Player Discussion Matt Boldy

[TaLoN]

I’m with you, though I have to applaud his TDL. I think we were near the top of the league, maybe 2nd overall, under Boudreau, yet we lost in the 1st round. Kinda scary that our best playoff coach besides Lemaire was Yeo.

Yeo had the benefit of the best defense the franchise has ever had, and liked playing a robotic uncreative style. The defense and goaltending didn't fail the team, the uncreative style did when it came to a real power like the Dynasty level Hawks

 

[Minnewildsota]

Yeo had the benefit of the best defense the franchise has ever had, and liked playing a robotic uncreative style. The defense and goaltending didn't fail the team, the uncreative style did when it came to a real power like the Dynasty level Hawks

Skoula?

Edit. Read that wrong. I guess I’m higher than I thought. Thought it said defensemen.

 

[TaLoN]

Who wants a Boldy Bar?

 

[Wasted Talent]

Yeo had the benefit of the best defense the franchise has ever had, and liked playing a robotic uncreative style. The defense and goaltending didn't fail the team, the uncreative style did when it came to a real power like the Dynasty level Hawks

At least it worked in the playoffs twice, that's twice more than Boudreau and Evason combined.

Of course outcoaching Patrick Roy isn't much of an achievement in retrospect.

 

[TaLoN]

At least it worked in the playoffs twice, that's twice more than Boudreau and Evason combined.

Of course outcoaching Patrick Roy isn't much of an achievement in retrospect.

I thought I was saying that his style worked for 2 out of 3 aspects in the playoffs? That was a compliment, his style worked for the strenths... but still, he couldn't overcome the team weakness.

 

[TaLoN]

2nd youngest Wild player to score 30 goals in a season

 

[Digitalbooya]

His ice cream/60 is through the roof it sounds like

Is it higher or lower than POTUS’s ice cream/60 numbers? That’s the real question.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

One thing that's interesting is Boldy is a 57% FO player on ~2 attempts per game.

 

[shotvalley]

Would he be tested in center position later?

Boldy was playing center in his first half of first NCAA season. He was also playing center position earlier in juniors (not in his draft year). Minny would need high caliber center as Rossi might not have it.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

Would he be tested in center position later?

Boldy was playing center in his first half of first NCAA season. He was also playing center position earlier in juniors (not in his draft year). Minny would need high caliber center as Rossi might not have it.

I don't think he is a good enough skater, but to me it does make Kaprizov - Boldy - Zucc lines interesting.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Would he be tested in center position later?

Boldy was playing center in his first half of first NCAA season. He was also playing center position earlier in juniors (not in his draft year). Minny would need high caliber center as Rossi might not have it.

I wouldn't... yet.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

I wouldn't... yet.

Stutzle rd 2

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Stutzle rd 2

Was Stutzle ever really not a center, except maybe just to break into the NHL?

 

[57special]

Sure, let’s mess with a 21 yo winger who is just finding his offensive game and switch him to Center.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Sure, let’s mess with a 21 yo winger who is just finding his offensive game and switch him to Center.

That's why I said "yet". Give him a few more years, see how Rossi and Khusnutdinov turn out, and then if necessary, put him at center at ~25 years old and watch Tage Thompson things happen.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

I don't think Boldy looked any worse at C than at W against a good/fast/skilled team. He had 7 shots and an assist. Boldy is 57% on the dot on the year and I actually like him in the middle of the ice with his reach and vision.

This will never happen but if you put speed around him on his wings, I actually think playing at C could work.

 

[BagHead]

I don't think Boldy looked any worse at C than at W against a good/fast/skilled team. He had 7 shots and an assist. Boldy is 57% on the dot on the year and I actually like him in the middle of the ice with his reach and vision.

This will never happen but if you put speed around him on his wings, I actually think playing at C could work.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't want to rule him out of being a center now that he's acclimated to the NHL. He played a lot of center growing up, and may be good there. It's worth a shot for half a season, I think.

That said, I didn't really want him to be pressed into it in the post-season. But here we are.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't want to rule him out of being a center now that he's acclimated to the NHL. He played a lot of center growing up, and may be good there. It's worth a shot for half a season, I think.

That said, I didn't really want him to be pressed into it in the post-season. But here we are.

It's not ideal, but imagine him with the speed of Johansson and Nyquist. I think ideally you would want Boldy to be faster but he's great when he's in the middle of the ice with outlets both ways and linemates who can drive the D back and allow him to have space in the high slot to pick apart. He's also great in the middle of the ice around the net.

I'm not sure how he would be consistently helping the D dig pucks out of corners on the defensive end, but I actually think he's got a really good stick and I don't mind him doing that and then trailing or if it's a cleaner breakout being the guy that gets to get his feet moving and regroup and take the puck up the ice himself... he's decent at zone entries. I think forcing him to move his feet is actually good for him because when he's not at his best it's because he's catching the puck flat footed and having to then get started and get moving which happens more often at wing.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

I could see him getting there and staying, but I do think he needs at least some improvement in his skating to truly be an impact center, he has plenty of time to work on that and a good base to start with though. He does play extremely well from the middle of the ice and has good defensive acumen with his stick work. Does gamble a bit more than the rest of our centers, but you can probably make allowances for that considering the rest of the tools he brings.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

I could see him getting there and staying, but I do think he needs at least some improvement in his skating to truly be an impact center, he has plenty of time to work on that and a good base to start with though. He does play extremely well from the middle of the ice and has good defensive acumen with his stick work. Does gamble a bit more than the rest of our centers, but you can probably make allowances for that considering the rest of the tools he brings.

I agree in a vacuum but I also think that this depends on roster construction and understanding roster construction. Due to Boldy's skating limitations, we know there are a certain set of skills more generally that he meshes better with. The same is true pretty much for any player. I think if you put Boldy with those skillsets around him this would work. I think putting him in the middle of the ice pushes him to be more aggressive and be at his best where sometimes he will protect the puck into low danger areas when he's on the wing.

 

[f7ben]

Why not just let Boldy take face offs and move back to wing during the shift? I mean if he’s good at face offs let him take the draws for his line

 

[DC4MVP]

I don't think Boldy looked any worse at C than at W against a good/fast/skilled team. He had 7 shots and an assist. Boldy is 57% on the dot on the year and I actually like him in the middle of the ice with his reach and vision.

This will never happen but if you put speed around him on his wings, I actually think playing at C could work.

He played pretty well last night given that he had to lug around Foligno on his line all game.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing a Jojo/Boldy/Kaprizov line up if JEE and Hartsy are still wounded. I know it won't happen but Zucc has been a non-factor for a couple months and Foligno isn't meant to play with Boldy.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

He played pretty well last night given that he had to lug around Foligno on his line all game.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing a Jojo/Boldy/Kaprizov line up if JEE and Hartsy are still wounded. I know it won't happen but Zucc has been a non-factor for a couple months and Foligno isn't meant to play with Boldy.

I like that a lot as well. Again, I just think what playing center does is force Boldy to move his feet to get places because he is responsible for. The more you move your feet the more speed at which you play with and the less you are having to go from stop to start and get caught flat footed.

I get that Boldy could improve and be more suited if he improved his foot speed but I think the way to get him playing at his top speed more often is to put him in the middle of the ice like this which is interesting to me.

 

[Nino Noderreiter]

We need to somehow get the media narrative to push on the Boldy C narrative. This needs to be a bigger thing. Even if you say oh well he's just looked like he normally does at wing then you're missing the pint of what that means. If he looks as good offensively as he did at wing at C then there's something to explore here.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

He’s a center like Rantanen or Miller are centers, imo. Which for the Wild, means he should be playing center lol