[Howler555]

The NHL season has passed the 1/3rd mark and its time to evaluate our team.

Breaking down into the key categories and individual players in my opinion.


Forwards- B

Koivu- A+
He is the Kaptain. He has continued to perform at all levels and is a an All-Star.

Brunette- A+
Its Bruno and he is still amazingly productive despite his knee being surgically repaired in the off season. At 37 he is a top line player.

Miettenen- A
Koivu's sidekick and recent goal scorer I dont want to gush to much but he is hitting it on all cylinders and was one of the few forwards from the get go who fought every shift.

Lattenndresse- A
Very very early to tell but his play as of now has me drooling. Aggresive, strong, and tenacious. 20+ goal man in the future.

Owen Nolan- B
This guy is almost 40 and he is still delivering something Minnesota has gotten used to. Cowboy keeps on keeping on.

Andrew Ebbet- B
Small but speedy he has some touch and has been clutch since his arrival. Hope to see even more from him.

Cal Clutterbuck- B+
Hitting machine is also a sniping machine and tough as nails. Keep on keeping on Buttercup.

Chuck Kobasew- B
A hat-trick is his only goal scoring so far but his overall game appears to be a good fit to this team. More scoring is expected of him.

Kyle Brodziak- B
Gritty, Reliable, and even shown to have a little scoring touch. His work ethic is strong.

Eric Belanger- C
Again in typical Bella fashion he cooled off but still providing a consistent defensive effort and also leading the Wild in the face off circle.

Derek Boogard- C-
Better than last year by far, winning his fights, but how much can he bring to the table? Break the goal drought Boogy.

Pierre-Marc Bouchard- N/A Injured

Petr Sykora- N/A Injured but not much going when he played.

James Sheppard- D Needs to find his game and put the puck in the net.

Martin Havlat- D This is our offensive dynamo. He should be a force every time he touches the puck instead of a flashy move then nothing. Marty needs to start filling the net.

Defense

Zanon- B
A very solid, responsible dman that is full of character.

Zidlicky- B
His gaffes have dropped, his defense improved. Zanon and Zids have a good chemistry.

Kim Johnsonn- B
Competent veteran player making occasion great plays and occasional bad plays. If he wasnt 4.5 Million on the cap he would be having a good season.

Nick Schultz- B
Still the Wild's best shut down man and has grasped the new system well. Very pleased by Schultz.

Shane Hnidy- C
Meh is all I can come up with and he should not even bother playing point.

Jamie Sifers- C
Potential and the Wild are short on that.

John Scott- C
Big friggin dude may put Boogy out of a job.

Goaltenders

Niklas Backstrom- B
He is still an elite goaltender but some fluky goals have me a little curious. Overall still one of the best.

Josh Harding- C
Playing well but started nights the Wild didnt show up. Against Colorado and Nashville he played strong and has established some trade value.

Coaching-

Todd Richards- B+

He finally has the Wild playing good hockey. An abysmal start and a helluva lot of line shifting has not given him alot of support but for a rookie coach its par for the course. Benched players who deserved benching.

Management

Chuch Fletcher- A+

Did the unthinkable in trading Pouliout for a true great player. Signed Kobasew who has meshed great with the team. Picked Ebbett off of waivers for immiedate success. His Wild is taking form and I like it.

Recent success doesnt make the poor start go away but it gives me hope. The Wild may not be a force this year or even next but this new style and new coach is crafting something that will be a great franchise. Overall I am cautiously optimistic for the future and my only major disapointment has been Havlat. All players slump so hopefully he breaks out and lights the lamp.

On a last note Gaborik can go f*** himself

Your thoughts???

[Harriet Snodgrass]

Haha, I don't want to say that Gaborik can go F himself or anything. I say good for him that he's having the best start of his career.

I agree about Havlat, he's been garbage since coming here.

I might give Harding a little more credit. It's not like he gets a lot of opportunity to play. I expect to see him gone at trade deadline day. With more experience he'll be a solid #1. I might give Belanger a little more credit too. He's a workhorse and does well for what he does. Otherwise I'd say I have to agree, mostly.

[Howler555]

Gaborik can have the best year of his career and have Sather buy his home boy bust Demitra and the Rangers can understand how its like to have your team ran by two prima donna Slavs.

I really like Belanger and thought of it but he is playing the 2nd like essentially and he should be scoring a bit more. Hards has not gotten enough time for a fair judgement your right. I hope we get 1st or a 2nd for him and he goes on to be a great starter.

[mnwild09]

I agree pretty much exactly with you, Howler.

The thing I'm most surprised about are the trades and pick up early this season. I think Fletch is doing a damn good job. I wasn't expecting the 3 guys we picked up to be so productive for us, then again, I never really expect too much out of "new guys." Ha.

Overall, I'm really pleased with the way things are going so far this season. Of course, not saying I was happy with the terrible start we had. I'm just hoping our injured guys come back soon, and that no one else gets sidelined with a concussion! :dead:

(Holy shmoley! I haven't been on here in a month! :disgust: I hate this time of year only because I get super busy. Hopefully things cool down soon. I'll be done with my first semester of college courses next Friday! Woot woot!)