The Minnesota Wild get their final chance of the pre-season to lace up the skates and get things worked out without points on the line. Of course, this has been anything but a smooth pre-season for the team, as they've had to deal with bad ice and injury after injury. All this while trying to learn a new offensive system that should pay dividends down the road, but might lead to some very scary hockey games in the first month or so.
Of course, another thing that has been weighing in the Wild so far has been the naming of a team captain. The obvious choice for many is Mikko Koivu. Not only did he truly step into that leadership role last season, but he's ready to firmly take hold of the team as his own. Whether he was being deceptive or not, part of why it's best that Mikko's brother Saku didn't come to Minnesota is that his presence may have actually weakened Mikko's position as far as the coaches and officials were concerned. By staying away, the elder Koivu has allowed the younger to mold the team to his style. Given the new style that coach Todd Richards is trying to put in place, the league should notice what Mikko does on the ice even more.
Finally, though there are some players on injured reserve, tonight will be a chance for the Wild to skate with fairly close to the line-up that they expect to start the season with. When Saturday rolls around, the line-up will be close to what they've shown in the pre-season, with some exceptions. The Wild's lines will most likely look very similar to this come Saturday evening in Columbus.
Brunette - Koivu - Havlat
There is a chance that Brunette will fall to the second line, but he had great chemistry with Koivu last season. Putting these two with Havlat provides the Wild their best chance at a definitive scoring line.
Sykora - Sheppard - Bouchard
If anyone is going to take Brunette's spot on the top line, it will be Petr Sykora. However, putting Sykora with Sheppard and Bouchard gives the Wild a second line of scoring punch, and allows Bouchard to feed a goal scorer. He hasn't proven himself back at center yet, but skating with Sykora should allow him to regain the positives he had while playing with Brian Rolston.
Nolan - Brodziak - Clutterbuck
Cal Clutterbuck may be primed for a breakout season, and, to get that, he needs a veteran hand guiding him, which is right where Owen Nolan comes into play. Kyle Brodziak was originally slated to be the Wild's fourth center, but has had an amazing training camp, and earned the third line duties, at least for the opener.
Miettinen - Belanger - Scott
John Scott isn't naturally a winger, but he's no more of an offensive liability than Derek Boogaard, who starts the season on IR. Eric Belanger could find his position getting squeezed out, especially when Benoit Pouliot returns from IR himself. Luckily for Scott, he's able to filter back to the blue line.
Burns - Schultz
It may not be the top defensive pairing when the puck drops, but it should be. Burns and Schultz compliment each other incredibly well.
Zanon - Johnsson
Another pairing that just might work, but it will need Kim Johnsson to start playing like the contract he's getting.
Sifers/Hnidy - Zidlicky
Sifers came into camp expecting to go to Houston. He's played so well during the pre-season that, even when Scott gets bumped back to defense, Sifers will tend to get the nod over him. Ultimately, Sifers playing time will probably get determined by Shane Hnidy's health, and, if the "Sheriff" is skating, again Scott might find himself on the pine.
The most notable names not included above? Craig Weller and Colton Gillies. Weller's position was squeezed out by the appearance of Petr Sykora, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him tossed onto the trade block before too long. As for Gillies, the kid still needs to develop. Yes, he played a pile of games with the Wild last year, but he needs to get big minutes, and he's not going to get those in Minnesota. By sending him to Houston, he'll be able to step up and develop the skills he'll need to help anchor the Wild offense in a couple of years. Expect him to contribute big time for the Wild when Tyler Cuma and Nick Leddy are manning the blue line.
Showing posts with label Saku Koivu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saku Koivu. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Koivu breaks Minny hearts
No, not Mikko Koivu. Mikko's staying right where he is, and right where he should be. After all, even though new Ranger Marian Gaborik was the flash that Minnesota wanted on the ice, Mikko has steadily and quietly become the focus and heart of the team. It certainly doesn't hurt that he's got a great combination of on-ice skills to go along with his passion for the game. The good pedigree helps, too.
But, sadly, while Vancouver still has the Sedin twins, Minnesota won't feature the Koivu brothers, at least not for a year. Saku Koivu signed with the Anaheim Ducks, turning down more lucrative offers to play in California with long-time friend, Teemu Selanne. And, as hard as it is for Wild fans to belive, Saku made the right decision for himself, and for his brother's team.
True, the Wild are still missing a #2 center. True, the Wild could have definitely used the veteran leadership, and a line of Saku Koivu, Andrew Brunette, and Owen Nolan could be very interesting to see. True, without a trade, the Wild will be looking at shoring up the center position with players either untested (Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who hasn't played center since coming to the NHL), unproven (James Sheppard, who still has to find his game, but should fare better in the new system), or underwhelming (Benoit Pouliot, who definitely has the skills to make an NHL player, but has spent far too much time watching the puck, instead of pursuing it). But by travelling to Anaheim for a season, he offers something more important in the long-term than his shot, or his face-off ability.
He offers Mikko the chance to truly become the leader of the Wild. It goes without saying that many thought Mikko should have been the first player in Wild history to be named captain for the entire season during the last year. That didn't happen, but even without the "C", something interesting was taking place on the ice. Mikko was doing everything a captain should do, and more. He was also turning himself into an elite player, and more than a few games turned simply because of his individual efforts. He doesn't have the prettiest shot on the team, but he may just be the hardest worker, and the most underrated player. With the new front office, Mikko could be shuffled out of the leadership position he carved for himself, and, without Saku, he can once again prove (to new eyes) that he is the Wild's captain, regardless of who wears the "C". If Saku had joined his brother, then Mikko might have been overshadowed, and he might not have been able to make the team his own. By getting at least one more year separated, the elder Koivu made sure that the younger one is given every chance to flourish, and to do it without looking over his shoulder at his older brother, fighting for his ice time.
But, sadly, while Vancouver still has the Sedin twins, Minnesota won't feature the Koivu brothers, at least not for a year. Saku Koivu signed with the Anaheim Ducks, turning down more lucrative offers to play in California with long-time friend, Teemu Selanne. And, as hard as it is for Wild fans to belive, Saku made the right decision for himself, and for his brother's team.
True, the Wild are still missing a #2 center. True, the Wild could have definitely used the veteran leadership, and a line of Saku Koivu, Andrew Brunette, and Owen Nolan could be very interesting to see. True, without a trade, the Wild will be looking at shoring up the center position with players either untested (Pierre-Marc Bouchard, who hasn't played center since coming to the NHL), unproven (James Sheppard, who still has to find his game, but should fare better in the new system), or underwhelming (Benoit Pouliot, who definitely has the skills to make an NHL player, but has spent far too much time watching the puck, instead of pursuing it). But by travelling to Anaheim for a season, he offers something more important in the long-term than his shot, or his face-off ability.
He offers Mikko the chance to truly become the leader of the Wild. It goes without saying that many thought Mikko should have been the first player in Wild history to be named captain for the entire season during the last year. That didn't happen, but even without the "C", something interesting was taking place on the ice. Mikko was doing everything a captain should do, and more. He was also turning himself into an elite player, and more than a few games turned simply because of his individual efforts. He doesn't have the prettiest shot on the team, but he may just be the hardest worker, and the most underrated player. With the new front office, Mikko could be shuffled out of the leadership position he carved for himself, and, without Saku, he can once again prove (to new eyes) that he is the Wild's captain, regardless of who wears the "C". If Saku had joined his brother, then Mikko might have been overshadowed, and he might not have been able to make the team his own. By getting at least one more year separated, the elder Koivu made sure that the younger one is given every chance to flourish, and to do it without looking over his shoulder at his older brother, fighting for his ice time.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wild's splash in free agency pool
The clock struck noon on the Eastern seaboard, and suddenly, all across the league, players will contacting their agents and prospective new teams. The frenzy had begun, and it wasn't long before there was a big announcement. Actually, one of the biggest announcements of the day came shortly before free agency began, as the Vancouver Canucks were able to lock up the Sedin twins again. The move not only removed the Sedins from the pool, but it practically made it so that Vancouver wouldn't be looking towards any big names.
The biggest name of the day may very well have been Marian. Both Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik changed jerseys, with the former going to Chicago, and the later going to the Rangers. With Hossa, Chicago has brought in a dynamic scorer, one who's been chasing the Cup and coming oh-so-close the last couple of seasons, but they may have mortgaged their future down the line to do so. With Gaborik, New York has secured a true gamebreaking superstar, if only he can stay healthy. Interesting that Gaborik pulled down a larger contract that Hossa, as well. If he doesn't play most of the season, expect the fans in New York to let him hear it more than Minnesota ever did.
And what about Minnesota? Well, new GM Chuck Fletcher (is it time to take the word "new" off of that title yet?) made a couple of moves, and has some more offers dangling out there. The moves that Fletcher made? First, the Wild picked up Greg Zanon from Nashville. Zanon doesn't have a lot of name recognition, but that's because he simply goes about his job, and does it without a lot of flair. That job, by the way, is stopping the puck from getting to the goaltender, so Nick Schultz will have someone to compete with for shot-blocking on the team. Expect Zanon to sit with the third defensive pairing, possibly with John Scott.
But the big news out of the day? With Gaborik and Hossa gone, there was really only one elite winger left on the table, and he landed in Minnesota. The Wild picked up Martin Havlat from the Blackhawks. Havlat brings a definite scoring punch, but he fills the skates of Marian Gaborik in more than just the offensive categories. Havlat, like Gaborik, has also been plagued with injuries throughout his career, but, like Gaborik, he believes that he's put his injury troubles behind him. Time will tell, but Havlat, paired up with Mikko Koivu, could help solve the Wild's scoring woes.
As for other players that Fletcher is rumored to be trying to bring in, the names are definitely intriguing. Mikko's big brother Saku is on the table, as is Rob Scuderi, who had an amazing Stanley Cup Finals with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both players could bring a huge impact to the team, although signing one would make it difficult to chase the other. Of course, the Wild are still in the Dany Heatley hunt, but that just looks like a trouble situation waiting to boil over. Best to avoid that one, and look at other impact players through trades.
UPDATE: Scuderi has signed with the Los Angeles Kings. The Wild are still looking for another defenseman to join the ranks, so which direction are they looking now?
The biggest name of the day may very well have been Marian. Both Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik changed jerseys, with the former going to Chicago, and the later going to the Rangers. With Hossa, Chicago has brought in a dynamic scorer, one who's been chasing the Cup and coming oh-so-close the last couple of seasons, but they may have mortgaged their future down the line to do so. With Gaborik, New York has secured a true gamebreaking superstar, if only he can stay healthy. Interesting that Gaborik pulled down a larger contract that Hossa, as well. If he doesn't play most of the season, expect the fans in New York to let him hear it more than Minnesota ever did.
And what about Minnesota? Well, new GM Chuck Fletcher (is it time to take the word "new" off of that title yet?) made a couple of moves, and has some more offers dangling out there. The moves that Fletcher made? First, the Wild picked up Greg Zanon from Nashville. Zanon doesn't have a lot of name recognition, but that's because he simply goes about his job, and does it without a lot of flair. That job, by the way, is stopping the puck from getting to the goaltender, so Nick Schultz will have someone to compete with for shot-blocking on the team. Expect Zanon to sit with the third defensive pairing, possibly with John Scott.
But the big news out of the day? With Gaborik and Hossa gone, there was really only one elite winger left on the table, and he landed in Minnesota. The Wild picked up Martin Havlat from the Blackhawks. Havlat brings a definite scoring punch, but he fills the skates of Marian Gaborik in more than just the offensive categories. Havlat, like Gaborik, has also been plagued with injuries throughout his career, but, like Gaborik, he believes that he's put his injury troubles behind him. Time will tell, but Havlat, paired up with Mikko Koivu, could help solve the Wild's scoring woes.
As for other players that Fletcher is rumored to be trying to bring in, the names are definitely intriguing. Mikko's big brother Saku is on the table, as is Rob Scuderi, who had an amazing Stanley Cup Finals with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both players could bring a huge impact to the team, although signing one would make it difficult to chase the other. Of course, the Wild are still in the Dany Heatley hunt, but that just looks like a trouble situation waiting to boil over. Best to avoid that one, and look at other impact players through trades.
UPDATE: Scuderi has signed with the Los Angeles Kings. The Wild are still looking for another defenseman to join the ranks, so which direction are they looking now?
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