Player Discussion Erik Haula Appreciation Thread... We'll Miss You Haula-Famer!

[Bazeek]

It's good that he sounds hungry for opportunity. Vegas is nothing if not that.

 

[BagHead]

He was alright. Good 3rd liner. I love the Gophers. May still have some untapped upside. My fiance sold him pizza one time.

I like Dumba more... but I will miss him a bit.

 

[Jacques The Mayor]

I'll go visit him in Vegas

 

[TaLoN]

Don't really know where to put this, but he praised Mikko as captain in Russo's article.



One other quote:

Like ThatGuy22 said... he could be their Wes Walz for years to come!

 

[Hall of Faber]

Wont miss him IRL but I will in NHL 18

 

[Aurinko]

Really like his effort on this one. Cya Haula.

This kind of got me.

Most of the forwards wouldn't even bother trying to defend like that. Erik had good positioning trying to prevent the passes and did more in that clip than most average players would have.

 

[57special]

This kind of got me.

Most of the forwards wouldn't even bother trying to defend like that. Erik had good positioning trying to prevent the passes and did more in that clip than most average players would have.

Me, too. Post implied that Haula was lazy, and a bad defensive player, which couldn't be further from the truth. We can all cherry pick YouTube clips of players having bad moments.

 

[Hall of Faber]

^ LOL. Minnesota fans. If you accept that effort from your players. Then, no wonder we don't ever win anything. Sure, small sample size but I'll put two and two together with Haula getting benched in Detroit in March, always being demoted from the 3rd line row and Yeo clearly frustrated with him the camp after his amazing postseason. If he was the next Walz, then why did we need to go get Hanzel...?

 

[TaLoN]

^ LOL. Minnesota fans. If you accept that effort from your players. Then, no wonder we don't ever win anything. Sure, small sample size but I'll put two and two together with Haula getting benched in Detroit in March, always being demoted from the 3rd line row and Yeo clearly frustrated with him the camp after his amazing postseason. If he was the next Walz, then why did we need to go get Hanzel...?

You forget, Hanzal was acquired for two reasons, we needed a 4th line center since Graovac couldn't cut it, and trading for Hanzal kept him away from the competition, which also allowed the Wild to move Haula to the 4th line.

You can hate Haula all you want, but this is his appreciation thread, can we keep it to that please?

He's already gone, no need to kick him in his way out.

 

[BagHead]

This kind of got me.

Most of the forwards wouldn't even bother trying to defend like that. Erik had good positioning trying to prevent the passes and did more in that clip than most average players would have.

Odd. I think that's the laziest play Haula has ever performed. I remember cursing Haula's name after it happened, and then cursing the Philly play-by-play guy for not knowing the difference between a fair haired Finnish man and a dark haired Filipino man.

I feel like picking that clip is cherry picking on Haula's career here. Sure he had a few lazy plays, and sure he seemed to need more motivating than almost anyone else in the organization, as his lack of consistency seemed to come from him not playing with the speed he possesses, but he was a darn good third line center for us, and he's a pretty great defensive player.

 

[W75]

Good soldier.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

I'll miss him. He went hot and cold but man when he was on he played like a top-6 center. Hope he does well in Vegas!

 

[Aurinko]

Really like his effort on this one. Cya Haula.

I actually really like this clip.

If you look what every single Wild player does, you see that Haula is the only player that does ANYTHING. Rest just stand there doing absolutely nothing and Duby lets in a softy. That's what I see.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Glad this thread exists. Cheered for this player to make it from the first days I was writing about the Wild. Has the skills to be a European pro scorer but wanted to be an NHLer, so he reinvented himself as a checker. I think he'll be a nice fit for Vegas, got himself a deserved raise. And he seems like one of those players who always scores against his old team.

 

[57special]

Maybe Parise will have to get his stick going against Haula's hands...

 

[57special]

Miss you, Erik! Man, could we use you.

13g / 11a / 29GP

 

[Uberdachen]

Could never have afforded his 2.75 million and still had space for Ennis' 4.6 million...

I could fight a dinosaur with the ferocity of my rage vomit.

 

[Al Lagoon]

I miss the speed - having a center who can win draws, and skate that fast, with good offensive instincts. Underrated.

I always thought he was the logical heir to the Wes Walz role. Looks like Vegas has bigger plans for him.

$%^&* Vegas. We get Stacy Roest and Aaron Gavey, and they get to bend the Wild over and extort Haula AND Tuch out of us, and other similar packages from other teams.

 

[57special]

I could fight a dinosaur with the ferocity of my rage vomit.

Ditto.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Could never have afforded his 2.75 million and still had space for Ennis' 4.6 million...

I could fight a dinosaur with the ferocity of my rage vomit.

Only because Pominville's 5.6 million was going the other way, which made room for Ennis' 4.6 million, which if it didn't happen meant we'd have even less room for Haula's 2.75 million.

 

[HollaHaula]

Haula would have never gotten the opportunity to shine here like he is in Vegas. He actually has actual linemates in Neal and Perron rather than whatever grinders he would have been saddled with the Wild.

I'm glad to see him doing so well, as I believed he could be a legitimate NHLer when watching him with the Gophers. Speed, sneaky good IQ and hands, and a ton of swag.

 

[Goose312]

Haula would have never gotten the opportunity to shine here like he is in Vegas. He actually has actual linemates in Neal and Perron rather than whatever grinders he would have been saddled with the Wild.

I'm glad to see him doing so well, as I believed he could be a legitimate NHLer when watching him with the Gophers. Speed, sneaky good IQ and hands, and a ton of swag.

Absolutely. Guy is playing top line and 1st powerplay. In order to be doing the same here he would have to supplant Staal? Nah. Koivu? Maybe on the PP though unlikely, but Koivu's defense would always get him the ice time over Haula who isn't as defensively sound as he would need to be to succeed with Boudreau.

 

[gphr513]

I was always really bummed to lose Haula. One of my favorite players, for sure.

In hindsight, with how Murphy has came in and played, I think I would have rather lost Dumba to Vegas, and then kept Haula-Tuch.

 

[HollaHaula]

Absolutely. Guy is playing top line and 1st powerplay. In order to be doing the same here he would have to supplant Staal? Nah. Koivu? Maybe on the PP though unlikely, but Koivu's defense would always get him the ice time over Haula who isn't as defensively sound as he would need to be to succeed with Boudreau.

Playing with better linemates have likely inflated Haula's points. However, when you watch him play he seems to know how to end up in the right spot. And Haula doesn't need to be succeeding with Boudreau when he's succeeding with Gallant and a better record.

 

[HollaHaula]

I was always really bummed to lose Haula. One of my favorite players, for sure.

In hindsight, with how Murphy has came in and played, I think I would have rather lost Dumba to Vegas, and then kept Haula-Tuch.

I would have just lost Dumba and thus made no other trades last offseason.