I started complaining about that before his first long term injury... way back on the official boards and people wanted to lynch me for bashing the guy.
Its a breathe of fresh air to find someone that finds it annoying when he enters the zone with speed and then curls off at the top of the circle towards the boards just to buy more time instead of making a play. It never fails either.
Main word: sometimes. But its easiest to go into the zone 10 feet from the boards. Take a 45 degree angle towards the closest boards and then just pass it back to whoever is there. It never fails to create open space and another shot.
I tend to use the boards and create plays from behind the net and dumping the puck in. It works if you've got a fast winger, and passing from corner to the slot is a very effective way to create top notch scoring chances. It also creates chances from the blueline because defenders usually concentrate on the guys who try to crash the crease.
Butch actually changed up his game after the 1st concussion and was more aggressive and playing a bit more East-West. People forget he was pretty dang good before the 2nd concussion.
Butch actually is underrated for his performance a few years back...he had 42, 50, and 37 assists before his 1st concussion. Always on the second line too. With guys like Todd White and Eric Belanger at center. 50 assists is pretty damn good, that'd be top 15 in the league.
Size, skill, tendencies, Granlund is very similar to Bouchard, whether people want to admit it or not. It's just if he can stay healthy and play a little more aggressive game.
Granlund has a great wrist shot, he just doesn't want to use it. Last season, at one point he decided that he could try shooting once in a while, too. He ended up scoring 13 goals in 15 games. Before that 15 game streak he had scored 6 goals in 20 games, and after it he only scored 1 goal in 10 games, but that was when he was slumping anyway.
I think he does have the skillset to potentially score 25, or even 30 goals in a season (not talking about next season only) if all the stars align correctly and some of his fluttering saucer passes accidentally hit the net. His extreme pass first mentality is the biggest issue, but he has shown that when his teammates are unable to get the job done, he might start taking more chances himself.
Mikke is exactly the kind of guy who will benefit hugely from having NHL coaches. They will drool when they see his skillset and brain and will be quick to give him good advise!
So regular NHL-player wouldn't have concussion in that play?
FTFY. Also, I'm not quite sure what you mean, but Granlund didn't get a concussion from that play, as that happened in 2010-11 playoffs after he had already recovered from it. I can't find a video right now, but Granlund got the concussion from missing his check and hitting the boards face first instead.
i don't understand this "fresh air" bs re: Butch's perceived play. That's about as stale as you get when talking about current Wild players...That was everyone's mantra. There were only a few people, Talon, defending Bouchard on the old boards, not the other way around.
As Jarick said, he did change his play with a new coach, new system, and it looked good on him. I think Bouchard plays the way the coach wants him to. Think exactly the opposite of Zidlicky...If Bouchard is playing a certain way, I expect it has a lot to do with what the coach is telling him to do. I too expect Granlund to play like the more aggressive version of Bouchard than anything else, and that's perfectly fine--we absolutely need someone with vision and creativity out there.
Right, and don't forget Butch's "curling along the boards" maneuver did net him an average of 40 assists per year for three years. He was pretty damn effective doing that and allowing Rolston to drive the net.
