Is this new sytem going to work with the players we got?

I don't know about y'all but I think we have the wrong personnel for Richards system. I gave it a few games and it is way too early to tell but I think Richards had a pre-determined system without considering the skill of this team.
In professional sports one of two things need to happen to be successful. Style of play must match the talent you already have or get the talent to match the style of play you wish to profess.

This isn't the case here. Does anyone know if Fletcher has a five or seven year plan?

short answer... maybe... if they can use the slower forwards differently somehow or offset their slowness with a faster, more defensively responsible, forward..

also, the defense needs to learn when its not a good idea to pinch

While we do not have the optimum players right now, we can play this style we've showed it in brief flashes in the 3 games. The problem is getting used to the system, and getting used to the players, i know that most of the guys have been with one another a while but they played a different system, its going to take time to develop that unspoken communication that players can read each other and such.

Tonight we'll probably get raped, with out mercy and raped repeatedly, but i think we can play this system well enough to be competitive and fun to watch.

Our poor play so far has nothing to do with talent. It's mental mistakes, primarily from seasoned veterans. They'll get it figured out. Just give them time.

This is precisely the reason that I gave in my conference predictions on my blog of why I felt the Wild wouldn't be good this year. This system doesn't suit half of the players that are on the Wild roster. With time though, I think we'll be an awesome team. Just have to be patient. This year and next year could be growing pain seasons.

It's hard to tell. If u have a good coach and the players follow the system. u can be successful even without star material. It's about passing and moving in open space. The Wings has no true stars except maybe Lidstrom, Zet, and Datsyuk. Ok Franzen is talented as well, but I believe if he played trap since he was 20 he would never become what he is today.Just a thought. Shep looks better under Fletcher. Just my opinion.

Cool Slovak wrote:

Shep looks better under Fletcher. Just my opinion.

WAYYYYYYYYYYYYY better IMO.

Cool Slovak wrote:

Shep looks better under Fletcher. Just my opinion.

Me wants to see him on 2nd line with Havlat and Sykora

Wild Fan #1 wrote:

Our poor play so far has nothing to do with talent. It's mental mistakes, primarily from seasoned veterans. They'll get it figured out. Just give them time.

Exactly I think the system works. If the players stop being dumb in their own zone we will see a bunch more wins. The D will occasionally get burned but the loss to the Kings was not because the D pinched it was bad play in the D zone. remember we scored 2 goals that otherwise would not have been scored under Lemaire.

The loss to the Sharks was again just poor play in the D zone. just cause JL is gone shouldn't mean the D men forget how to play but that seems like what has happened.

The one player that I think we have that would fit into the new system would be PMB, but he is running so scared that even at 100%, I don't think he will fit right.

The thing I can't help myself from thinking is this; If Lemaire (or Constantine) had this roster, they would be doing a bit better. Then again, I never found the old system boring as I liked the "chess match" style of Lemaire better. I think JL did a much better job matching players vs. players than Richards has so far.

I also think Richards needs to figure out the long change in the second period. Every game so far, pre-season and the four we've had now, the second period is the suck. The only thing that I can think of is that Richards is noobing it up on the long change. During the Anahiem game, there were several instances of lines that should not have been on the ice being there. Parros was on the ice for several shifts and Scott wasn't. I know it's harder to manage that on road games, but so far, that's Richards' biggest flop to me.

Once he can figure out the long change, we won't have second period suckage so horribly. Yes, Harding was shaky in the LA game, but the D also wasn't clearing his crease. Going into the game, you heard them lecture about needing to clear the crease right away. They didn't. They lost in the first ten minutes because of that. Once they actually started clearing the crease, they started to look decent. Then the Handzuz goal could have been avoided, again, if the crease was cleared.

LA will start getting owned in about ten more games as soon as every other team realizes that they need to clear the crease and that LA isn't defending the points very well. Colorado is trying to do the same thing that LA is doing, and their point defense is by far, the weakest I have seen. Calgary will also take a dip as soon as they come up against teams with a strong point defense.

Yes, I am taking advantage of the free CI preview until the 24th... I am soaking up a lot of hockey.

The personnel will be changing. Nolan, Belanger, Sykora, Boogaard are all gone as UFAs after this season, with Miettinen and Brunette done after next season. You replace them with players who fit the system and they'll be fine. The only real problem is Bouchard and his terrible contract.

Call me silly but everyone's favorite whipping boy, Belanger, has been one of the better players. Bruno seems to be in the right place at the right time despite his skating in sand like speed. Burns' good plays are offset by bad plays every game but like someone said earlier it's probably just a case of knowing when and when not to pinch. Shep may look good but he is not doing much with the puck. They looked good when they are constantly firing the puck but last game I think they just got gassed from all the extra shifts because of Sykora and Clusterbutt.
This team needs a sniper to be more effective with this system. Too many playmakers IMO.
Time will tell.

To me this team has looked better with each game, i think the players are getting the system and better at playing it.

Also the UFA's they won't leave for nothing, they will get traded, i swear if we lose a bunch of guys for nothing i'll be pissed.

With how long JL was coaching, it didn't matter what system you brought in.. it was going to take time for the players to learn and get used to. I think it's good that Richard's sticks to his guns and lets them sink/swim with his system this year. Hopefully some of the guys will learn how to use what JL used to preach and tie it into the new style of Richard (so they aren't having total defensive meltdowns.)

The one thing this new style brings, better chances to catch up from being down 3-0.

zamboni14 wrote:

With how long JL was coaching, it didn't matter what system you brought in.. it was going to take time for the players to learn and get used to. I think it's good that Richard's sticks to his guns and lets them sink/swim with his system this year. Hopefully some of the guys will learn how to use what JL used to preach and tie it into the new style of Richard (so they aren't having total defensive meltdowns.)

The one thing this new style brings, better chances to catch up from being down 3-0.

Yup you totally see some of this programing when we are playing bad, players show some hesitation, and you also see the new system when we are playing well, like Shultz jumping in and scoring and such. What i really like is the interview Russo had with Fletcher where Fletcher pretty much said that he and Richards communicate and are on the same page with personnel. Which means come trades and signings Richards won't just have to make do with what Fletcher gave him.

I'm excited just watching them to be honest its nice to see us taking chances, and there is hope with guys like Shepp who i think has been playing great this year, and Benny who had some bad games but vs SJ he did great, he back checked and prevent Thorton from taking a shot on Backs, If he keeps it up he'll get his top line time.

Quisp wrote:

Call me silly but everyone's favorite whipping boy, Belanger, has been one of the better players. Bruno seems to be in the right place at the right time despite his skating in sand like speed. Burns' good plays are offset by bad plays every game but like someone said earlier it's probably just a case of knowing when and when not to pinch. Shep may look good but he is not doing much with the puck. They looked good when they are constantly firing the puck but last game I think they just got gassed from all the extra shifts because of Sykora and Clusterbutt.
This team needs a sniper to be more effective with this system. Too many playmakers IMO.
Time will tell.

And they can address their sniper needs in the offseason. Frolov would be an excellent fit, hell so would Rene Bourque, especially with what Richards wants and taking from a divisional opponent while filling a need, the Flames can't afford him and Joker and I think they choose Joker. Belanger has pretty much always been regarded as a solid #3 center, and Brunette cannot play with Koivu and Havlat 5 on 5, but it works on the PP.

forthewild wrote:

To me this team has looked better with each game, i think the players are getting the system and better at playing it.

Also the UFA's they won't leave for nothing, they will get traded, i swear if we lose a bunch of guys for nothing i'll be pissed.

The UFAs should all be walking among our forwards, and could get moved at the deadline, but why would CF move them if the team is in contention? Sykora, Nolan, Belanger, you're looking at a 2nd round pick being the MAXIMUM possible for any one player, and more realistically a 3rd round pick being the return, and in Sykora's case, its better to let him play out the year seeing as how he chose to play here in this system, players/agents watch how you treat "your" players. On defense Johnsson and Zidlicky could fetch a fair return, but CF may want to retain them. The forwards, not so much.

[quote="lolwat"]

Quisp wrote:

The UFAs should all be walking among our forwards, and could get moved at the deadline, but why would CF move them if the team is in contention? Sykora, Nolan, Belanger, you're looking at a 2nd round pick being the MAXIMUM possible for any one player, and more realistically a 3rd round pick being the return, and in Sykora's case, its better to let him play out the year seeing as how he chose to play here in this system, players/agents watch how you treat "your" players. On defense Johnsson and Zidlicky could fetch a fair return, but CF may want to retain them. The forwards, not so much.

I disagree on some points, while Belanger has been playing well he needs to be traded, when Butch comes back we'll have more centers then we need, and we sure as hell can't trade Butch, Nolan hasn't been that great for us, but still if he has trade value ship him. Sykora is someone who I think signed with the Wild for one purpose, to up his value, so he won't mind either being resigned or Traded to a contender, and depending how he plays i don't him him being inked to a good deal.

Isn't this what everyone wanted? I remember hearing a lot of "I'd rather lose 6-3 or 4-2 than win 1-0. The Trap is so boring."

They have played a whopping four games so far. Way too early to question the coach/system. Once early December rolls around then we should be getting an idea of how all the new parts are working together. I think it is mainly the fact that the players haven't had time to get used to each other though and not the system they are playing. Lou Nanne pointed out that most teams use a different system from one line to the next. Players are always having to adjust to the system. If it can be done from one shift to the next it can certainly be done from one year to the next.

Give me a break about this "new system" garbage.

It's not like this system isn't something that a lot of these guys are already used to... I mean, Sheppard's been playing hockey since he was three. The only ones that are "new" to this system are Schultz, Koivu and Burns. Johnsson, Zidlicky, Zanon, and Hnidy all played under systems like this with their former respective teams. Miettinen played this system in Dallas, Havlat in Chicago, Sykora in Pitts/Tampa, and so on and so on...

These guys are professional hockey players for fucks sake. They have played under so many different coaches, systems, etcetera that again, the only ones that I would worry about are Schultz, Burns and Koivu.

Considering that Koivu has adjusted well and Burns *always* had the reigns off even under Lemaire... That leaves Schultz. It is arguable that he is taking some time to adjust, but hell, he scored a goal, is already (mostly) responsibly pinching and more. Granted, he is -7 right now...

So, yes, I am questioning the coach. It's the coaches job to communicate to his team and adapt to fit the needs. The fact that I don't think he has yet to get a second period with the long change right yet... Richards is out of his league.

Man no coach could have come in here and pleased the fans, i mean its been 4 games with a roster that was mostly built by Riser with very little Flexibility to trade or even call up prospects, the only prospect we could call up is Gillies and he's far better at the AHL level to develop further before we toss him to the wolves.

Its not like we have a ton of options to trade players to get guys we like better, this year is going to be hard, and we have to wait till we have a chance to get players the coach and gm like. When PMB comes back and he sucks are we going to blame Richards?

no

That was for the OP, not the previously posted rhetorical question. Which would be no as well.

No coach can come in and make this team a contender with the talent that's on the roster. The key is to make the best of what you got and playing Scott at forward is not doing that! If Burns can't do it effectively then how in the hell Scott going to? DR did handcuff Fletcher no doubt but it's going to be two years before he can get those cuffs off IMO.
If you are going to play eastern conference hockey you better have the wheels to do so and we do not.

I do like the agressive penalty kill. Somewhat like Vancouver in the past.

The thing with playing the PK aggressively is you need PKers with WHEELS.

What Wild PKers have wheels? (Serious question, I honestly don't know)