Player Discussion Mikael Granlund VIII

[gphr513]

Thread #8 for the Finnish Baby Jesus!

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[gphr513]

You can most definitely improve by practicing faceoffs. To be good on the dot, it's more than just timing...there's a lot of technique around body positioning, which hand to use, leverage, etc. based on the situation.

If that's the case, it would be awesome if Granlund could get his faceoff ability where Yeo would be comfortable using him any time. Then you could put him comfortably on the PP1.

 

[Spurgeon]

Yeah Granlund really needs help at faceoffs, should get some mentoring from Koivu if he isn't already.

 

[MuckOG]

Yeah Granlund really needs help at faceoffs, should get some mentoring from Koivu if he isn't already.

I think he's been pretty good at faceoffs lately....Kevin Gorg was doing a pre-game interview with him a few weeks ago and he said something like Granlund was close to 60% in the circle going back to mid-January or beginning of Feb.

 

[Spurgeon]

I think he's been pretty good at faceoffs lately....Kevin Gorg was doing a pre-game interview with him a few weeks ago and he said something like Granlund was close to 60% in the circle going back to mid-January or beginning of Feb.

Just going off his last 5 games.

42.9%

35.3%

50%

15.4% (!!!)

41.7%

 

[MuckOG]

Just going off his last 5 games.

42.9%

35.3%

50%

15.4% (!!!)

41.7%

Yeah, those aren't very good numbers....

 

[Avder]

Just going off his last 5 games.

42.9%

35.3%

50%

15.4% (!!!)

41.7%

Wasn't his faceoff numbers part of the reason some people here were hoping Granlund would end up a wing and not a center?

 

[PAYHA]

Wasn't his faceoff numbers part of the reason some people here were hoping Granlund would end up a wing and not a center?

Outside the faceoff dot, he plays a centers game. He's been really impressive in all three zones for about a month now

 

[thestonedkoala]

Wasn't his faceoff numbers part of the reason some people here were hoping Granlund would end up a wing and not a center?

It was also his size that had some people concerned; if he was able to handle the rigors of being a defensive forward for the Wild.

 

[SomethingGeneric]

The thing I love most about Granlund (and there's a lot I love) but when watching highlights of his, every time he scores he gets so excited and you can tell he loves hockey and it's so fun to watch

 

[Wild11MN]

The thing I love most about Granlund (and there's a lot I love) but when watching highlights of his, every time he scores he gets so excited and you can tell he loves hockey and it's so fun to watch

This is one reason I love Zach and Zucker. I hadn't really noticed it with Granny though before.

 

[TaLoN]

It was also his size that had some people concerned; if he was able to handle the rigors of being a defensive forward for the Wild.

Which he's more than proven he can. He's an above average defender for sure.

 

[Past Considerations]

The thing I love most about Granlund (and there's a lot I love) but when watching highlights of his, every time he scores he gets so excited and you can tell he loves hockey and it's so fun to watch

That has nothing with the celeberation. Some players simply celebrate more than others, and those who generally celebrate more probably do it even more visibly in their first years of pro playing.

See countryman and veteran Jussi Jokinen for an example, everytime he scores he does his celebration like it is his 1st NHL goal. And then some players are just "ok, I scored, nice", barely even smiling.

 

[TaLoN]

12pts in the past 13 games.

2 goals and 10 assists.

 

[Spurgeon]

****, he needs some serious faceoff help.

18.8% tonight.

 

[TaLoN]

He's having a down year... was 52% last year, 47% this year. He's still growing as a player.

As for the 18% tonight... every player has bad nights. Even Koivu has had horrendous days on the dot. He's just gotten back to form the 2nd half this year. Early in the year, he was inconsistent from one game to the next.

I won't fret an 18% night from Granlund in a game we won... if we lost, that'd be a different story.

In Feb Granlund was AWESOME on the dot! He's just got to learn consistency.

 

[Spurgeon]

He's having a down year... was 52% last year, 47% this year. He's still growing as a player.

As for the 18% tonight... every player has bad nights. Even Koivu has had horrendous days on the dot. He's just gotten back to form the 2nd half this year. Early in the year, he was inconsistent from one game to the next.

I won't fret an 18% night from Granlund in a game we won... if we lost, that'd be a different story.

In Feb Granlund was AWESOME on the dot! He's just got to learn consistency.

Koivu should be teaching him some things, except maybe not how to get thrown out of the draw every other faceoff

 

[Bruce Granville]

18.8% was part of our plan to exhaust the Blues in the offensive zone.
Worked fine, well done

 

[TZM]

He's had a few bad games now to add his FO% incompetensy. He doesn't move his feet and plays slow overall.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

67% last night


And Granlund is +16 for the season. He definitely doesn't play slow. He just plays the kind of game you want your center to play. He always gets all the way back to be an outlet for his teammates as they break out down the ice.

There's a reason our two leading point scorers are on Granlund's line and love playing with him. If that lines gets a goal and Granlund wasn't apart of it you can basically count on him still having been a huge part of the play.

 

[J22*]

67% last night


And Granlund is +16 for the season. He definitely doesn't play slow. He just plays the kind of game you want your center to play. He always gets all the way back to be an outlet for his teammates as they break out down the ice.

There's a reason our two leading point scorers are on Granlund's line and love playing with him. If that lines gets a goal and Granlund wasn't apart of it you can basically count on him still having been a huge part of the play.

That reason really isn't a positive when arguing in Granlunds defense.

 

[Al Lagoon]

I think he could use a little more fire in his game - when he plays like that, he is very good.

Wonder if he is nursing an injury, because he does seem a bit tentative of late.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

That reason really isn't a positive when arguing in Granlunds defense.

It is when you realize that Granlund's line has the two highest scorers and they are rarely scored on--largely due to Granlund's defensive play.


To make it simple...his line scores the most and is scored upon the least. Both are good.

 

[J22*]

It is when you realize that Granlund's line has the two highest scorers and they are rarely scored on--largely due to Granlund's defensive play.


To make it simple...his line scores the most and is scored upon the least. Both are good.

The bolded is exactly the reason why Parise plays with Granlund, despite the fact that stats show that Parise is more productive with Koivu.

Granlund is back to being a passenger on that line the last handful of games.

 

[TaLoN]

The bolded is exactly the reason why Parise plays with Granlund, despite the fact that stats show that Parise is more productive with Koivu.

Granlund is back to being a passenger on that line the last handful of games.

I wouldn't call him a passenger at all the past few games. Sure, he has no points, but that line... including due to Granlund's play, have spent the majority of their time in the offensive zone, whilst being the primary target for opposing defenders from Anaheim, St.Louis and Nashville... grabbing momentum that then carries into the next line and leads to goals and wins.

Just because they didn't score, doesn't mean they didn't make an impact.