think we were even close to good enough to win a hockey game. That’s all of us.

Parise said, “Same story as it’s been the last while. … I don’t have [many real] answers. Lot of frustration on everyone’s part. … We have to address the issues, otherwise we’re going to be doing this for a long time. We’ve got to figure them out internally.”

Well, it sounds like the coaches and GM aren't gonna be much help, so the players need to grow a pair and work it out. There is something going on in that room. Maybe the new guys don't fit in. Maybe there was more to the whole incident with Harding meaning that some guys aren't getting along. Maybe someone pranked and loaded a teammates yard with toilet paper on Halloween night. Maybe someone didn't accept a friend request from another teammate on Facebook. I don't care WHAT it is that is causing these guys to not work together, but they had better damn figure it out! They admitted there is a problem, and it appears they are on their own to solve it. A player needs to step up and take the freaking reigns. Otherwise, I question not only the team, but EVERY leader on this club. Not just Koivu, but Suter and Parise too. Someone needs to take #$@!ing control in that room and go ballz to the wallz until it gets settled. Lock the freaking door and nobody leaves until there is a resolution. Throw punches. I don't care. Just DO something instead of the same #@$! of playing like crap and then giving the media comments about how we have to be better. It's BS!

All that said, Yeo is more guilty than he leads on. But that's for another time and place.

 

[Loopy0ne]

Sometimes, when a team takes a turd onto itself, it can be a good moment. But not this time

 

[Wild11MN]

I feel better about the Vikings right now than the Wild.

This is the most disappointed I've ever been in this team.

 

[BurnsyMN]

Some quotes from Russo's latest blog.








Well, it sounds like the coaches and GM aren't gonna be much help, so the players need to grow a pair and work it out. There is something going on in that room. Maybe the new guys don't fit in. Maybe there was more to the whole incident with Harding meaning that some guys aren't getting along. Maybe someone pranked and loaded a teammates yard with toilet paper on Halloween night. Maybe someone didn't accept a friend request from another teammate on Facebook. I don't care WHAT it is that is causing these guys to not work together, but they had better damn figure it out! They admitted there is a problem, and it appears they are on their own to solve it. A player needs to step up and take the freaking reigns. Otherwise, I question not only the team, but EVERY leader on this club. Not just Koivu, but Suter and Parise too. Someone needs to take #$@!ing control in that room and go ballz to the wallz until it gets settled. Lock the freaking door and nobody leaves until there is a resolution. Throw punches. I don't care. Just DO something instead of the same #@$! of playing like crap and then giving the media comments about how we have to be better. It's BS!

All that said, Yeo is more guilty than he leads on. But that's for another time and place.

It's incredibly frustrating for fans to watch this happen. All Minnesota sports fans know is mediocrity and failure. Then when there is potential in a team we can all smell the choke from a mile away. The first half of this season is beyond unacceptable. Management talks up the young kids and that this franchise is taking the next step to being a top contender, an elite team, only for them to perform like this is infuriating. The Twins are trash, the Timberwolves are awful, The Vikings look like they have potential but fell off. The Wild have a huge opportunity to take this entire state by storm and they're flushing it down the toilet. Shame.

Many might say "Hey there is 50 games left, just relax". The reality is the home and home against Winnipeg are must wins. If they lose both of those in regulation, we're 12 points behind them and our games in hand only get us as close as 8. That sets us up to chase till April, hoping they slip up and we go on a run. I don't see it if we drop these next two. Season is on the line this weekend if you ask me.

 

[W75]

Very good post NHL1674. And I too think that while this is something players must solve themselves, it's also something coaches let happen and develop. But as you said, it's maybe another story.

What ever it is, sounds like no one feels good and confident in that locker room. And they don't trust each other as they should. Or something.. but there's no Team right now.

 

[Jarick]

Really sounds like Yeo is doing a great job managing the personnel and locker room in addition to that brilliant scheming on the PP. At least he's learning to pass the buck though.

 

[Jarick]

Very little to be excited about as a wild fan. Team is looking to miss the playoffs, Granlund and Haula have major issues, Vanek is a disaster.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Very little to be excited about as a wild fan. Team is looking to miss the playoffs, Granlund and Haula have major issues, Vanek is a disaster.

...Yeah but Teddy looks like he'll be a good QB....

 

[melinko]

Fletcher is right that the group of players we have should be good enough but 4 of our top 6 players are on pace for like 20 less points than they have scored in the past and Kuemper turned into one of the worst goalies in the NHL in the span of 1.5 months.

Goaltending is the most important thing we need fixed, we have no chance if they don't improve. As bad as the offense has been at scoring on prime chances they have score more than enough to win many games only to lose because our goalies have given up 4+ goals.

 

[Avder]

Of all the teams we've had that have looked like they might do some damage and finally earn us some respect in the NHL, this is by far the most disappointing, underachieving, gutless, heartless, lost, spineless, and woeful of them.

This feels worse than "the collapse" from just a couple years ago in Yeo's first year. Remember when we had all those dumb avatars? And then it all went to **** right around the same time?

Yeah, this feels worse. The team is spiraling the drain and there's 50 ****ing games left. Again.

I don't want to watch a repeat of that god awful year. We've got some injuries but not nearly to the extent we had last year. Our forward corps is intact. Our defense is deep enough that we have at least 4-5 competent defensemen on the ice every night in spite of the god damned mumps.

Watching this team lately makes me genuinely sick. We all know what they're capable of. We saw it the first few weeks of the year.

Sigh.

It's the same old thing year after year with Yeo. Every ****ing year with him it's a hot start followed by a bad-or-worse nosedive. The last two seasons we've pulled out of the nosedive well enough to make the playoffs.

This year? With the West as good as it is and especially the Central? I don't like our chances. Good doesn't get you into the playoffs in the West anymore. You need to be outstanding to make it in this conference.

We all know they can do it. The question is, will they?

And if they don't, whos heads roll at the end of the year?

 

[Spurgeon]

Our defense does not look even close to as good as they did last year and I think it may have something to do with how aggressive we've become. Now, I'm not advocating for a Jacques trap game, but we need to really quit being so ****ing reckless. Our defense is stepping up into the play, but our forwards aren't protecting their position. When we're in our defensive zone, it's a mess of sloppy passes attempting to move the puck up and out of our zone, yet failing. Then when we get into the offensive zone, it's just pass pass pass, shoot into the shin pads of a defender and turn the puck over. I don't get what it is with this team, but it's afraid to shoot the puck and when they have the puck, they act like it's a damn hand grenade.

They need a players' meeting. Yeo has done everything he can, he's yelled at them, he's talked with them, he's changed lines up, now it's on the players to do something to prove that they're a playoff team.

On the basis of Yeo, he needs to start rewarding the young guns for their "veteran-like" play and punish the veterans for their "rookie" play. I'd like to see something like this in terms of forwards:

Zucker - Koivu - Nino

Parise - Coyle - Cooke

Vanek - Granlund - Pominville

Carter - Brodz - Haula/Fontaine/Sutter

...

Just checked Capgeek and apparently Haula can't be sent down, which sucks because he needs to refine his game. This team really has a surplus of players, so they need to do some trading. No clue what they need to target, I wouldn't mind having someone like Niemi though to help fix our goalie situation.

As far as defense goes:

Suter - SCANDELLA

Brodin - Spurgeon

Anybody but Prosser ------ Folin

Could use a Top 6 LHD, since we seem to have a surplus of RHD now. Don't know when Ballard is back, but he looked really serviceable until he got hurt.

Scandella deserves Top 2 time, guy has been a stud. Just wish he was a right handed shot cause I don't want him on his off-hand, but it might be a good thing with that shot of his to be lined up on the right point in the offensive zone.

As far as the PP goes, Zucker and Nino NEED to be on the top unit. Those 2 guys are seemingly the only people, other than Parise, that want to shoot.

Zucker - Koivu - Nino

Suter - Scandella

Parise - Granlund/Coyle - Vanek

Spurgeon - Brodin

Tired of seeing Pominville miss open nets on the PP. Could probably replace Koivu and Pairse, as well, but then there's no center on the PP unit. Although, Koivu seems to get kicked out 75% of the time, so it doesn't even matter.

Goalies:

Well at this point, we could probably just use a cut-out of Bryzgalov in net and he'd post a better save percentage, but Backstrom needs to be the starter when he comes back.

Backstrom (2/3 starts)

Kuemper (1/3 starts)

 

[slovakia18]

Vanek bashing next round?
he i s the reason why the Wild loose against the Flyers?
Really?
What is with Niederreiter(new Hero here) Gaols not all, he play in defens like a beginner.
-3 ,but yes. Vanek is the problem.....

 

[Slick Willy*]

lol the doom and gloom here is funny.



I am not that concerned, actually not even close, as some.


If our goaltending was even half way decent this year we'd have probably 4-5 more wins. Also have to take into account we've had (once again) a lit of injury and this year the freakish illness thing.

 

[DANOZ28]

im glad russo is finally telling it like it is. i dont know why some people would not be worried???? CF was on kfan about 5 pm last night saying he thought the goal tending was fine (not exact quote) im like wtf?

 

[Jarick]

I would not be pointing fingers at Nino. He's on pace for 36 goals right now. Parise on pace for 37, Zucker on pace for 31. Those guys are showing up.

Meanwhile, Pominville is on pace for 18 goals, Vanek and Koivu on pace for 13, Granlund and Coyle on pace for 8. That's terrible. Pommer and Vanek need to hit 30 and the rest of those guys should be hitting 20. For the amount of ice time and special teams time they get?

In the last month, the Wild 5v5 CF% has dropped to 12th. They are an average possession team right now. Not dominating games. For the season, they are 21st in goals against and 28th in save percentage. Clearly goaltending and team defense is an issue. But it's not just luck anymore, it's mediocre play.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

 

[Screaming Buffalo]

I see opposing players stand wide-open, untouched in our slot very regularly. Our dmen, all of them included, just stand there, they don't tie up, don't take away their stick, don't try to move them out of the slot. Nothing.

Perfect example was Lecavalier's goal last night. Great tip, yes. But our dman (I think Suter, but not sure) just stood by him and let him screen and get a tip.

We have good dmen, and this is a pretty simple, fundamental idea of playing in your own zone.

Are they coached to not tie anyone up? In hopes they can get the transition quicker. I have no idea. I'd like to think Yeo isn't that bad of a coach and I'd like to think our dmen are good enough to know they need to do something in front of our net.

Something is missing there. It happens a lot.

 

[Dee Oh Cee]

Falk was tying him up I believe, but yeah your point stands.

 

[DANOZ28]

reasons im concerned, #1 leadership we have 3 current or former captains & nobody in command. #2 goal tending no matter whose fault they are allowing 3 GA (or more) per game. also are goalies arent ranked anywhere near top 10. # 3 goal scoring, at least half our forwards are not on pace for the production they should have. #4 team toughness, we get beat up by bigger teams. positive; the D have had some ruff games lately but they have scored plenty 16G so far ; i was only hoping for 30G all season.