GDT: 01/28/2014 - Minnesota @ Anaheim - 9:00 PM CST - 5:00AM Suomi - FS-N

[Jarick]

Solid game last night. There were a ton of posts and chances for both teams but the Wild actually didn't just rely on pure luck and actually scored on the PP.

Is it just me, or do you want to see Parise-Granlund-Pominville?

Coyle and Haula are brutal in the dot right now:

Konopka 65.7%
Koivu 55.7%
Granlund 51.8%
Brodziak 48.9%
Haula 40.4%
Coyle 40.4%

That's going to be a problem when the playoffs come around. As bad as Konopka was, he was awesome in the dot. If you're going to have a fourth line that is going to get pucks deep and be disruptive, you have to win draws and not chase around the other team.

Also, how terrible was Rupp? Three penalties that cost the team a goal. Wild were playing well when they were using their speed and skill. When they started getting physical and slowing down to play to Anaheim's level, they let them right back in it.

Great game from Kuemper as well.

 

[Foxlockbox]

Solid game last night. There were a ton of posts and chances for both teams but the Wild actually didn't just rely on pure luck and actually scored on the PP.

Is it just me, or do you want to see Parise-Granlund-Pominville?

Coyle and Haula are brutal in the dot right now:

Konopka 65.7%
Koivu 55.7%
Granlund 51.8%
Brodziak 48.9%
Haula 40.4%
Coyle 40.4%

That's going to be a problem when the playoffs come around. As bad as Konopka was, he was awesome in the dot. If you're going to have a fourth line that is going to get pucks deep and be disruptive, you have to win draws and not chase around the other team.

Gotta wonder if GMCF is going to be looking for a strong FO center to the 3rd/4th line role in the trade deadline heat. But in long term I think Coyle and Haula will come around.

 

[TaLoN]

If Koivu is healthy, I don't think a deal for a 4th line center is needed. Easy to Shelter a single center in the circle than two.

 

[Chrisinroch]

Man, the Ducks have an attendance problem. Top team in the NHL and maybe 12k people show up.

 

[Jarick]

If Koivu is healthy, I don't think a deal for a 4th line center is needed. Easy to Shelter a single center in the circle than two.

The problem is that Brodziak hasn't been as good as needed. On pace for 6 goals and 24 points and less than 50% on the draw. The idea was to bump him to fourth line center, but you can't have your third line center going 40%.

That's going to be a problem in the playoffs. When games go into OT, you can't just roll three lines, and then that fourth line can cost you games.

 

[AJ Thelen]

Why didnt anyone nail Silfverberg when he pounded Kuemps hundred times after freezingthe puck..

Why the **** isnt the players allowed to beat the **** out of crappy ****heads who tries to do bad thing to one of our guys..

 

[nickschultzfan]

The problem is that Brodziak hasn't been as good as needed. On pace for 6 goals and 24 points and less than 50% on the draw. The idea was to bump him to fourth line center, but you can't have your third line center going 40%.

That's going to be a problem in the playoffs. When games go into OT, you can't just roll three lines, and then that fourth line can cost you games.

You hit the nail on the head.

Brodziak is bringing significantly less offense and defense than he used to. His offense production speaks for itself, but it should also be noted that defensively he's declined as well. As Jarick pointed out, he's faceoffs have taken a huge drop, and he's losing the majority of puck battles where before he was quite fantastic at that part of the game.

At the end of the day, when compared to Colye, he is only giving you a slightly higher faceoff percentage - which gap will be closed soon.

 

[Jarick]

You hit the nail on the head.

Brodziak is bringing significantly less offense and defense than he used to. His offense production speaks for itself, but it should also be noted that defensively he's declined as well. As Jarick pointed out, he's faceoffs have taken a huge drop, and he's losing the majority of puck battles where before he was quite fantastic at that part of the game.

At the end of the day, when compared to Colye, he is only giving you a slightly higher faceoff percentage - which gap will be closed soon.

To be fair, Brodz hasn't so much dropped off as we might have misremembered his ability:

2009-10 0.39ppg 48.4%
2010-11 0.46ppg 48.9%
2011-12 0.54ppg 49.5%
2012-13 0.25ppg 49.4%
2013-14 0.29ppg 48.9%

His draws are about average, but his offensive production dropped sharply starting last year.

If you're averaging about 16 draws per game, 40% will be about 6.4 wins and 49% is 7.8 wins. So we're talking the difference of about 1-2 draws won or lost per game.

The big thing is managing those zone starts. You can't have Coyle or Haula out for D zone draws against scoring lines. That's trouble. That's when it's going to be hard to through out your depth guys.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Man, the Ducks have an attendance problem. Top team in the NHL and maybe 12k people show up.

Props of having 3 teams in Cali.

 

[TaLoN]

The problem is that Brodziak hasn't been as good as needed. On pace for 6 goals and 24 points and less than 50% on the draw. The idea was to bump him to fourth line center, but you can't have your third line center going 40%.

That's going to be a problem in the playoffs. When games go into OT, you can't just roll three lines, and then that fourth line can cost you games.

Brodziak has had to face tougher competition on the draw after Koivu was injured and Konopka waived. When Koivu comes back I'm confident his faceoff numbers will return to normal.

 

[DANOZ28]

Man, the Ducks have an attendance problem. Top team in the NHL and maybe 12k people show up.

and yet the nhl appears ready to expand. hmmmmm. but that is shocking.

 

[Loopy0ne]

When this (recent) rendition of the Wild are going hot, it really makes me happy to watch them play. I am a little worried that Koivu could somehow complicate and mess with it.

I love Koivu, but, one has to wonder what would happen if we traded him for a king's ransom, made Parise captain, and put Granlund on the first line full time. We are probably better with him, and I think he has the NTC or something, but, it's still interesting to theorize with what is going on with the team.

 

[space321]

When this (recent) rendition of the Wild are going hot, it really makes me happy to watch them play. I am a little worried that Koivu could somehow complicate and mess with it.

I love Koivu, but, one has to wonder what would happen if we traded him for a king's ransom, made Parise captain, and put Granlund on the first line full time. We are probably better with him, and I think he has the NTC or something, but, it's still interesting to theorize with what is going on with the team.

There's no scenario in this world that we would be a better team without Koivu. You're just saying this now because we've been playing hot as of late. Remember when we were hot at the beginning of the season? Koivu was a big reason why.

 

[rynryn]

When this (recent) rendition of the Wild are going hot, it really makes me happy to watch them play. I am a little worried that Koivu could somehow complicate and mess with it.

I love Koivu, but, one has to wonder what would happen if we traded him for a king's ransom, made Parise captain, and put Granlund on the first line full time. We are probably better with him, and I think he has the NTC or something, but, it's still interesting to theorize with what is going on with the team.

probably?!

despite missing this time Koivu is still second on the team in points.

 

[Loopy0ne]

They have been playing differently with him gone, and, it is in a good way. That is really all that I am talking about and I do remember the beginning of the season when they couldn't score.

 

[Loopy0ne]

probably?!

despite missing this time Koivu is still second on the team in points.

Somebody usually gets some points even when their teams are losing games...

 

[rynryn]

Somebody usually gets some points even when their teams are losing games...

but we're doing so well and scoring so surely someone should have caught up to him.

he's anything but flashy, but he is steady and he does produce points. mostly assists, meaning he is enabling other people to score.

 

[Blizzard6411]

I can buy the argument that it was good for this current roster to be forced to play without Parise and Koivu for awhile but I can never buy that it is bad or complicated that they are back.

 

[Jarick]

My two cents:

There are likely line combinations and strategies than were in place before Koivu/Parise got hurt, and losing one or both of them could force the coaches to mix things up and discover new things.

But I would still take Koivu and Parise in the lineup every day of the week, because they obviously are very good players and help the matchups for everyone else.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

When this (recent) rendition of the Wild are going hot, it really makes me happy to watch them play. I am a little worried that Koivu could somehow complicate and mess with it.

I love Koivu, but, one has to wonder what would happen if we traded him for a king's ransom, made Parise captain, and put Granlund on the first line full time. We are probably better with him, and I think he has the NTC or something, but, it's still interesting to theorize with what is going on with the team.

The key words here are "a king's ransom", which probably implies that you are improving multiple areas of the team, hence making the team better as a whole.

Nobody is untradeable, but I don't see a situation where our return would justify making a move like this.