Player Discussion Matt Boldy

[Dr Jan Itor]

Still pretty impressive though

No doubt.

 

[ThatGuy22]

Years are a little off.

Boldy is about to turn 22.

Gaborik turned 20 in the middle of his first 30 goal season.

I assume it's based off NHLs aged season definition. It's the age at the start if the season.

Boldy is about to turn 22, but this is his 21 aged season.

Gaborik was his 19th aged season.

Point remains, but the post is also inaccurate because it was Gaboriks 19/20 season not 20/21.

 

[Digitalbooya]

They manipulated the criteria to point out how good he’s been. Happens all the time. It also goes to show you we haven’t had a ton of super young skill forwards on the team.

 

[thestonedkoala]

They manipulated the criteria to point out how good he’s been. Happens all the time. It also goes to show you we haven’t had a ton of super young skill forwards on the team.

Correction we haven't been able to develop a ton of super young skilled forwards.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Correction we haven't been able to develop a ton of super young skilled forwards.

Re-correction, we haven't drafted a ton of super skilled forwards.

 

[Minnewildsota]

Re-correction, we haven't drafted a ton of super skilled forwards.

re-re-correction. We haven't drafted

Am I doing this right?

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

re-re-correction. We haven't drafted

Am I doing this right?

I'm just saying, I'm don't think that there's an amount of team-directed development that would've turned Mason Shaw into Brayden Point.

 

[Minnewildsota]

I'm just saying, I'm don't think that there's an amount of team-directed development that would've turned Mason Shaw into Brayden Point.

No, I gotchu. While I quoted you, I was just playing along with all the corrections. Just thought it was humorous

 

[thestonedkoala]

Re-correction, we haven't drafted a ton of super skilled forwards.

That's not necessarily true;

Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula, Johan Larsson, Adam Gilmour, Joel Eriksson-Ek, Jordan Greenway, Luke Kunin and then trading for Charlie Coyle and Nino Neiderreiter

I wouldn't consider Johan Larsson, Adam Gilmour, Jordan Greenway super skilled but they had skills.

Hell I'd put Jason Zucker in there as well.

The foundations were there for some of these players to be more than they should have been, but the coaching was sub-par to get them there.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

That's not necessarily true;

Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula, Johan Larsson, Adam Gilmour, Joel Eriksson-Ek, Jordan Greenway, Luke Kunin and then trading for Charlie Coyle and Nino Neiderreiter

I wouldn't consider Johan Larsson, Adam Gilmour, Jordan Greenway super skilled but they had skills.

Hell I'd put Jason Zucker in there as well.

The foundations were there for some of these players to be more than they should have been, but the coaching was sub-par to get them there.

Players generally are going to be what they're going to be. Teams can maybe nudge them forward a couple of percentage points, but really all they can do is not get in the way.

I can't really say that I think that the team stood in the way of any of those names you listed. Maybe Eriksson Ek for a couple years just based on how obsessed they were with the GREEF checking line, but he was still seeing a bunch of PP time during those years.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Players generally are going to be what they're going to be. Teams can maybe nudge them forward a couple of percentage points, but really all they can do is not get in the way.

I can't really say that I think that the team stood in the way of any of those names you listed. Maybe Eriksson Ek for a couple years just based on how obsessed they were with the GREEF checking line, but he was still seeing a bunch of PP time during those years.

Haula broke out in Las Vegas and has been a steady contributor on offense; injuries have really derailed his career.

Granlund had as much or even more hype than Kaprizov. His first two years were beyond disappointing for a team starved for offense.

Eriksson-Ek was seen at most as a third line center to most around here - if lucky a Koivu clone. He's passed that because the team has done a better job of putting players in positions to succeed.

Minnesota couldn't develop any offensive player and it's not like they didn't have the guys. They did a piss-poor job of drafting under Fletcher, but they still had guys. Got to wonder what Coyle or Neids would have been like if Minnesota had Guerin at that time.

 

[MuckOG]

Haula broke out in Las Vegas and has been a steady contributor on offense; injuries have really derailed his career.

Granlund had as much or even more hype than Kaprizov. His first two years were beyond disappointing for a team starved for offense.

Eriksson-Ek was seen at most as a third line center to most around here - if lucky a Koivu clone. He's passed that because the team has done a better job of putting players in positions to succeed.

Minnesota couldn't develop any offensive player and it's not like they didn't have the guys. They did a piss-poor job of drafting under Fletcher, but they still had guys. Got to wonder what Coyle or Neids would have been like if Minnesota had Guerin at that time.

Ek should've spent more team in Iowa at the beginning of his career.

 

[AKL]

Haula broke out in Las Vegas and has been a steady contributor on offense; injuries have really derailed his career.

Granlund had as much or even more hype than Kaprizov. His first two years were beyond disappointing for a team starved for offense.

Eriksson-Ek was seen at most as a third line center to most around here - if lucky a Koivu clone. He's passed that because the team has done a better job of putting players in positions to succeed.

Minnesota couldn't develop any offensive player and it's not like they didn't have the guys. They did a piss-poor job of drafting under Fletcher, but they still had guys. Got to wonder what Coyle or Neids would have been like if Minnesota had Guerin at that time.

Isn't Ek a prime example of his point that the team doesn't generally stand in the way of what the player is to be? The team did everything they could to make him a third line center with minimal offensive chops and he's still a good, two-way top six center now.

 

[TaLoN]

Yeah... so... Boldy... He's awesome!

 

[north21]

Yeah... so... Boldy... He's awesome!

Apparently he has a shot too.

 

[Minnewildsota]

Apparently he has a shot too.

That's not what I hear

 

[TaLoN]

That's not what I hear

Below average they say!

 

[Digitalbooya]

Below average they say!

People tend to hold onto things said here like high school girls and then bring them up later when things change. He went 0-52 shots and 0-32 shots during two separate goal droughts of 15 games and 11 games just this season. His shot was incredibly bad during that stretch and that was when my comment of his below average shot was made.

His shot has been much improved recently. Over 30% in his last 10 games and has been picking his corners. Hopefully he keeps it up.

 

[Minnewildsota]

People tend to hold onto things said here like high school girls and then bring them up later when things change. He went 0-52 shots and 0-32 shots during two separate goal droughts of 15 games and 11 games just this season. His shot was incredibly bad during that stretch and that was when my comment of his below average shot was made.

His shot has been much improved recently. Over 30% in his last 10 games and has been picking his corners. Hopefully he keeps it up.

For the record, I just bring it up in good jest.

 

[57special]

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I just think it's possible to still have a good shot and not score.

Kaprizov started last year 0-26 and then scored 47 goals. Was his shot "bad" for 8 games and then got "good", or did he just not score for 8 games? One of the two options just makes more sense to me.

 

[Digitalbooya]

I just think it's possible to still have a good shot and not score.

Kaprizov started last year 0-26 and then scored 47 goals. Was his shot "bad" for 8 games and then got "good", or did he just not score for 8 games? One of the two options just makes more sense to me.

I seem to recall Kaprizov overpassing the puck during that timeframe when he should have been taking the shot. I haven’t had an issue with Boldy overpassing, but rather he had a bunch of golden opportunities that were either saved or he missed the net.

I should reiterate that Boldy is definitely picking his corners right now. If he had the same accuracy during those stretches, he would probably have another 5-10 goals. Which is simply outstanding for a guy who is 21 and learning to play without Fiala to start the year. Johansson’s speed definitely seems like a key to unlocking some of Boldy’s abilities with time and space.

 

[TaLoN]

For the record, I just bring it up in good jest.

It's fun is all.

 

[TaLoN]

March NHL vibe check: Goalie interference, Boldy’s star power, wild-card races

Kirill Kaprizov's injury rightfully sparked some panic in Minnesota. But Matt Boldy has stepped up in his absence, without question.

theathletic.com

Ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Avalanche, he’s called 11 goals and 15 points in nine games, scored at a rate of 5.10 points-per-60. To compare, in the 65 games before that, the winger had tallied 2.13 points-per-60. The scoring jump has primarily come at five-on-five, where he’s earned 10 of those points. Boldy’s play below the surface provides an even stronger foundation; he’s rocking a 58.5 percent expected goals rate. And in that time, the Wild are outscoring opponents 12-4 — while that may not be sustainable, it’s encouraging to see how strong and reliable that second line of Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson has become. Boldy’s showing he wasn’t just a product of Kevin Fiala’s career year and that he can be a game-changer for this team. Playing a bit more selfish and being willing to take the shot himself when there’s an opportunity or finding ways to create those opportunities himself has really elevated his game.

Right now, the offense is running through Boldy in Minnesota. But when Kaprizov returns, the spotlight won’t shift to him entirely — it’ll be split between the two stars, which is exactly what this Wild team has been missing.

 

[Minnewildsota]

Random thought I had regarding Boldy:

I wonder if deciding to move on from Fiala was also influenced by how the organization views/viewed Boldy. In short, I wonder if they moved Fiala because they view Boldy as a centerpiece of the core (along with salary restraints). Moving Fiala would force Boldy to take a more prominate/dominate role.

Whereas if they kept Fiala, Boldy might be more inclined to be a secondary player?

I have absolutely no basis for this in reality.