Todd Richards announced today that Derek Boogaard is out with a concussion. As with all concussions, it is hard to predict when he will be healthy. But, even with Boogaard healthy, do the Wild need him??
Pros:
- Boogaard is one of the top heavyweights in the game today. He can stand toe-to-toe with anyone.
- Boogaard is a fan favorite. Any time he is on the ice, fans are watching to see who might be his next victim. Boogaard also sells jerseys...
- Boogaard keeps other teams honest. With Boogaard on the bench, our skilled players should feel more comfortable being able to do what they do best.
Cons:
- Based on nhlnumbers.com, Boogaard will make 1.25 million this year. That is quite a bit of money to pay someone who averaged 4.59 minutes per game.
- He will not fit into Richards' forecheck system. Boogaard is a punishing hitter...but you have to have speed to be effective in a strong forechecking system.
- John Scott, who looks to be the favorite for the 7th defenseman spot, averaged 9:14 last year, will make 550k this year and also offers a better all around game.
The ultimate question after looking at the pros and cons is whether the Wild have enough toughness by committee to allow Boogaard to go elsewhere. Can Zanon, Hnidy, Nolan, Burns, Clutterbuck and Scott keep teams honest? If not, do the Wild have a potent enough powerplay to punish those teams that would test the Wild's toughness?
If the answer to those two questions are no, then I would thinkBoogaard is needed. However, with Boogaard being injured this early on, perhaps we will get to see if the answer to those two questions is yes.
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