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MNWild Top 9 Forwards Loaded BUT Yeo Facing Tough Choices Assigning Roles

October 4, 2014, 7:35 PM ET [34 Comments]
Tony Dean
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MNWild Top 9 Forwards Loaded BUT Yeo Facing Tough Choices Assigning Roles



Below I break it down a bit on how I believe each of the Top 9 forwards would best be used by Minnesota Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo this season. It will be very important for Yeo to get it right with the roles and deployment of his top 3 forward lines this year. The kids are fully graduated and the veterans have specific strengths and capabilities. Now blending and mixing in each will foster chemistry and production which will be essential to compete in possibly the most competitive division in the NHL.

1ST LINE

Zach Parise



I have been so impressed with Parise since his arrival, he is the truest example of a working class hero on the ice. The left winger works as hard every shift as any player in the league which is a rarity in this era of professional sports especially since he is recognized as a superstar type.

Parise has matched up well on lines centered by both Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu during the past two seasons. When with Koivu, his game has been centered around getting the puck in deep with pressure and effort then cycling with board play. When playing with Granlund it has been a much more open style although the young Finn pivot can cycle and handle the puck with the best of them.

Parise is a grinder type and as such he does his damage in the paint and around the net in general. Parise is the anchor of the top line and power play unit. Parise is capable of penalty killing but with the emergence and evolution of roles for other players I think he will be a secondary options down a man.




Mikael Granlund



Affectionately known as "Finnish Jesus" this kid has proven to be a special talent capable playing at a high level in both ends of the rink. Granlund probably profiles to outside observers as an undersized puck handler but in truth he returned last season after a failure to launch rookie year, as a complete package.

Granlund has top level hockey awareness with the puck on his stick proving capable of finding his linemates everywhere on the ice. Granlund should continue to increase his production this season playing with Parise and Pominville. Granlund has worked hard to improve the defensive aspects of his game and it was a huge reason he over took Mikko Koivu as the Wild's top center last season.

Granlund will be essential to the success of the top line and power play unit this year as the primary distributor along the half wall. Granlund is capable of penalty kill time but again he will be a secondary option there this season.





Jason Pominville



When Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher acquired Pominville two seasons ago, I am not sure any of us in the 'State of Hockey' quite knew what type of player to expect. Pominville has a heavy shot but he has proven to be a much more well rounded winger. Pominville scored 30 goals last season but I think we all realize he could very easily be a pass first type of player.

Pominville has been playing with Parise and Granlund, the trio has very complimentary skill sets and strong chemistry. I wonder though if Pominville doesn't spend some time playing with Koivu and Thomas Vanek this season. Pominville and Vanek played together in Buffalo so there is natural trajectory at least in my mind to want to rekindle their chemistry. I also think putting Koivu with two wingers capable of lighting the lamp is the best possible way to generate optimal production from the captain.

Moving Pominville off the first line eventually would require either Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter, Jason Zucker, or Erik Haula to step up to play with Granlund and Parise. I believe the most likely to do just that is Nino aka "KnightRider" because he has proven capable of playing at a high level in both ends and he has flashed the most goal scoring upside of any of the 20-somethings.

Currently Pominville is playing on the top line and powerplay unit. Pominville has been playing the point on the power play opposite of Ryan Suter which allows him to get to the slot to unleash his shot but has caused him to get bottled up along the boards and turnover the puck as a choke point for opponents.




2ND LINE

Thomas Vanek







Mikko Koivu



Where to begin right? The inflammatory topic has been and will be all year, should Yeo adjust Kaptain Koivu's role and deployment to allow Granlund and Haula the opportunity to fly free. Mention Koivu and 3rd line in the same sentence and watch the interwebs EXPLODE! I have grown to appreciate Koivu's game so much more once I was challenged to understand how much his impact on opponent's top offensive players contributed to the Wild winning games.

Currently Koivu is slated to center the 2nd line with Vanek and Coyle as his wingers. Koivu could very easily see a rotating door of players on his wing this season because he is so good in both ends of the ice and extremely complimentary to his linemates. Koivu's major area of concern has centered around his skating given his age now and injuries the past couple seasons. I doubt very much Koivu was much more than 70% after his return from a broken ankle during the stretch run and playoffs last season.

Koivu looks to be currently at least the anchor of the 2nd line and 2nd power play unit. Koivu excels in puck possession and playmaking especially on the power play. Koivu is strong on the puck in both ends and his play eats up time and opportunity from opponents. Koivu has been assigned to the benefit of his team the role of stopper against opponents top offensive players. Koivu is very capable of playing on the penalty kill and should get a healthy amount of minutes with the Wild down a man.




Charlie Coyle



It is easy to get yourself into trouble deciding for Coyle what he is not able to do or where he should not be playing. Coyle is the type of kid that never takes a shift off or a day off for that matter. We learned last year that Coyle was playing a majority of the post season with BOTH of his shoulders separated. Coyle has played a majority of his NHL minutes on the top line as a winger with Koivu and Parise.

Going forward I think Yeo must define Coyle's role to provide him a better opportunity increase his production and effectiveness. Coyle has been playing a very unselfish brand of hard working hockey to supplement the veterans he has been playing on a line with. That has side effects though as Coyle's ability to become a 20+ goal scorer at the NHL level is definitely in question. Also the Wild and Yeo have been tinkering with the idea that Coyle maybe most effective playing the center position.

In truth I have not been impressed by Coyle's play as an NHL pivot during his first 2 seasons in the league. Coyle has the size people love for the center position and he tends to be a pass first type with the puck on his stick. Coyle also is a physical presence and could very well become a 200 foot difference maker as a center in the NHL but his puck handling and overall awareness at the position has left a ton to be desired.

Coyle scored a bunch of goals in his lone Canadian Juniors season but since has been much more of a power forward or grinder type in the NHL. Coyle is going to begin the year on the 2nd line and 2nd power play unit. I could easily see him being the odd man out of the Top 6 though to play on the 3rd line with Haula and Zucker.

Maybe Coyle is just never going to be capable of playing the center position full time but instead he could draw specific assignments allowing Haula to use his speed as a weapon?




3RD LINE

Jason Zucker



What a difference a year makes in the NHL and for this high flying winger from the desert. Zucker entered training camp last year squarely under siege for his roster by other Wild prospects and under the microscope by the front office and coaching staff. Zucker wilted under the pressure and failed to make the roster or an impact at the NHL level.

Zucker is a complex player and situation to diagnose because he burst onto the scene here in Minnesota so quickly capturing the hearts and imaginations of the fan base with his speed and bravado. Wild fans has been starving for a player to fill the void left by the free agent departure of Marian Gaborik. Zucker's ability to light the lamp and fly end to end seemed to force the hand of the Wild to put him in the NHL lineup before they could truly help him understand what was expected of him.

Zucker was injured last year and passed up on the depth chart by many of his fellow young guns. This summer Zucker signed a very club friendly prove it type of bridge deal to remain with the club for 2 more seasons. Zucker has been focused and motivated this summer to make the club's opening night roster as a 3rd line winger. I have been very impressed with his play but maybe more by his maturity in handling his adversity.

Zucker has scored goals in bunches at every level except the NHL so far in his hockey career. For him to remain in the lineup and expand his role this season he must play more effectively in the defensive zone and efficiently with the puck on his stick.

Zucker could force his way onto the 2nd power play unit and is currently in a good position to begin the season playing on the 3rd line with Haula and Niederreiter.





Erik Haula



In case Holler for Haula, anyone that has followed this kid from Shattuck-St. Mary's, Gophers, and now to the Wild is well aware this kid can play anywhere on the ice. Haula plays the center and wing position in both ends with an aggressive style and a ton of speed. Haula forced his way into the NHL lineup last year after proving to be the best player on the ice in about every game he played with the 'Baby Wild' in Des Moines.

Haula was at times the best player on the ice for the Wild last season during the Chicago and Colorado playoff series. Haula should be capable of filling in throughout the Wild's lineup which is a very important tool for Yeo to utilize this season. Is Haula ready to replace Koivu as the 2nd line center? Should Haula be moved to the wing allowing Coyle to center the 3rd line?

Haula as it stands now will center the 3rd line to begin the season which is where he left off his rookie year. Haula should play some on the power play with the 2nd unit but he is definitely one of the primary penalty killer for this club. Haula has been junky during training camp and the preseason but this is a talented kid who will get his game back on track.





Nino Niederreiter



I am squarely in the camp that believes Nino "KnightRider" Niederreiter is on the verge of a break out season at the NHL level in which he proves that he is a Top 6 dynamic 25+ goal scorer. Nino arrived in the 'State of Hockey' last season with a bunch of rumors and innuendo about his attitude and effort clouding what had gone wrong with him on Long Island. What Wild fans got from Nino in his first year with the club was a humble and hardworking kid with sky is the limit talent.

He was deployed in a very unselfish defensively focused role last season by Yeo which he proved more than capable and willing to play. Nino flashed at times the ability to separate opponents from the puck and create his own shot. Nino certainly looked like a player that understood he must play within the system and expectations responsibly before he could count on a regular role in the NHL.

Nino rewarded the Wild for acquiring him and believing in his ability to play an important role by scoring arguably the second most important goal in franchise history to oust the Avalanche in game 7. This year Nino will begin the year on the 3rd line playing with Haula and Zucker but I dont expect him to be there for long.

Nino belongs in the Top 6 playing a huge role for this team and Yeo must provide him the opportunity to fulfill his potential. Nino showed last year he plays the type of 200 foot hockey Yeo and the veteran leaders live and die by. Now Yeo needs to empower Niederreiter in a prominent role at even strength and on the power play. I bet he starts out on the 2nd power play unit and even plays some penalty kill as well.




That's all for now thanks for reading!


Just My Take,
Tony Dean




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