Player Discussion Tyler Ennis

[57special]

He is just not very good. Wish I could say otherwise, but he is just an ineffectual player who doesn't do much of anything very well. What say you?

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[Bazeek]

He is just not very good. Wish I could say otherwise, but he is just an ineffectual player who doesn't do much of anything very well. What say you?

God he tries hard. Or appears to, anyway. About twice a game I see him get the puck and try to build up a head of steam to make something happen... and it always ends ignominiously, usually with him getting casually ground out along the boards in the neutral zone or just inside the opponents' blueline and the puck going the other way.

Considering we're stuck with him for at least this season I wouldn't mind seeing him tried as some kind of powerplay specialist. It might end up doing more harm than good, especially now that the powerplay is clicking, but it might help him get something going. If he can't do that I'm stumped for what role he can fill on this team.

 

[Wild11MN]

God he tries hard. Or appears to, anyway. About twice a game I see him get the puck and try to build up a head of steam to make something happen... and it always ends ignominiously, usually with him getting casually ground out along the boards in the neutral zone or just inside the opponents' blueline and the puck going the other way.

Considering we're stuck with him for at least this season I wouldn't mind seeing him tried as some kind of powerplay specialist. It might end up doing more harm than good, especially now that the powerplay is clicking, but it might help him get something going. If he can't do that I'm stumped for what role he can fill on this team.

He's claimed all year that one of his strong points is on the PP, so why not try him there?

But yeah, he's not a horrible player, but he's just not very good either.

 

[gphr513]

He gives it his all, but it always seems like he's just out of position to make a play. It's like he knows where to be and what to do, but just can't quite make it happen.

 

[57special]

Actually, I think he's pretty bad. He can't really do anything when faced with opposition. Reminds me of Pulkinnen a bit. He was another guy who everyone wanted to be gifted PP time. Top 6 skills, but not good enough to play there. Not near enough grit, size, whatever...to play in the bottom six.

Reminding me of a slower, shiftier Schroeder.

 

[Bazeek]

Actually, I think he's pretty bad. He can't really do anything when faced with opposition. Reminds me of Pulkinnen a bit. He was another guy who everyone wanted to be gifted PP time. Top 6 skills, but not good enough to play there. Not near enough grit, size, whatever...to play in the bottom six.

Reminding me of a slower, shiftier Schroeder.

Giving him powerplay time over better players isn't great, but it'd be an attempt to wring some kind of value from his contract. Even then though, what's the best case scenario? That he contributes as much as whoever he replaced there?

Maybe we have another rash of injuries that forces him up in the line-up and he finds some spectacular chemistry on a scoring line. Maybe he eats some magic beans and grows 6 inches. I don't know.

 

[Minnesota]

I'd rather have an Iowa call-up playing over Ennis.

 

[2Pair]

Still not an NHL player. For those that want to give him PP time, which one of Granlund, Niederreiter, or Zucker do you want to take out in favor of Ennis?

 

[Bazeek]

Still not an NHL player. For those that want to give him PP time, which one of Granlund, Niederreiter, or Zucker do you want to take out in favor of Ennis?

I might put him in over Zucker as an experiment. Really though, I agree. Best case scenario is probably that he's as good as whoever he's replacing, so there wouldn't really be any point.

 

[2Pair]

I might put him in over Zucker as an experiment. Really though, I agree. Best case scenario is probably that he's as good as whoever he's replacing, so there wouldn't really be any point.

PP time is the biggest "reward" a player can get. Taking it away from Zucker and handing it to Ennis would be about the worst thing anybody could do to the "room".

 

[mulefarm]

Should be waived!

 

[BagHead]

Just a few years ago he was a young perennial 20 goal skill player that I coveted for the Wild. He was a flawed player, but exciting and effective in the right role. Such a sad decline, and way too early in his career. I had hopes that, when healthy, he may be able to get back to at least a shadow of what he used to be, but he hasn't even been that this season. I want to see him succeed too, because he clearly tries so hard, and cares so much.

 

[57special]

I wonder if he has lingering effects from concussions. Some guys are just never the same afterwards.

 

[Al Lagoon]

He hasn't been great - he and Foligno have 4 fewer points than Pominville and Scandella, but are younger and cheaper.

I'm ambivalent about the trade. Long term, it gets the Wild in a better cap situation.

 

[2Pair]

He hasn't been great - he and Foligno have 4 fewer points than Pominville and Scandella, but are younger and cheaper.

I'm ambivalent about the trade. Long term, it gets the Wild in a better cap situation.

That trade is actually looking like it will hurt the cap long term.

 

[Al Lagoon]

That trade is actually looking like it will hurt the cap long term.

How?

 

[Wabit]

He's been about what I expected when the trade happened.

 

[2Pair]

How?

Ennis and Pominville both come off the cap after next season, but having $3M committed to a 4th liner for the next 3 years is much more detrimental to the cap than having a top 4 dman for 2 years at $4M.

 

[Al Lagoon]

Ennis and Pominville both come off the cap after next season, but having $3M committed to a 4th liner for the next 3 years is much more detrimental to the cap than having a top 4 dman for 2 years at $4M.

Well that has nothing to do with the trade really - CF saw fit to give him that deal afterwards.

 

[2Pair]

Well that has nothing to do with the trade really - CF saw fit to give him that deal afterwards.

I guess that I have to disagree with that. If you trade for an RFA, what you sign said RFA for should count in any discussion about the salary cap.
Although, I am starting to feel like it would've been a better trade if he just walked away fro Foligno and any kind of contract offer.

 

[57special]

I guess that I have to disagree with that. If you trade for an RFA, what you sign said RFA for should count in any discussion about the salary cap.
Although, I am starting to feel like it would've been a better trade if he just walked away fro Foligno and any kind of contract offer.

Me, too. Winnik does the same thing for 1/3rd the price. Stewart, too. Would rather have Ek or Kunin playing in his spot for even less than that.

 

[2Pair]

Me, too. Winnik does the same thing for 1/3rd the price. Stewart, too. Would rather have Ek or Kunin playing in his spot for even less than that.

I wasn't a huge fan of how either Kunin or Ek were playing, but it would be hard to argue that the team wouldn't be better off with those two in the lineup and Ennis and Foligno not. I wonder how close they are to waiving Ennis? It has to be something that has at least been thought of at this point.

 

[57special]

Ennis also doesn't seem to be able to have any chemistry with anyone. He's trying, but ... I guess it's possible that he is still trying to adjust to the Wild's style of play and can improve.
Cullen hasn't been very good so far, but i wonder whether that's because of the quality (or lack thereof) of his linemates.

 

[2Pair]

Ennis also doesn't seem to be able to have any chemistry with anyone. He's trying, but ... I guess it's possible that he is still trying to adjust to the Wild's style of play and can improve.
Cullen hasn't been very good so far, but i wonder whether that's because of the quality (or lack thereof) of his linemates.

Kind of sad that a team with 5 or 6 fourth liners, can't put together a decent 4th line.

 

[Wabit]

Ennis also doesn't seem to be able to have any chemistry with anyone. He's trying, but ... I guess it's possible that he is still trying to adjust to the Wild's style of play and can improve.
Cullen hasn't been very good so far, but i wonder whether that's because of the quality (or lack thereof) of his linemates.

This made me think of something I read, that Foligno said. The mindset in Minny is different than in Buffalo. Anything less than winning is looked at as a failure in MN. Where in Buffalo just going out and playing hard and putting up a good effort was considered a win. Something along those lines. You can kind of see it in Buffalo's games this year with Pommer and Scandella compared to the rest of the team too. I'm not sure how much, if any, this culture shock (for lack of a better term) is affecting Ennis' game.

I haven't been impressed with Cullen either. He's an improvement over what they had last year, but not huge upgrade. Ennis, Foligno, and Winnik are all an improvement over Schroeder/White. Stewie is the same as last year. So I'd like to think that with a couple of player upgrades the 4th line would look better.