MNWild Is Yeo California Dreaming When he Should be Scheming?
The Wild HockeyBuzz Community & #WildWednesday Podcast Updates
I have been so proud and impressed by the WildHBcommunity participation on the Hockeybuzz forums the past couple weeks both on my content and all over Rick Sadowski's stuff as well. I am pleased to see new members to our community popping up all the time. I love and appreciate our core members here shout out to you guys for being patient and kind towards me last year into this this new season!
The Jeff Dubay Show Podcast #WildWednesday show has taken off in just 3 weeks providing me with a very special opportunity to talk hockey and reach a broader audience of Minnesota Wild fans and hockey people in general. In just a month of production Dubay's podcast has go over 11k listens/downloads which is pretty remarkable.
Anyone that has listened to my three appearances on the show can attest that I have a stated goal of fostering the hockey conversation here at the WildHBcommunity and I believe that is becoming a reality. I hope I represent Hockeybuzz and the Minnesota Wild community here well in my appearances already completed and in the future.
Here is Week 3 #WildWednesday:
How Will Mike Yeo Adjust to West Coast Road Trip Against Pacific Division
On Friday night in Anaheim, the return of Keith Ballard and Justin Fontaine will mean that Minnesota Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo has already begun his tinkering with the lineup and roles. When both Mathew Dumba and Christian Folin made the NHL roster out of training camp, it was surprising and promising all at the same time. An injured Ballard and a recently re-acquired Nate Prosser were scratched in both Colorado Avalanche games to begin the season.
Yeo has decided to keep 8 defensemen meaning that the hierarchy of the bottom pair has yet to be determined. It looks as of right now that Ballard and Dumba will be paired versus the Ducks tomorrow night leaving the possibility that Prosser and Folin may be paired Sunday in Los Angeles. I saw criticism of the kids playing together on the bottom pair versus the Avs but I believe they played well for the most part. I am not a huge Ballard or Prosser guy just to be honest.
Ballard can still play some hockey but the truth is that he is probably still on the roster because of his contract. Claiming Prosser off of waivers is a bit puzzling because he is in theory going to be costing one of the kids playing time should he find himself consistently in the lineup or vice versa with Ballard. I think being claimed is a very low risk way to add a guy you know is capable of plugging into Yeo system to add depth but I am not sure it sends the right message to Dumba or Folin.
The other major bit of Yeo maneuvering/tinkering is placing Fontaine onto the 2nd line with Mikko Koivu and Thomas Vanek. While I think Fontaine is a versatile winger who has proven capable of contributing in the offensive end and is decent in his own zone, I am bit underwhelmed by his upside. Fontaine played with Koivu & Vanek in the preseason adding some speed and playmaking to that line but honestly I would rather see Nino Niederreiter or Jason Zucker on the 2nd line in that spot.
Yeo mentioned that it could very well be the case that Nino, Zucker or Charlie Coyle could be plugged in to replace Fontaine should it not work out. Yeo has been insistent on keeping together his young talented 3rd line centered by Erik Haula with Nino and Coyle which is a matchup nightmare for opponents. Not sure though that adding Fontaine or Zucker to that line doesn't provide the Wild with a same or similar opportunity though.
The last bit of intrigue with regard to what Yeo is thinking about will be his handling of Darcy Kuemper who turned in back to back shutouts of the Avs to begin the 2014-15 NHL season. Yeo must let this kid fly so if that means he plays all three games this road trip so be it in my mind. I obviously believe this kid is the future at the position but I also don't trust Niklas Backstrom much. The veteran netminder has yet to prove he can remain healthy and consistent the past two seasons although he did tie for the league lead in wins during the lockout shortened 2012-13 NHL season.
Kuemper obviously needs to be handled correctly by Yeo for this Wild team to have a shot at the Stanley Cup this year. I think everyone in the State of Hockey realizes how volatile the goaltending position was for the franchise last year so a repeat of that is something we all would love to avoid. Yeo proved very capable though of shuffling in the next guy up and getting the job done with the season on the line. With Kuemper though, this kid needs Yeo to empower him as the #1 guy. The hold up this summer in getting Kuemper signed had little to do with money and everything to do with role and playing time in Minnesota.
Kuemper got his wish and is in a position to earn his place as a franchise netminder on a squad loaded with talent top to bottom for the next 3-5 years. This opportunity and season in general rest squarely on the 24 year old's shoulders. No pressure though kid haha!
That's all for now thanks for reading!
Just My Take, Tony Dean
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