wilddoodz-blog

[wilddoodz-blog]

NEWS: Wild Deal Powe And Palmieri To Rangers For Mike Rupp

The Wild have traded Darroll Powe and Nick Palmieri to the New York Rangers in exchange for Mike Rupp. The move makes sense since the team has had such a bottleneck of qualified centers, plus Palmieri just wasn't fitting in. I doubt that 33-year-old brute-force winger makes a permanent home here in Minnesota long-term, but his addition will certainly address the size and toughness issues that desperately needed some retooling. Not to mention that the new fourth-line is straight-up terrifying with Kassian-Konopka-Rupp. The Wild have the full details here. 

[wilddoodz-blog]

Where Is Mikael Granlund?

For all of the attention Ryan Suter is receiving for having a rocky start adjusting to a new defensive system and the much-deserved praise Zach Parise is enjoying after transitioning beautifully into a team that now orbits entirely around him, Mikael Granlund's role is being overlooked. With prolific scoring from our top line of Heatley-Koivu-Parise, the Wild is eeking out wins, but none of them have been pretty.  One major contributor to these hard-to-watch efforts has been the lack of scoring from what should be relatively productive second and third lines -- the former being the biggest offender. We saw a spark of life with Yeo bringing in Bouchard (even though he scored last night while filling in on the fourth line) and Setoguchi has been throwing his weight around, but Granlund has been invisible. Before I dig into this, I would like to make it clear that I am a big Granlund fan and I am looking forward to the long and storied career that is undoubtedly ahead of him in a Wild sweater -- but I’ve had to come to grips with the fact that his first six games have been lackluster, the three most recent of which have been damn-near bad. The most glaring component that's missing in his game is his strength. He’s getting tossed around by everybody, to the degree that sometimes he just gives up while a defensemen sits on him (Huskins literally did so in Detroit) and he simply wilts away when any real pressure is put on by the opposition. The results? Two points in six games, diminished ice-time compliments of Yeo, and an overall absence from the big plays of the game. His skills are not in question – he’s pro-level in every sense of the word when it comes to his playmaking, hands, and his strikingly wide vision on the ice – but something has to change when it comes to his on-ice presence. If he’s going to be the leader amidst our next generation of stars, he has to start believing in his own play and step into that role. My question is, how long does Yeo wait before moving him? And when he does, is that move to the third line or to Houston? Here's to hoping Granlund can hit the weight room and stay on the big squad.

[wilddoodz-blog]

Alain Vignuealt cracking up thanks to Dallas' Fiddler. Pretty great.

[wilddoodz-blog]

Sports Illustrated asks NHL players who is the most overrated NHL player in the league.  A new winger shows up.

[wilddoodz-blog]

Sports Illustrated polled NHL players to find out who is the most underrated player in the NHL.  Our favorite center makes the list.

[wilddoodz-blog]

Here is video of Bogosian's hit on Bouchard from last night. I expect severe punishment from the NHL.

[wilddoodz-blog]

UPDATE: Lats will actually return to the lineup tonight. Surprise! Good news on the Gui front. RDS is reporting that Lats has traveled with the Wild to Winnipeg and says he is a mere two weeks away from getting back in the game. Roughly translated, this Lats quote states he is "confident that [he] will return in around ten days." Source: fuckyeahguillaumelatendresse

[wilddoodz-blog]

Matt Hackett's interview with NHL Live. Recorded on 12/12/11.

[wilddoodz-blog]

NEWS: Matt Hackett Stops 34 Shots In NHL Debut

Matt Hackett made 34 saves in the Wild's 2-1 win over San Jose last night. I'll be honest, I expected the Sharks to jump on the green goaltender and sink us by five goals, but Hackett kicked some serious ass. He was composed, in control and was simply perfect. Kudos Matt Hackett, it's nice to know that we have some serious talent coming up in the net.

[wilddoodz-blog]

Here's a great infographic that covers the proposed conferences. Source: fuckyeahhockey

[wilddoodz-blog]

GOOD WORK: Casey Wellman

Although it may be a bit early to start patting Casey Wellman on the back, I think some credit needs to be given to his three-points-in-three-games start, especially now that he has been given a chance for big minutes (17:11 last game against the Ducks) on that second line with Cullen and Bouchard. Wellman finally got the call up this year after putting up 11 goals and 8 assists in 20 games with Houston and I think he'll be able to contribute half-a-point per game this year if he can stay up. The only issue I see arises when Clutterbuck gets back to one-hundred percent and Wellman gets relegated back to Staubitz' spot on the fourth line, which doesn't do anyone much good. That being said, with Latendresse out, there is a scoring hole in the team and Wellman could be the guy to fill it. Tonight will be another good test against his home-system San Jose. 

[wilddoodz-blog]

NEWS: NHL Approves Realignment, Proposed Conferences

Conference A Anaheim Calgary Colorado Edmonton Los Angeles Phoenix San Jose Vancouver Conference B Chicago Columbus Dallas Detroit Minnesota Nashville St. Louis Winnipeg Conference C Boston Buffalo Florida Montreal Ottawa Tampa Bay Toronto Conference D Carolina New Jersey NY Islanders NY Rangers Philadelphia Pittsburgh Washington How do you think this will affect the Wild? TSN has full video coverage. 

[wilddoodz-blog]

This moment won the game on Monday. Source: stateofhockey

[wilddoodz-blog]

NEWS: Congrats Mikko Koivu On 100th Goal

Even though it was an open net goal, it still counts to put the Wild Captain at an amazing milestone.

[wilddoodz-blog]

Official Derek Boogaard tribute video.

[wilddoodz-blog]

RUMOR: Dennis Endras Signs With HIFK

*UPDATE: Michael Russo at the Star Tribune has confirmed that Endras has been loaned out to HIFK for the rest of the season and Kuemper has been called up to Houston. First Round Bust is reporting that Dennis Endras has signed with HIFK of the Finnish Elite League. Although not confirmed, this move is an interesting one in that Endras, who only has had six starts with the Houston Aeros this year, may get some much-deserved attention where he may otherwise not be getting it. Darcy Kuemper tweeted that he got called up to Houston yesterday, so that does imply movement. Furthermore, this is the same squad that features Mikael Granlund, which is neat. Here's to hoping that this is a logistical move pushing for more ice time rather than a move of frustration.