Minnesota Wild Alumni Tracking 2013: October Edition

Sep 22, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; New York Islanders center Pierre-Marc Bouchard (96) skates the puck against the Nashville Predators during the game at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports

In a new feature that I will be running here on Gone Puck Wild throughout the season, each month I will compile a report on how each of the players from last year’s Wild roster who have now left the team are performing at their new club. A lot of fans like to keep an eye on their team’s “alumni” so this will be a condensed, informative source for all the information you need about each player.

(For more info about some of the stats and terms I use in these articles, check out my stats introduction piece).

In case you need a reminder; Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Matt Cullen and Brett Clark left via free agency, the latter two signing for the Islanders and the Predators, respectively, while Clark went unsigned. Matt Hackett and Johan Larsson were traded to the Buffalo Sabres in the Jason Pominville deal late last season. Tom Gilbert was the victim of a compliance buyout and signed in Florida, initially on a PTO, and then on a 1-year contract. Justin Falk was traded to the New York Rangers in a contract-dump move. Devin Setoguchi was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a 2nd round pick.

Matt Hackett is yet to appear in an NHL game this year, currently playing for the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, while Clark is still a UFA and is unlikely to continue playing.

Basic Stats

PLAYER

TEAM

GP

G

A

P

S/Sh%

TOI/G

PP TOI/G

SH TOI/G

PIM

Bouchard

Islanders

12

2

4

6

16/12.5%

13:45

1:22

0:01

4

Cullen

Predators

13

2

2

4

30/6.7%

16:22

2:14

1:18

8

Gilbert

Panthers

13

0

2

2

14/0.0%

21:13

2:11

1:39

2

Larsson

Sabres

13

0

0

0

9/0.0%

11:44

0:06

1:01

6

Falk

Rangers

3

0

0

0

2/0.0%

9:42

0:04

0:00

11

Setoguchi

Jets

13

2

3

5

28/7.1%

14:41

2:53

0:01

2

 GP=Games Played

G=Goal

A=Assist

P=Points

S/Sh%= Shots On Goal/Shooting Percentage

TOI/G=Time on ice per game

PP TOI/G=Powerplay time on ice per game

SH TOI/G=Shorthanded time on ice per game

PIM=Penalty minutes

Underlying Numbers (5v5 Close)

NAME

CF%

CF% Rel

FF%

FF% Rel

On-Ice Sh%

On-Ice Sv%

PDO

QoC

QoT

PMB

52.5%

+3.3%

50.4%

+1.1%

5.7%

86.0%

91.7

0.227

-0.637

MC

55.7%

+7.4%

58.1%

+9.3%

5.2%

95.5%

100.6

1.329

2.046

TG

47.9%

+1.9%

48.2%

+0.3%

5.3%

91.9%

97.2

2.975

-3.098

JL

44.3%

+7.1%

43.0%

+5.8%

0.0%

94.6%

94.6

0.805

-12.811

JF

36.4%

-20.8%

30.0%

-31.4%

0.0%

92.3%

92.3

4.622

0.862

DS

46.7%

+0.9%

49.7%

+5.4%

3.6%

91.2%

94.8

1.304

0.327

 CF%=Corsi for percentage

CF% Rel=Corsi for percentage relative to teammates

FF%=Fenwick for percentage

FF% Rel=Fenwick for percnetage relative to teammates

On-ice Sh%=Team shooting percentage when on ice

On-Ice Sv%=Team shooting percentage when on ice

PDO=Luck, On-Ice Sh%+On-IceSv%

QoC=Quality of competition

QoT=Quality of teammates

Notes

  • Bouchard is looking like a really nice pick-up for the Islanders. I was very vocal about how underrated he was last year for the Wild and they really should have kept him for another year. He would’ve been a big upgrade on Heatley anyway, that’s for sure. His possession numbers are great again and, after a rough start, he is starting to find his scoring touch. If he can stay healthy, he should definitely earn himself a new contract to extend his career for at least another year.
  • Cullen’s scoring has returned to normal levels after a very lucky year in terms of Sh% last season. He is playing pretty well for the Preds and in all situations, but won’t be the answer to their need for top-6 scoring. He’s certainly an excellent bottom-6 player, but I’m glad the Wild didn’t re-sign him, as Brodziak is pretty much a younger, better version.
  • Tom Gilbert has been one of the few bright spots on a terrible Panthers team. He is playing top pairing minutes at 5v5, 5v4 and 4v5 and keeping his head above water. With Nick Schultz currently a healthy scratch for the Oilers most nights, it is pretty clear who was the better player in that, oft-mocked, trade. It’s a pity Dany Heatley’s injury meant that Gilbert became a victim of the cap crunch in Minnesota.
  • Larsson is driving possession like a beast for the Sabres. He looks to be one of the few good players among a terrible group. He hasn’t scored any points yet, but if he keeps this play up, his offensive game should emerge. He is certainly having an impressive start to his NHL career in a difficult situation.
  • Falk has mostly been a non-factor for the Rangers, but, to his credit, at least he is still in the NHL. I would’ve expected him to be in the AHL by now for sure, so I guess that is a small victory for him.
  • Setoguchi is being Setoguchi, which means he is not scoring a whole pile and isn’t doing much else too well either. Nothing in his numbers makes me think that the Wild made a mistake when they traded him for, what will almost certainly be, a high 2nd round pick.

 

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*Numbers in this article courtesy of:

Extra Skater

BehindTheNet.ca

Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com

SomeKindOfNinja.com

HockeyAbstract.com