Line Combos: 2015-16 Minnesota Wild Line Combos Thread

[hirawl]

Parise should be with Granlund and Granlund should be separated from Pominville. That's how it stands now. I would even be ok with trying out Nino with 11 and 64 and seeing if Pominville finds any of his hands with Zucker and Koivu.

Vanek-Haula-Coyle is a very nice 3rd line.

 

[WildisLaw]

Granlund needs to be with someone who can actually put the puck in the net, it's def not Poms.

 

[Sharppi]

Parise-Granlund-Coyle
Zucker-Koivu-Nino
Vanek-Haula-Pominville
Porter-Carter-Fontaine
(Graovac goes to save the Iowa)

Suter-Brodin
Scandy-Spurg
Dumbaprosserfolinolofsson

 

[BusQuets]

Parise should be with Granlund and Granlund should be separated from Pominville. That's how it stands now. I would even be ok with trying out Nino with 11 and 64 and seeing if Pominville finds any of his hands with Zucker and Koivu.

Vanek-Haula-Coyle is a very nice 3rd line.

Koivu needs someone to play with him on the boards while Zucker finds scoring spots. I don't think Pominville would be a good addition on that line. Niederraiter usually does work down low making Koivu available to make a play and that's often a reason he doesn't get that much points(though his shot hasn't been as sharp as last season).

 

[hirawl]

Koivu needs someone to play with him on the boards while Zucker finds scoring spots. I don't think Pominville would be a good addition on that line. Niederraiter usually does work down low making Koivu available to make a play and that's often a reason he doesn't get that much points(though his shot hasn't been as sharp as last season).

It would be different but that's not necessarily all bad. Pominville is better down low and along the boards than what he gets credit for. He's also still probably the best one on the team at getting open. I think he could find his mojo with Zucker and Koivu.

 

[Billy Mays Here*]

Well, as much as I'd like to bury Pominville down in the bottom of the line-up he's still an integral part of this team and needs to start scoring. Might not be a bad idea to try him on the Koivu line since Nino has been fairly silent lately.

Nino - Granlund - Vanek
Zucker - Koivu - Pominville
Carter - Haula - Coyle

 

[Harvest]

Well, as much as I'd like to bury Pominville down in the bottom of the line-up he's still an integral part of this team and needs to start scoring. Might not be a bad idea to try him on the Koivu line since Nino has been fairly silent lately.

Nino - Granlund - Vanek
Zucker - Koivu - Pominville
Carter - Haula - Coyle

Has Vanek played RW before?

 

[Billy Mays Here*]

Has Vanek played RW before?

Yes, he seems to prefer the left but I haven't seen his play decrease when he plays the right side.

 

[CROCODILE SEATS]

Granlund needs to be with someone who can actually put the puck in the net, it's def not Poms.

This^
Also just looked at the stats, Wild had 11 giveaways, no bueno.

 

[57special]

I don't see how you can continue to make excuses for Pominville. He's been crap.

He doesn't belong in the top 6 as is. Demoting him might just be the thing he needs to get him going. He certainly shouldn't be on the top PP over Spurgeon, Scandella, or Dumba... all of whom have more goals and are used to playing point/umbrella. Does anyone think he has a better shot from farther out than those three?

Vanek has been playing really well. Hate to move him in the lineup when he's doing well, but he must stay on the #1 PP down low at least till ZP comes back.

 

[Harvest]

 

[borisbadenough]

You have to look at quality scoring chances by line and when you do you realize that both of the top two lines , over the past eight games , are having some real bad puck luck when it comes to scoring. Especially the Gran line.

The wild are generating grade A scoring chances. The problem is finishing. Looks like we only have 2 1/2 guys capable of doing that and a D that is way under performing with the exception of its goaltender. Dumba is not a NHLer..yet... soft melon disease. I feel bad for whomever is paired with him. Really impressed with Neids passing and vision improvements in the off season. He is much more of a team player , offensively, this year.

I would leave the top two lines and the number one pp unit alone right now. I would be looking for a stay at home defender who can play PK to permit some flexibility. Maybe a guy like Lashoff? (sp?) Not flashy but cheap and a third pair upgrade

 

[Minnesota]

Glad to see Granlund / Pominville broken up. Both need to try something different. I thought Granlund played pretty well with Vanek during a few shifts vs. Vancouver.

 

[57special]

Parise-Granlund-Coyle
Zucker-Koivu-Nino
Vanek-Haula-Pominville
Porter-Carter-Fontaine
(Graovac goes to save the Iowa)

Suter-Brodin
Scandy-Spurg
Dumbaprosserfolinolofsson

Great minds, etc..

Yes! Would consider Swapping Carter and Haula for grit/ defensive purposes, as Vanek and Poms have plenty of skill for a third line, but am intrigued to see if Haula can flourish with better offensive players. He has become a good defensive forward and near elite PK'er, but I feel he has dumbed down his offensive game to please Yeo. He was a scoring leader for the Gophers, and showed flashes in his first year of some nice hands.

Really like that Coyle will be up on the first line to do the dirty work, and free up Parise and Granlund to work their magic. Coyle will be doing the same thing for the Granlund line that Nino does for the Koivu line. Thankless, but necessary grindage.

Will be a nice forward line up once Fontaine comes back.

 

[Sharppi]

Damn I'm Nostradamus. Haula has THE chance right now, playing with Vanek & Pommers. Better elevate your game.

 

[Bruce Granville]

Damn I'm Nostradamus. Haula has THE chance right now, playing with Vanek & Pommers. Better elevate your game.

At least he knows how to play 4v5

 

[FVM]

Russo's Rants

Charlie Coyle has the stall next to Parise. As he was interviewed with Parise next to him, I asked about being on Parise’s line. In the most understated, unenthused way possible, Coyle said, “We’ll see how it goes, good touches out there, good reps, we’ll see.â€

Parise chimed in, “Geez, don’t be too excited, Charlie.â€

 

[A1LeafNation]

Id like to see Koivu with Parise.

 

[57special]

Id like to see Koivu with Parise.

We've done that. Why would anyone want to separate Zucker and Koivu? Koivu is looking better than he has in years, and Zucker is benefitting from some nice finds by MK.

 

[Minnesota]

Id like to see Koivu with Parise.

It's tough to break up Zucker - Koivu - Niederreiter when they're the only line scoring.

 

[El Nino22]

We've done that. Why would anyone want to separate Zucker and Koivu? Koivu is looking better than he has in years, and Zucker is benefitting from some nice finds by MK.

This. And honestly Nino hasn't been bad either. He's kind of got the Pominville syndrome of getting the grade A scoring chances and just not being able to finish.

I like putting Coyle on the line with Parise and Granlund. He's a big body and has been much more assertive lately with driving the net and taking shots. I also think that really simplifies the roles. Parise is the shooter, Granlund is the distributer, and Coyle works the front of the net and corners to help with puck possession.

The Vanek-Haula-Pommer line could either be great or a disaster on any given night and I guess that's just a chance we'll have to take. Maybe playing with two very offensively skilled guys will help Haula get going offensively again. When he first debuted with us he looked like a top-9 forward putting up 6-9-15 in 46 games. Not exactly lighting the world on fire but for a rookie playing largely defensive minutes, pretty impressive. He's a guy that's certainly capable of notching 8-10 goals and 30 or so points, despite his horrendous season last year, and his game has been a lot better so far this season.

 

[57special]

This. And honestly Nino hasn't been bad either. He's kind of got the Pominville syndrome of getting the grade A scoring chances and just not being able to finish.

I like putting Coyle on the line with Parise and Granlund. He's a big body and has been much more assertive lately with driving the net and taking shots. I also think that really simplifies the roles. Parise is the shooter, Granlund is the distributer, and Coyle works the front of the net and corners to help with puck possession.

The Vanek-Haula-Pommer line could either be great or a disaster on any given night and I guess that's just a chance we'll have to take. Maybe playing with two very offensively skilled guys will help Haula get going offensively again. When he first debuted with us he looked like a top-9 forward putting up 6-9-15 in 46 games. Not exactly lighting the world on fire but for a rookie playing largely defensive minutes, pretty impressive. He's a guy that's certainly capable of notching 8-10 goals and 30 or so points, despite his horrendous season last year, and his game has been a lot better so far this season.

I'm good with Nino. He is doing the dirty work, and saving Mikko a lot of wear and tear. It's not like he 's not producing at all, and he doesn't get to play on the PP, for the most part, which limits his production.

Like the idea of Coyle out there thumping anyone who looks at Parise funny. Plus, he's thrilled to be on that line.

Third line could be really good. Haula might have to spend all his time/speed playing D, but I hope he gets to benefit from playing with these two offensive players. Haula has been good on FO's this year. This will help them with possession. Not my favorite line for D zone starts, though. Poms and Vanek Haula looks stronger than last year. Seems to keep his feet better.

 

[El Nino22]

Oh Nino certainly hasn't been bad but he's just been a bit unlucky is all. The game on Wednesday against the 'Nucks is a perfect example when he missed that wide-open net in the first period. He's going to the right areas and doing the right things, just isn't getting the points nightly like Koivu/Zucker.

That's really my worry for that Haula line too...you can't give them defensive zone starts which means in all likelihood that the Koivu line will end up doing a lot of that work. The 4th line is a possibility but I can't imagine Gabriel is going to get more than 5-6 mins of TOI and it's risky to be double-shifting guys all night against a team like Winnipeg that likes to throw their weight around.

 

[57special]

Yeah, forgot about Gabriel. Want to see more of him, but he looks Pylonesque so far. Getting Fontaine back would be great, and add a bit of offense to the fourth line.

 

[El Nino22]

Gabriel hasn't stood out but that's a good thing for the type of player he is. I like that he can actually skate and in the little of him we've seen, he seems to be a controlled player. He isn't out there running around looking for trouble.

Getting Fontaine back would help a lot. Graovac would help even more in my opinion. Then we could finally just move Coyle to wing, we could keep Carter on the 4th line, and it would add another big body into the lineup so we don't have to play Gabriel 3 mins a game every time Dallas/Winnipeg/St. Louis come to town.