WildHBcommunity: Afternoon Grudge Match in Dallas Today
Today in Dallas All Eyes Will be on Young Forwards to Continue to Step Up and Produce
The Buffalo Sabres are safe guarding their ability to have Connor McDavid become the face of their franchise so the offensive outburst from Thursday night at the X is east to explain away. The plus side of it for the Minnesota Wild is that this team truly needed a boost in confidence to break out of the zombie like funk they were in so a huge thank you to the Matthew Moulson led lowly Sabres squad is in order.
I never want to over-commit to the lines that are created from Wild Head Coach Mike Yeo's tinkering BUT I really like the idea of Mikael Granlund centering Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle. Both of those young wingers NEED to take the next step in their development and the pivot know as 'Finnish Jesus' is on the receiving end of far too many cheap shots by opponents who look to take liberties with the slight of stature talented puck wizard. I have zero doubts that Nino or Coyle wont hammer anyone that gets ugly with Granlund which will be extremely important this season especially against the chippy teams in division.
The combination of Jason Zucker and Mikko Koivu has presented Yeo with the opportunity to enjoy sustained possessions in the offensive zone because of how complimentary the two forwards skill sets are of each other. Once Zach Parise returns to the lineup, Yeo will have some serious navigating to do on who plays with who. I think currently Zucker and Koivu are cemented together because honestly Zucker's speed and aggressiveness matched with an ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone is rejuvenating the offensive effectiveness of the Kaptain.
I also think Parise and Granlund have proven to be very strong together so I am hoping that Yeo will slide Nino to the right side on that line rounding out the Top 6 with the Swiss winger who will add size and strength with the two smaller wingers with being skilled and speedy enough to keep up. If Yeo can empower Nino to play with Granlund and Parise, then you can slide Jason Pominville in with Koivu and Zucker or you could put Coyle there as well.
That would leave the opportunity to play Erik Haula with Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville or Coyle on the third. I think a lot has been made of the narrative this team is NOT as deep as originally advertised but I completely disagree. I think certainly the POOR performance of Haula, Mathew Dumba, and Christian Folin in the last 5 games has caused some red flags to go up but these are all kids that have yet to get a full NHL season under their belts. With Folin he was sent to Iowa to get his game back on track after struggling with the mumps like illness that cost him about 10 days out of the lineup.
With Dumba his unlimited opportunities to elevate his performance and solidify his spot in the game to game lineup should be coming to an end as soon as Jonas Brodin and Marco Scandella return from illness. Obviously I am huge fan of Dumba but this kid is playing not to fail rather than as a apex predator which we saw from him while in Portland of the WHL last year. Dumba has to shoot the puck and create offense for his lack of ideal NHL size and strength in the defensive zone to be worth it.
Haula has yet to break through this year offensively and his struggles are always going to be magnified by a fan base looking for him to put Kaptain Koivu out to pasture. Haula has to play more selfishly and more aggressively with the puck on his stick otherwise his role in the lineup could be in jeopardy. Haula has all the talent to develop into a Top 6 pivot but he has to get his season back on track because besides some penalty kill opportunities he has created, his play has been nearly invisible and definitely under productive given the expectations.
Darcy Kuemper at CRITICAL Crossroads for his Immediate Future as #1 Netminder
The dramatic highs and lows already this season with 24 year old goaltender Darcy Kuemper have to keep Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher up at night. I think Fletcher has a strong opinion on Kuemper being capable of performing at a high level as the #1 backstop for this team in 2014-15 but certainly there have been some strong indicators that the young goalie is fighting through some confidence and consistency issues right now.
With how tumultuous the position was last year for the Wild, I think Fletcher and Yeo are definitely equipped to roll with the punches dealing with what could become another next man up scenario between the pipes. Michael Russo of the Star Tribune has been hinting around the return of Josh Harding which could provide an opportunity to send Kuemper to Iowa to get out of the spotlight while he gets his mind and game together.
The contract situation of having 3 goaltenders on one way deals is a mess in and of itself besides all the injury/illness ramifications that come with this group of players. On Harding specifically he was the best goalie in hockey through the first 2 months of the NHL season last year BUT he has NEVER made it through a season healthy or been able to fulfill his potential to become a #1 goalie for the Wild. I trust Kuemper and Backstrom more than Harding to be available to the team and I have to bet the locker room, coaching staff, and upper management feel the same.
There is a deadline coming up here with regards to games played affecting the Wild's ability to send Kuemper to Iowa with him requiring waivers. That deadline could factor into how Fletcher handles this menage-a-netminder. I am not saying Harding could not return and contribute significant minutes this season to the Wild, I just wonder if it is worth the confidence of Kuemper. I realize Kuemper is struggling but to be fair this entire roster was in need of a reality check during a 4 game losing streak that saw them give some d-minus effort in general.
Stay tuned because any decision made with regards to Harding, Kuemper, and Backstrom is going to have multi-layers and have last repercussions on this team for the 2014-15 NHL season. Sounds dramatic but Fletcher and Yeo were bailed out by Harding breaking his foot earlier this season and now they are up against it again with a judgement call that will be fascinating to see develop.
Individual Leaders Minnesota Wild Dallas Stars Points: Z. PARISE (10),J. POMINVILLE (9),T. VANEK (9) T. SEGUIN (22),J. SPEZZA (15),J. BENN (13) Goals: N. NIEDERREITER (7),J. ZUCKER (5),J. POMINVILLE (4) T. SEGUIN (12),T. DALEY (5),J. BENN (5) Assists: T. VANEK (8),R. SUTER (8),Z. PARISE (6) J. SPEZZA (12),T. SEGUIN (10),J. BENN (8) PP Goals: N. NIEDERREITER (2),T. VANEK (1),J. SPURGEON (1) T. DALEY (4),T. SEGUIN (3),E. COLE (1) SH Goals: R. CARTER (1),J. ZUCKER (1),N. NIEDERREITER (1) R. GARBUTT (1) GW Goals: C. COYLE (2),J. POMINVILLE (1),M. SCANDELLA (1) T. SEGUIN (2),R. GARBUTT (2),J. BENN (1) 3+ Goals: N. NIEDERREITER(1) T. SEGUIN(2) PIM: M. SCANDELLA (30),Z. PARISE (17),C. COYLE (16) A. ROUSSEL (43),J. BENN (26),B. DILLON (21) Shots: J. POMINVILLE (51),M. KOIVU (49),Z. PARISE (47) T. SEGUIN (62),J. BENN (56),J. SPEZZA (36) +/-: R. SUTER (+7),J. SPURGEON (+7),Z. PARISE (+6) K. CONNAUTON (+4),T. SEGUIN (+2),J. KLINGBERG (+2)
***UPDATE***
An Eastview Youth Hockey Player 14 year old Patrick Schoonover collapsed of the ice and tragically passed away during the Brainerd Battle for the Blue Ox Tournament Friday night. Please send thoughts and prayers our to the family and the Eastview Hockey Community!
#MNWild spread "Play for Patrick" for 14-year-old Patrick Schoonover who lost his life on the ice. #PlayForPatrick pic.twitter.com/8Z9tyAC1rC
— Tony Dean (MNWild) (@TonyDeanHB) November 15, 2014
Just My Take, Tony Dean
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