With the exception of last night and Nashville, this team that has been Chugging along "just fine" has little to do with the forwards. Kuemper has been the Little Engine that Could, dragging the rest of the box cars along with him.
It has a lot to do with the forwards; they are responding well with having two key players being injured. Most of this board thought the Wild were going to be terrible when Parise than Koivu went down, but this team rebounded. It helped that Kuemper has put together his game and has playing tremendously but the forwards are actually scoring goals and this team is actually playing well.
There is nothing to be "iffy" about. When your most important forward comes back from injury. You put him in the line up.
The question is where, though? Do you insert him back into the PP, onto the 1st line? With how well this team is doing (7 wins, 3 losses) do you want to disrupt the chemistry by forcing the lines again?
You hate Koivu. We get it.
He'll be the captain of this team as long as he wants. Try to get used to it.
We're not talking about captaincy. We're talking about where Koivu is going to be slated.
This is kind of a meta-discussion, but why is there so much hate on Koivu among Minnesota fans? Is it because he doesn't produce enough to be an elite first line center? Too surly and grumpy for a captain? Not good with media? Not from Minnesota?
The fact he's not a game breaking center but is getting paid like one. The fact he can't seem to stay healthy. The fact that there has only been two consistent in the past 5-6 years; Fletcher and Koivu when this team has failed.
Koivu is a good player, don't get me wrong but he's not an offensive force and the fact that people are gripping about how grindy this team is, then not realizing we have grindy players because that's how Fletcher built this team and we have the ultimate grinder as the 1st line center can rub some fans the wrong way.
Also the fact that Koivu has had a lot of difficulties with linemates other than Brunette and Mitts, despite who we've brought in.
I'm as big of a Haula fan as anybody, but implying that you'd rather have him in the lineup over a healthy Koivu is ridiculous. His "speed, tenacity and offensive abilities" have produced 3 points (yes, playing mostly with 4th liners, but still). Yes, when Koivu comes back, he will automatically go to the 1st line (or perhaps 2nd, depending on what they decide between him and Granlund) and that's exactly where he should go.
I'd rather have Haula over Brodziak on the fourth line. And that's where Brodziak is probably going to play unless they switch Coyle back to wing, which is another possibility.
But why does Koivu have to automatically go back to the 1st line?
Can't we keep the two lines and the fourth and put Parise and Koivu and Brodziak line.