Prospect Info: Mikael Granlund V

[FVM]

Easter is soon here. I expect the Finnish Baby Jesus to rise up on the third day to claim his place on the right side of Kaptain Koivu, where he will come to punish all the defenses and goalies. For that is the will of Good Fletcher and the success of the Wild communion shall be everlasting. Amen.

 

[tyratoku]

Honestly, I will laugh my *** off if Granlund does get called up around Easter.

It would just be too perfect.

 

[Fel 96]

So, 4 points in 4 games so far...

 

[tyratoku]

Here is a new Wild write up hockey's future did. Below is part of what they wrote on FBJ:

1. (1) Mikael Granlund, C, 8.0B
Drafted 1st Round, 9th Overall, 2010

Mikael Granlund has been the top rated prospect in the Wild's system since the day he was drafted. That position no longer seems so secure. His bumpy adjustment has been far from unexpected, given the easy criticisms one could make of his game. The NHL features less actual space for Granlund to play his style of using his elite puck-handling skills to create lanes. It is also the best league in the world, and several notches above the Finnish league he dominated as a teenager.

 

[FVM]

Seriously, a goal or two could be a big boost for his confidence. It's now what, two months since his last one?

 

[Jbcraig1883]

There is his goal...very nice...going to net stops the shot pass and then buries it.

 

[Fel 96]

5 points in 4 games.

Not bad.

 

[FVM]

Great response! Hmm... must come up with more wishes.

 

[Bookman]

C'mon, people need to relax on FBJ. It's a given that one of Cullen or Butch hits the road after this season.

We'll get an older, wiser, and hopefully stronger Granlund next season. The smarts and the hands come gratis.

 

[Jarick]

Excellent. Hopefully he keeps dominating and forces the Wild to call him up or finds a spot if someone goes out with injury.

 

[Oan]

Stupid that AHL seems too easy for him and NHL too hard.

 

[DeuceMN]

He wasn't doing that poorly up here, he just got juggled around and had rotating linemates. Let's not forget most of our team was not looking good for much of that period.

He just needs a little consistent, adaption period.

He'll be fine. Let's not compare him to Brodin or anything, cus damn, but he'll be good up here.

 

[Fallenity]

All he needs is 10 games with the same linemates and some kind of certainty that he won't be scratched even when he plays well, that kind of situation easily makes a player timid and afraid to play to his strengths.

 

[Gaps]

I'm glad he's producing and hopefully improving his overall game as well, but I don't see him getting called up as long as the team keeps winning and both Koivu and Cullen are healthy enough to play. Yeo seems reluctant to use him at wing at least for now, so even if a winger got injured, it's not guaranteed they'd recall him. I'm hoping he'll at least be tried at wing during training camp in the fall.

 

[rynryn]

He wasn't doing that poorly up here, he just got juggled around and had rotating linemates. Let's not forget most of our team was not looking good for much of that period.

He just needs a little consistent, adaption period.

He'll be fine. Let's not compare him to Brodin or anything, cus damn, but he'll be good up here.

All he needs is 10 games with the same linemates and some kind of certainty that he won't be scratched even when he plays well, that kind of situation easily makes a player timid and afraid to play to his strengths.

agree. he's a victim of the shortened season. no time to assess which players you can trade off and work on line chemistry. It took this long to get what we have, sliding one more piece around to tweak it a little would work in a longer season but right now we have to go with what is winning. No worries from our staff, either--they are counting on him in the top six and not in a "Gee, i hope he works out." kind of way. they haven't lost any confidence, he hasn't lost any confidence, and neither should we.

 

[Wildfish]

agree. he's a victim of the shortened season..

Disagree. He's a victim of his own performance. He was given a Free Pass and failed to capitalize. If he had played better he'd still be with the Wild and not on the farm. Blaming Cullen and Seto and Yeo and the length of the season are excuses.

One thing I really like about MiG is I have never heard him make these kind of excuses. He realized he wasn't contributing and that he had to improve. It's possible he gets re-called due to injury this season but IMO the best thing is for him to play the rest of the season and hopefully lead Houston on a long Playoff run. Then next season show up at camp older, stronger, smarter and tear it up!

 

[rynryn]

Disagree. He's a victim of his own performance. He was given a Free Pass and failed to capitalize. If he had played better he'd still be with the Wild and not on the farm. Blaming Cullen and Seto and Yeo and the length of the season are excuses.

One thing I really like about MiG is I have never heard him make these kind of excuses. He realized he wasn't contributing and that he had to improve. It's possible he gets re-called due to injury this season but IMO the best thing is for him to play the rest of the season and hopefully lead Houston on a long Playoff run. Then next season show up at camp older, stronger, smarter and tear it up!

we all know he wasn't contributing, and he didn't make a space for himself, but there was not time to find space. Other guys on the team were afforded the time to turn their underforming ***** around where he wasn't. Understandably, based on past performance and contract status. You think Coyle somehow earned his spot through great play? No, he just simply fit better than anyone else in that role because of his size. Had they had more time I think they could have found something productive for Granlund to do up here.

 

[Wildfish]

we all know he wasn't contributing, and he didn't make a space for himself, but there was not time to find space. Other guys on the team were afforded the time to turn their underforming ***** around where he wasn't. Understandably, based on past performance and contract status. You think Coyle somehow earned his spot through great play? No, he just simply fit better than anyone else in that role because of his size. Had they had more time I think they could have found something productive for Granlund to do up here.

Not arguing about Coyle, thinking about MiG and all the excuses people keep making for him.

Apparently, we disagree that 8 games getting prime TOI as the team's 2nd Line Center isn't enough of a chance. IMO it was a golden opportunity that the vast majority of young NHL'ers do not get. MiG got more of a chance to shine than the vast majority of young NHL players. You disagree with that?

Back to the Bottom Line for the Wild. On ice it's obviously the need to Win. You can't coddle a hyped kid at the expense of the team. Again, obviously, usually, proven NHL players will get much more time than a rookie, even an over the top hyped rookie, to pull out of a slump.

 

[elnewby]

I really wish they would have at least TRIED hiim at wing when he was up here. I think he would have done well with Parise-Koivu. I don't think there is harm in trying him at wing for awhile, if it didn't work out then back to center. IMO Coyle has been good, but nothing special. Especially now that Cullen has the 2C locked down, if he continues his run then what do we do next year? At this point there isn't a spot for him to play center. Just want to see him play with Parise and Koivu and just see what happens.

 

[Wildfish]

I really wish they would have at least TRIED hiim at wing when he was up here. I think he would have done well with Parise-Koivu.

I agree, I'd have liked to see him at wing, too. They gave him 8 games at 2nd Line Center, why not a game at 1st Line RW? MiG's speed would match Mikko's much better than with two of the team's fastest skaters.

Sorry, to be contrary and argue with MiG fans who think he can do no wrong, but it wasn't Cullen and Seto screwing Granlund, it was the Center killing that 2nd Line early in the season.

 

[Jarick]

It's not like he's going away. We have him under contract for two more years, then RFA for another four years after that. We have many, many years left to try him in all kinds of different spots.

 

[Wildfish]

It's not like he's going away. We have him under contract for two more years, then RFA for another four years after that. We have many, many years left to try him in all kinds of different spots.

You sure about that? I'm thinking he isn't untouchable any more... Finding a place for MiG might be a problem that just goes away!

 

[Gaps]

Not arguing about Coyle, thinking about MiG and all the excuses people keep making for him.

Apparently, we disagree that 8 games getting prime TOI as the team's 2nd Line Center isn't enough of a chance. IMO it was a golden opportunity that the vast majority of young NHL'ers do not get. MiG got more of a chance to shine than the vast majority of young NHL players. You disagree with that?

Back to the Bottom Line for the Wild. On ice it's obviously the need to Win. You can't coddle a hyped kid at the expense of the team. Again, obviously, usually, proven NHL players will get much more time than a rookie, even an over the top hyped rookie, to pull out of a slump.

IMO they really shot themselves in the foot by even placing him there in the first place. I never thought he was ready to be 2nd line center and his comments around the end of the lockout to the Finnish media showed that he wasn't even feeling very confident about his own chances. He said his play in the AHL hadn't been too good as of late and with that kind of play he wouldn't be allowed to stay with the Wild for very long. He'd been overhyped by the organization and was thus given a bigger piece than he could chew.

I get all the talk about having to earn a spot and I think Zucker and Brodin earned theirs. I wouldn't really say the same thing about Coyle, though.

I think he'd do better at wing, but I don't know if there's space for him there on this team because of all the good winger prospects. Cullen is not a long-term solution for the 2nd line C, but it's far from certain that Granlund will ever be able to take that spot.

 

[Henri M]

Not arguing about Coyle, thinking about MiG and all the excuses people keep making for him.

Apparently, we disagree that 8 games getting prime TOI as the team's 2nd Line Center isn't enough of a chance. IMO it was a golden opportunity that the vast majority of young NHL'ers do not get. MiG got more of a chance to shine than the vast majority of young NHL players. You disagree with that?

I do not disagree that he could have played better, but saying he did not play good, on a team which was in general playing like ****, and then making this into a reflection of only Granlunds performance, without taking the overall picture into consideration, is a flat out strawman argument which I get quite irritated by.

 

[Beegoalie]

IMO they really shot themselves in the foot by even placing him there in the first place. I never thought he was ready to be 2nd line center and his comments around the end of the lockout to the Finnish media showed that he wasn't even feeling very confident about his own chances. He said his play in the AHL hadn't been too good as of late and with that kind of play he wouldn't be allowed to stay with the Wild for very long. He'd been overhyped by the organization and was thus given a bigger piece than he could chew.

I get all the talk about having to earn a spot and I think Zucker and Brodin earned theirs. I wouldn't really say the same thing about Coyle, though.

I think he'd do better at wing, but I don't know if there's space for him there on this team because of all the good winger prospects. Cullen is not a long-term solution for the 2nd line C, but it's far from certain that Granlund will ever be able to take that spot.

So you don't think Mikael Granlund becomes the 2nd line center of this team as we move forward?