IMO 97 needs to stop hitting the goalie when he shoots and start hitting the netting behind the goalie instead. I mean he’s already hit the goalie 35 times this season and that’s just unacceptable. Makes you wonder if anyone has told him to work on that
That’s just when he hits the goalie, which is rare…I think he’s trying to make black puck mark patterns in the glass behind the net… I swear I saw a butterfly marked on the glass in Philly the other night…he’s so talented…
Watching him do the Michigan would be fun to watch.
It is not as if he is trying the bank shot every game.
Honestly as long as he is shooting I don’t really care where it is from.
About three pages or so back people were screaming for him to shoot more.
Hell at this point he has 1 more goal than Maroon and tied with Dakota Mermis.
I think way too much is made about the Michigan. It’s really just an elevated wrap around that’s way harder to pull off and way more effective. A wraparound works like 1/50 and Michigan more like 1/5 – not many shots have a 20% success rate. I think we’re past the point of it being hot-dawging or a selfish play. If someone is skilled enough to pull it off they should absolutely be doing it every chance they get.
I watched a slowed down replay of that scenario where Adam Johnson got his throat cut and that looked completely intentional. The other player was not hit by anyone but for some reason he raises his leg in a kicking motion TWICE. Very sad deal.
I haven’t seen the video and I refuse to watch it. I can only imagine what it looks like. No need to confirm.
I watched a slowed down replay of that scenario where Adam Johnson got his throat cut and that looked completely intentional. The other player was not hit by anyone but for some reason he raises his leg in a kicking motion TWICE. Very sad deal.
ESPN just posted that police are investigating.
I randomly came across the video before I even knew what the “freak accident” was and I turned it off the second I realized what happened. Would not recommend anyone watching it.
Still surreal that happened, such a tragedy.
The Clint Milarchuk video haunted me as a kid so I’m not going to watch this one, as already mentioned its hard to believe it doesn’t happen more often (thankfully) but if you pay close attention it’s happening all the time, just not at the deadly level as guys get lucky (Think Rossi from a month ago)
I heard KFAN mention they saw online that police we’re looking into it and I thought it was just internet bs, but maybe not? That would be terrible if there was even an ounce of it being intentional… they mentioned the other guy involved was known as one of the leagues dirtier player…
It is hard to believe that even with a new PP coach, the Wild’s number 1 unit can be THIS bad. I mean the #1 unit is just freaking awful, it’s like they think this is some kind of game of keep-away that we used to play in youth hockey to build passing skills and they are patting themselves on the back because they are able to pass the puck around for 2 minutes while only losing it 2-3 times.
What the he!! is wrong with this #1 unit? I’m not even sure what they are trying to do out there except not lose the puck. They keep backing up away from the D and allowing the D to reset and collapse preventing seams from opening and east/west passes. The goalie has full visibility all the time.
It’s just painful to watch, after every pass the receiving player immediately starts backing up and giving the D back their shape.
Despite the change in coaches, this PP actually looks worse than last year.
Completely agree with Grouse, PP is terrible so far. Stationary, perimeter, and elementary. Last game they were actually real good about retrievals and winning pucks back but they didn’t create anything on those long PPs until the last 30 seconds when the PK guys were gassed.
We’ve seen some good ones this season already in NJD, Edmonton, and Toronto and what do they all have in common. They get the puck up high and get moving downhill with a head of steam and everyone in the building knows a scoring chance is coming in about 2 seconds. All the PK can do is buckle up and clench hoping it doesn’t go in and they can get to the rebound. Just once I’d like to see the Wild PP have that dominant attitude instead of passing around the perimeter and backing up scared to shoot because then they might lose possession.
2 things that I think are pretty obvious right now with our PP1 unit is they are SSSSSLLLLOOOWWWW, there’s no quick puck movement, lots of catching a pass and then 1-2 seconds of decision making before making a likely indirect pass off the boards or a backhand, by that time the defense is back in position…The other issue is a lack of net front screens, Ek tries but because he’s the only one in front, he can get double-teamed and pushed out of the way…Addy has been dropping alot of shots on net, but the goalie can typically see it all the way and its a simple pitch and catch from the blueline….Kirill and Zuccy need to get in front but that’s asking alot…or they all need to communicate better and Addy needs to know when they are all heading to the front before shooting…
Boldy should help when he gets back as he’s much more of a shooter than JoJo (still doesn’t shoot enough though)
I wouldn’t fault Addison at all, I think he’s QB’d it pretty well (other than waiting for screens before shooting) Maybe take a 1 timer every now and then to keep the defense honest…
if there’s any semblance of a plan by the new PP coach, I’ve yet to see it, that’s a major problem as well because either he doesn’t have a good plan (or know how to adjust it during the game) or the players just aren’t following it…
I’m surprised Deano hasn’t gone with the PP2 unit more often to start and give the PP1 unit the last 20 or so seconds…at least they get pucks to the net with bodies screening…put Moose and Maroon in front and tell the other 3 to tee off…
Some great observations and couldn’t agree more with a lot of it.
KK and Zuc need to be separated. Not forever or all the time, but that lines best player right now is Hartman.
Plus/minus on KK and Zuc is not good. Both, especially KK, need to go back to the fundamentals of puck control. Teams have scouted KK and know his game. It’s the NHL, his tendencies are know and planned for.
Merrell is awful.
Moose and Maroon have been pleasant surprises this year.
Addison is still soft on defense but thought he’s done ok on the pp. There’s just nothing from that 1st line that screams goal scoring is about to happen on the pp. You can smell it with other teams. You can’t with the Wild at all.
Some soft goals going in, but the defense in front of the goalies is atrocious. Not sure what’s going on with that other than the usual wild can’t clear the defensive zone. Neutral zone has been like watching a car crash over and over again stuck on repeat.
Despite all the cap issues they still are in games. Dean seems to be lost at times on the bench. Like Dean, but don’t think he’s a cerebral head coach when it matters.
The power play looks worse than last year, how is that even possible? And Addison hasn’t been the reason imo. Zuc is not moving his feet when you watch him for long stretches of games. Hartman at least shows effect. KK seems way off base and like nobody is working with him to correct anything. He’s got talent, but still needs to be coached.
Team seems to lack any real identity. Just a bunch of players trying to figure it out with not much coaching happening.
Maroon, Ek, Faber, Brodin, Hartman and even some other players are playing pretty solid. But a few are not putting forth things that the team needs. As much as I struggle with Spurgeon, you can tell this team is without a real captain currently.
On the positive side, 2 things that were major question marks coming into the season have been answered in spades sofar imo.
1) Marco Rossi has figured it out at the NHL level, imo he’s been the Wild’s most consistent player. Obviously we have to see him maintain this for the rest of the season, but he’s looked great after 9 games.
2) Brock Faber can step right in as a top 4 NHL defenseman. We knew hus defense and skating were elite, but his offense has been a welcomed surprise as well…
So a clip of Skate cut tragedy slipped into my twitter feed (it was just a 2 second video clip leading right upto the moment of collision). I thought of posting this short clip for discussion, but decided not too…
What and the flying F£€K was the guy who hit him trying to do?!? It looked like a WWE HBK Sweet Chin Music kick (not being disrespectful of the situation, as a 90’s kid wrestling fan it’s just looked what it looked like to me) There’s zero chance it wasn’t intentional imo… I’m in no way suggesting he wanted to cut him and kill him, but there’s ZERO reasoning for that leg movement to happen in hockey unless you’re doing it on purpose…
The only excuse I could think that guy could make would be that he was trying to leg trip him?
Yikes… makes me sick to my stomach…
No need to post I’m sure whomever wants to discuss can find it easily.
If that made you sick don’t watch the rest.
Sure was a move I have not seen on the ice before.
Russo just retweeted a teammate who was on the bench when it happened who said it was just a very fast hockey play and there should be no questioning any malice on the hit…
Sorry I just dont see that…
I wonder how the family friends and teammates feel about that video going around the world and discussed by the Twitter and IDO forensics experts. Can’t imagine they appreciate it or it’s doing them anything positive in what’s likely the darkest time of their lives. Really wish people would just let this one be
Terrible stuff, Idk how a player clips a skate and somersaults like that though. Just doesn’t add up.
If there’s one thing almost all wild fans can agree on it’s a completely irrational hatred of Darcy Kuemper
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tswoboda,
I think I spoke my mind about Kuemper after the game last week when he let in 3 of his first 4 shots and 4 of 17 total… IMO the only times in his career he has looked decent was when he was in Colorado and the Taylor Hall era in AZ. But we all know too well that those darn ok goalies love to show up against the wild
I wonder how the family friends and teammates feel about that video going around the world and discussed by the Twitter and IDO forensics experts. Can’t imagine they appreciate it or it’s doing them anything positive in what’s likely the darkest time of their lives. Really wish people would just let this one be
says the guy who 10 posts earlier said ESPN was reporting that the police are investigating it? I agree with you that ANY video of the terrible aftermath should not be posted and removed from the internet (but we know that won’t happen) but it happened at a public event with 8,000+ people in attendance, likely televised live locally in that EU area and its now World news. I dont know how anybody who’s played hockey could watch that hit and not raise an eyebrow and question what the guys intention was with his leg and skate? To say that hockey players cant discuss that part of it to try and understand the tragedy is just silly…
For those of us who had hope that the Timberwolves owned streaming service would be a success and could make its way to the Wild next year, it was a huge cluster F#%€ tonight with most users not able to even login, those few that did said it repeatedly crashed and was basically unwatchable…
Lets hope its just growing pains that get ironed out by next season….
Yeah police are investigating so move on no need to sit here and break it down frame by frame. There’s literally a family friend on this site who posted about him, probably more with relationships to Adam on here too. If that was my friend or family member I think all this discussion about intent/accident that’s taken off would drive me nuts and not do a bit of good in the grieving process, idk maybe I’m weird. Whatever have at it
tswoboda,
I think I spoke my mind about Kuemper after the game last week when he let in 3 of his first 4 shots and 4 of 17 total… IMO the only times in his career he has looked decent was when he was in Colorado and the Taylor Hall era in AZ. But we all know too well that those darn ok goalies love to show up against the wild
Just poking fun at a very opportune time but honestly it’s a true statement. Kuemper has had an extremely average NHL starter level career (when healthy) since leaving MN. And I mean that as a compliment because Wild fans seem to think he’s this ECHL washout level goalie. .916 career sv% and only one season under.900 in his career…
Just poking fun at a very opportune time but honestly it’s a true statement. Kuemper has had an extremely average NHL starter level career (when healthy) since leaving MN. And I mean that as a compliment because Wild fans seem to think he’s this ECHL washout level goalie. .916 career sv% and only one season under.900 in his career…
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completely agree that his stats arent too shabby and I think that wild fans hate on him simply because he was the goalie when they couldn’t get past chicago in the playoffs even though it was far from his fault
i do think the way he is playing with the contract WSH gave him is terrible though
My last post on the Adam Johnson tragedy. I saw another video of about 5 seconds of play leading right upto the hit, this video was much clearer than the first 2 second video I originally saw. In this new video you can see the player had all his weight loaded on his outside leg and leaned in to go check Adam but just clipped the other guy entering the zone ahead of him causing his body to twist and inside skate (with no weight on it – that’s the important part) to hit that players skate and sideways toepick sending it up towards Adam in a completely uncontrolled manner… My original comments were wrong and I can now see & understand the reason for the leg movement and there’s ZERO intent imo. I hope others originally confused by it as I was can see this new video and get a clear understanding as well…
Just a very very sad accident…
Fan dresses up as Mike Babcock and sits behind the Columbus bench in Dallas, he starts checking the fan’s phones..lol
https://x.com/craigjbutton/status/1719185012652986703?s=46&t=uoRWUp28rKzoSODmtmr3Lw
2 things that I think are pretty obvious right now with our PP1 unit is they are SSSSSLLLLOOOWWWW, there’s no quick puck movement, lots of catching a pass and then 1-2 seconds of decision making before making a likely indirect pass off the boards or a backhand, by that time the defense is back in position…The other issue is a lack of net front screens,
So the mystery to me is what is this new Power Play Guru Jason King coaching the #1 unit to do?
It looks like they are trying to play a possession game and the main focus is not to turn over the puck or to take any risk that could result in a turnover. It’s almost like with this strategy, we’re killing off our own power play for the opponent by passing the puck around and backing away from the defense to make yet another safe pass.
We’re not shooting and not getting the movement to open up passing. What about this PP plan is supposed to be producing those shot opportunities
How is this supposed to be working so that it produces goals? Either the players aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing or this whole PP is a complete cluster#$@!. I mean, how can a unit that includes KK, Zuc, and Ek be THIS bad? Statistically speaking, if you put players with the numbers these 3 generate 5 on 5 on the ice with 2 of the Little Sisters of the Poor, we should still be scoring more PP goals than we are.
Or does this King guy have no clue? I looked up his stats from Vancouver and I wouldn’t say they are exactly impressive. His record at Vancouver had their PP about 1% higher than the Wild’s. I just don’t get what’s supposed to be happening with this PP.
I think he’s trying to make 97 the trigger man and primary shooter/ finisher like a Pasta or Draisaitl. That’s what it looks like to me anyway.
An obvious directive is Addison ripping a shot off faceoff wins. It’s not working but obvious he’s been told to do that.
Zuccy’s style is slow and methodical passes, that’s just the player he is and he’s very good at it. He seems to have the puck a lot at the left point in this PP and is the guy backing up and slowing everything down. That’s setting the tone for their slow pace all around.
one thing to note is that the skill level King had on that Vancouver PP1 unit was pretty much a peftect placement of players…The Wild can get close to that talent when they are healthy, but the lack of a right handed shooter really hurts them imo…
Petterson – Kirill
Kuzmenko – Boldy
Boeser – Zuccy
Miller – Ek
Hughes – Addison
What I really don’t like is that they seem content with Kirill shooting snapshots from damn near the blueline…the PK is going to be happy allowing that all night…They seemed to have had more success last season when he was looping out to the blueline and then getting a pass from Addy while skating downhill towards the net for a shot and everyone else crashed the net, haven’t seen that very much this year…the PP is taking what the PK gives them (mostly zuccy snapshots from the top of the circle or Addison shots from the point with just Ek getting pummeled in front) they aren’t dictating anything…
To King’s credit, the true #1 PP unit hasn’t been together very much to truly judge them yet sofar due to Boldy’s injury…
Well until recently they have refused to insert a right handed shot on pp1 and have had 3 on pp2.
Now with Boldy, Geudreau and Spurgeon out they have Hartman on pp1.
They still seem to want to clog up the middle, which does somethings good and others bad.
Good, takes away vision of goalie and possibly deflects pucks.
Bad, removes a potential passing player, making things really a 4 on 4 with a possible rebound deflection option, and puts another player in front of the goalie to block a shot.
It seems to me that we are getting more of the bad side of the two possibilities.
Watching the Kings whoop the Leafs tonight and It will be very interesting to see what Toronto will do with William Nylander…they can’t possibly afford to sign him can they? No chance they could trade Tavares with another year on his $11 million aav… Would they dare trade Marner? I dont see that, he’s the straw that stirs the drink…
Nylander has moved himself into the $10 million aav group imo…
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