Player Discussion Erik Haula II

[57special]

He also cannot play 20 minutes a game anymore for 82 games and then go into the playoffs. Give him 15 minutes a game and I can all but speculate like crazy his numbers would actually increase. He was amazing at the start of the season for the same reason Vanek was...they were in shape and not under the rigors of being 30 games into an 82 game season.

It is nothing to do with him being a terrible player, but because he is aging and that does mean his minutes need to be limited and used wisely. Same with Suter's. When you have players like Haula who can play 20 minutes a game competently on both Defense and Offense, you would be foolish to not at least give those lines more ice time to conserve your vets for when you need them (ala maybe the last 5 minutes of the game when you need them to be refreshed and ready to play).

I think you have a point. I don't know if Koivu's pride can handle it, but i would like to see the Wild limit his TOI during the season. Sort of like how Popovich limits Tim Duncan's minutes.

Same goes for Suter, btw. There is no reason at all that he should be playing over 25 min/game.

 

[MN_Gopher]

I go even further and say play them(parise, Vanek, Koivu) just 65-70 games. Suter lower minutes. Pomms doesnt play a physical game and think he will be fine playing normal.

Play Haula, Nino, Coyle, Granlund big time. Zucker if he earns it.

 

[BigT2002]

I go even further and say play them(parise, Vanek, Koivu) just 65-70 games. Suter lower minutes. Pomms doesnt play a physical game and think he will be fine playing normal.

Play Haula, Nino, Coyle, Granlund big time. Zucker if he earns it.

Now you're just talking crazy it will never happen because as we've heard through these reports from Russo and others...there is already a rift between the "kids" and the vets in regards to ice time. I can't imagine it would be pretty if you told them they could only play 70/82 games and they were healthy.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Regulating minutes per game is realistic; regulating games per season is not.

 

[MN_Gopher]

Shifts in hockey are a kin to pitches in baseball.

Can't expect a top hitter to produce HRs as the worlds best pinch hitter. Even if it is every game. There are only so many pitches that can go for a HR. Only so many shifts in hockey are going to turn out in a scoring chance.

Rather see Vanek play 60-70 games at 17 minutes than play him 10-13 minutes a game. Parise and Koivu, not a counter per se but if not 100% day off. Both of them seem to need to feel the game.

Older guys can pick up after a few games off and be just fine. Playing less, IMO, is harder than taking a total day off.

Tim Duncan only started 60 games this year played in 61.


This year we were sitting an OK 4th liner all year long. I do not think we would have lost much if the vets were in that rotation.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Shifts in hockey are a kin to pitches in baseball.

Can't expect a top hitter to produce HRs as the worlds best pinch hitter. Even if it is every game. There are only so many pitches that can go for a HR. Only so many shifts in hockey are going to turn out in a scoring chance.

Rather see Vanek play 60-70 games at 17 minutes than play him 10-13 minutes a game. Parise and Koivu, not a counter per se but if not 100% day off. Both of them seem to need to feel the game.

Older guys can pick up after a few games off and be just fine. Playing less, IMO, is harder than taking a total day off.

Tim Duncan only started 60 games this year played in 61.

This year we were sitting an OK 4th liner all year long. I do not think we would have lost much if the vets were in that rotation.

They can do that when they are basically assured of winning 45 of the 60 games that he plays and 15 of the 20 that he doesn't. If we were the Washington Capitals on steroids, it would be a solid strategy.

 

[Slick Willy*]

I wouldn't mind Haula in a 1, 2 or 3 center roll. I think with the appropriate wingers by him he could succeed (assuming his pace continues next year) in any roll. That said a 2c or 3c would be ideal, I think.

 

[57special]

I wonder how much his injury is bugging him? He has been good still, and is getting his linemates going, which you've gotta love, but he lacks a bit of jump...with Zucker's decline, he's about the only guy on the team that has the jets to get clear and skate away from people. Though Nino did GREAT again last night.

I don't know how much it's coincidence, but the way Nino ( who looked slow and ineffective earlier in the year) and Poms ( who looked done) rebounded after getting on Haula's line has made him doubly valuable.

Love this guy, and hope he can keep up the great play next year and make himself some dough. Haula Fama

 

[57special]

This guy had a huge third period when we needed it. Monster effort on Brodin's goal , and though he didn't get an assist on Poms goal, he made it happen by racing down to negate the icing, then dug it out of the corner to get the play started.

Love this guy.

 

[Al Lagoon]

In a word, dynamic.

 

[Slick Willy*]

So he had 49 points in 43 games in '11-'12 for the U and 53 points in 37 games in '12-'13 for the U...could he develop into a guy who is getting these kinds of numbers in the NHL?


I'm excited to see what he does next year for us (assuming we still have him)..

 

[57special]

If he is traded, it better be for something GOOD.

 

[SupremeNachos]

 

[Digitalbooya]

 

[Sens]

I think he breaks out for 60 points... i watched Hoffman break out in Ottawa... When you got that kind of speed and offensive iq... A dangerous weapon in today's structured NHL

 

[DANOZ28]

if haula is the 3rd line C , i dont think he'll get enough ice time to put up big points. i sure like his walz type effort. fun player to watch.

 

[42]

if haula is the 3rd line C , i dont think he'll get enough ice time to put up big points. i sure like his walz type effort. fun player to watch.

Can he not move up the C ladder, if he shows he's earned it?

 

[Vashanesh]

Can he not move up the C ladder, if he shows he's earned it?

Maybe in even strength ice time, but almost certainly not in linemates or PP time. Which are obviously the two biggest factors to increased production.

Unless someone's hurt, I can't see Staal or Koivu being bumped down lines in favor of Haula, even if it appears that he deserves it. Then again, we have a smart coach, now... Anything's possible, I suppose.

 

[42]

Maybe in even strength ice time, but almost certainly not in linemates or PP time. Which are obviously the two biggest factors to increased production.

Unless someone's hurt, I can't see Staal or Koivu being bumped down lines in favor of Haula, even if it appears that he deserves it. Then again, we have a smart coach, now... Anything's possible, I suppose.

Is Staal still a 2C nowadays? His game has gone down the hill steeply over the last couple of seasons.

 

[Gaps]

Is Staal still a 2C nowadays? His game has gone down the hill steeply over the last couple of seasons.

Boudreau thinks he's a #1C, but it could be that he's not even a decent #2 anymore. We'll see.

 

[W75]

I think Haula looked good tonight against the Swedes. Was fast, at least not out of shape. Very good PK effort too.

 

[MNRube]

I think Haula looked good tonight against the Swedes. Was fast, at least not out of shape. Very good PK effort too.

Haula and Nino were the two guys Yeo seemed to dog the most. IMO they are the ones who stand to benefit the most from Boudreau's arrival. They have got to be excited about it.

 

[W75]

Haula and Nino were the two guys Yeo seemed to dog the most. IMO they are the ones who stand to benefit the most from Boudreau's arrival. They have got to be excited about it.

Yeah, agree. Sometimes it felt they were responsible for the other gyus' sins also. Although Haula had some bad stretches too, not gonna deny that.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Haula and Nino were the two guys Yeo seemed to dog the most. IMO they are the ones who stand to benefit the most from Boudreau's arrival. They have got to be excited about it.

Simply amazing that for the 1/3 of the season Yeo wasn't coach was when Nino/Haula/Pominville became the hottest players on the team.

 

[Vashanesh]

Is Staal still a 2C nowadays? His game has gone down the hill steeply over the last couple of seasons.

He's penciled in with Parise and Coyle as his wingers, last I heard. That has to indicate he's at least a 2C, if not a 1C with Koivu's line handling the other team's top line.

Totally up in the air if Staal fits that bill anymore, but it's his spot to lose by everything we've heard so far.


That's why I'm hesitant to crown Haula as more than what we've seen so far. He's fast, he's got decent hands, he plays a fantastic shutdown role, and he's shown he can be part of a line that clicks when the stars align. But he's probably never going to get 18+ minutes a night, he's almost certainly never going to get #1 PP time, and he's almost certainly going to continue to be top-2/3 in PK time for forwards.

I think he's an extremely useful and valuable player, and likely has more offensive talent than we've seen... But the makeup of this team, and what we already know about him leads me to believe that he's not going to get the chance to prove it.

Then again, like I said in my last post, we have a smart coach, now. Maybe BB pushes Staal into the quasi-3rd line role and lets him be the one who preys on matchups and pushes Haula to be a true #2 center.

But I still don't see a situation where Haula's on the PP, unless he's shifted into a wing who can take faceoffs when Koivu gets kicked out of the circle all the time? But I don't see Staal being much of a PKer, so that would mean Haula's on the top end of PK time, getting PP time, AND still playing 10-11 minutes even strength per night. Can he do that? Do we know if he can do that?