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In life, sometimes someone gives you something for free just to get it off their hands. On the surface, it looked like a tremendous deal. A low-risk, high-reward deal that has no real downside.<\/p>\n
The Minnesota Wild pulled off such a trade on the eve of free agency, when they accepted\u00a0a trade\u00a0with the Detroit Red Wings for forward\u00a0Vladimir Tarasenko. They took Tarasenko out of Detroit\u2019s hands for future considerations in return.\u00a0Bill Guerin landed Tarasenko, the former St. Louis Blues star, as a one-year $5 million rental.<\/p>\n
On the surface, the trade might not look too bad. Tarasenko has two goals and eight points in 18 games this season, good for sixth on the team. But when you look under the hood of the 33-year-old\u2019s play, it tells another story.<\/p>\n
For context, Tarasenko has logged the seventh most time on ice this season among Wild forwards, playing primarily in a top-six role with\u00a0Joel Eriksson Ek\u00a0and\u00a0Matt Boldy\u00a0as his linemates. Only\u00a0Ryan Hartman has played more minutes than Tarasenko and had worse production.<\/p>\n
Tarasenko has also spent most of his time on the top power play. That will change because\u00a0Mats Zuccarello\u00a0has returned, and Tarasenko will drop to the second unit. In his time on the top unit, he accounted for seven of his ten points on the season. That means, in his nearly 200 minutes of even-strength play this season, he has a whopping 3 points.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Yakov Trenin\u00a0and\u00a0Vinnie Hinostroza\u00a0could also say the same. Not a good look for the guy known for putting the puck in the back of the net.<\/p>\n
Look at the chart below:<\/p>\n
It highlights that whoever lines up next to Tarasenko is worse off than they would be if they were not playing with him. All seven of his most common linemates have seen their numbers improve away from him. So, what should the Wild do with him?<\/p>\n
Tarasenko has never excelled defensively. Still, he\u2019s been sound defensively this year, giving up 1.52 goals against per 60 minutes (GA\/60) when he\u2019s on the ice. That\u2019s good for second on the team behind Yakov Trenin, whom the Wild signed for his defense.<\/p>\n
So, does that mean Vlad should play a fourth-line, checking role? Probably not.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tarasenko still has a heavy shot and can be a threat offensively when the Wild puts him in the right situations. The problem is that it just isn’t happening for him or his linemates in five-on-five play this season.<\/p>\n
As of now, the difference between his play and the play of a guy like Hinostroza is not all that different, and until\u00a0Nico Sturm\u00a0comes back or the inevitable\u00a0Marcus Johansson\u00a0regression hits, Tarasenko will have to bide his time and hope that he can start to bury the chances that come his way in a third line, and second power-play role.<\/p>\n
There was hope that a change of scenery and some better linemates would bring back the Tarasenko that Wild fans used to fear when he wore a Blues jersey.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, it looks a whole lot more like the Wild got the disappointing version of Tarasenko, who played for the Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings. Returning Zuccarello to the top-six and the top power play unit offered little hope that Minnesota would spark the one-time 30-goal scorer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The question, then, is what\u2019s next for him?<\/p>\n
The Green Bay Packers took another loss in a low-scoring game against the Eagles on Monday. It was their third loss of the season, with all three being by three points with a field goal missed or blocked during the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They will look to bounce back on Sunday against the struggling New York Giants, who will be without rookie starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, among other key players who are questionable to play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here are three keys to the Packers getting back in the win column this week, as well as a look at the Giants\u2019 offense, defense and special teams.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Giants are going through two dramatic changes with a new coach and a new starting quarterback.<\/p>\n
The Giants will be without their first-round quarterback, Jaxson Dart, who started the last seven games but suffered a concussion last week against the Bears. It is not the first time this season he has found himself in concussion protocol.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In a Week 6 victory over their division-rival Eagles, Dart was evaluated for a concussion and eventually cleared to play, though the Giants\u2019 handling of the situation became a point of contention and\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dart has been praised for being a mobile quarterback, running the ball 57 times for 317 yards and seven touchdowns. While his mobility has been one of his strongest assets, he is fighting through the growing points that a lot of rookie quarterbacks go through, and that is taking hits to pick up extra yards instead of sliding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Dart out, it will be veteran Jameis Winston taking over at quarterback for the Giants. An 11-year pro, Winston has not played this season but was chosen over Russell Wilson by interim coach Mike Kafka.<\/p>\n
Winston has been known to be an all-or-nothing quarterback, and that is something that the Packers\u2019 defense can take advantage of after having a great game against the Eagles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s played a lot of ball, he\u2019s had a lot of success,\u201d coach Matt LaFleur said. \u201cHe\u2019s going to let it rip, so we\u2019re going to have to do a great job in coverage, we\u2019re going to have to do a great job with our pre-snap disguises and, ultimately, I think it always comes down to the ability to put pressure on the quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n
Josh Jacobs had a good game against the Eagles, running for 74 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. Jacobs has scored a rushing touchdown in a league-high eight of the Packers\u2019 nine games this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the Eagles\u2019 run defense ranks a mediocre 19th in the NFL, the Giants are even worse at 31st, the second-worst in the NFL while allowing 152.1 rushing yards per game. With Jacobs posting decent production the last few games and the Packers\u2019 tendency to run the ball early and often, Jacobs could be in for a big game.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Giants do have a force in the middle of their defensive line in Dexter Lawrence II, but he is more suited as a pass rusher than a run stopper. The strength of the New York defense is its pass rush. The Packers will look to avoid Brian Burns and Co. on Sunday and build some momentum on the ground for the stretch run.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s the main thing I\u2019ve been trying to preach to the guys,\u201d Jacobs said, \u201cthat we\u2019re going to go as far as we want to go. So, it\u2019s really about us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Last week against the Eagles, Jordan Love didn\u2019t have a great game, throwing for just 176 yards on 20 completions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, 24 of his 36 passing attempts and 113 of his 176 yards came in the fourth quarter, when the Packers were down 10-0. Notably, he threw the ball nine times out of 11 plays on the Packers’ only touchdown drive, completing seven passes for 37 yards to set up Josh Jacobs\u2019 touchdown run.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Packers have a tendency to play conservative early in games and try to chip away at defenses in the run game, trying to use as much time as possible and wearing defenses down with long drives. While it has worked in the past, the last two weeks have shown that the offense can stagnate if the run is stopped, especially closer to the goal line.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After giving Love a hefty contract extension last summer and following two close losses over the last two weeks, it is time to put the ball in his hands and see what he can do with the keys to the offense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Giants finished last season ranked 30th in yards per game (294.8) and 31st in points per game (16.1) and finished with a 3-14 record. They have been much better this season at 14th in yards per game (332.9) and 24th in points per game (21.7) but still find themselves at 2-8.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Giants have been led by two quarterbacks this season, and a third will start on Sunday. Rookie Jaxson Dart has seen the most action, starting the last seven games before entering concussion protocol. Dart has put up decent numbers, throwing for 1,417 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions, good for a 93.5 passer rating, while picking up the Giants\u2019 only two wins of the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
On Sunday, it will be veteran Jameis Winston starting for the Giants rather than Russell Wilson, who replaced Dart last week.<\/p>\n
Before a gruesome ankle injury ended his season, rookie Cam Skattebo was leading the Giants\u2019 rushing attack, which is 17th in the NFL. In an upset win over the Eagles, he rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns.<\/p>\n
In his absence, it is Tyrone Tracy Jr. starting at running back. In eight games, Tracy has run the ball 64 times for 248 yards (3.9-yard average) and a touchdown. In last week\u2019s loss to the Bears, he ran the ball 14 times for 71 yards. He had three 100-yard games last season.<\/p>\n
Another key season-ending injury sidelined the Giants\u2019 top receiver, second-year phenom Malik Nabers. After his Week 4 ACL tear, the receiving corps is led by Wan\u2019Dale Robinson, who has brought in 53 catches for 602 yards and two touchdowns. The receiving room could be even more depleted this week with big-play receiver Darius Slayton not practicing to start the week due to a hamstring injury.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Giants\u2019 offensive line is near the bottom of the NFL, giving up 31 sacks, which is the seventh-most in the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Giants rank 29th with 383.0 yards allowed per game and 27th with 27.3 points allowed per game. They have allowed 30-plus points in half of their games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Giants have the 23rd-ranked pass defense, allowing 230.9 yards per game. They are tied for 27th in interceptions with four, two of which are from cornerback Dru Phillips, and one has come from an unexpected source, nose tackle Dexter Lawrence II. The secondary is led by Phillips, who has 44 tackles and nine passes defensed, and fellow cornerback Paulson Adebo, who has 48 tackles and four passes defensed. Adebo\u2019s health status is up in the air.<\/p>\n
The strength of the Giants is their pass rush, with their defensive front filled by first-round picks Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence and rookie No. 3 overall pick Abdul Carter. Most of their production comes from one player, Brian Burns, who is tied for the league lead in sacks with 11.<\/p>\n
Thibodeaux, who had six pressures in last week\u2019s loss to Chicago, has 2.5 sacks and Lawrence and Carter have a half-sack apiece. Carter has been a disappointment at this early stage of his career. While he has eight quarterback hits, they all came during the first four games of the season.<\/p>\n
The run defense is the second-worst in the league, allowing 152.1 yards per game, including four consecutive games of more than 140. Linebacker Bobby Okereke, who didn\u2019t practice to start the week, leads the way with 88 tackles.<\/p>\n
After placing kicker Graham Gano on injured reserve, the Giants are expected to go with veteran Younghoe Koo. One of the best kickers in the NFL for a four-season stretch with Atlanta, he made both field-goal attempts last week against Chicago.<\/p>\n
Punter Jamie Gillan has been called on to punt the fourth-most times in the league with 40 attempts and is 28th in the NFL in yards per attempt at 44.3. Of his 40 punts, 14 have ended up inside the 20-yard line with four touchbacks and 14 fair catches. He\u2019s a lefty, and his kicks are hard to handle. The Giants give up an average of 8.2 yards per punt return.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The returner is Gunner Olszewski, who has returned 17 kickoffs for an average of 28.0 yards per return and 16 punts for an average of 9.3 yards per return.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. 80\u2019s a real good player,\u201d special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said of Olszewski. \u201cHe\u2019s a north-south guy, he\u2019s aggressive going to catch the football, he makes really good decisions in the red zone. He\u2019s doing a good job north-south in the kickoff return game. I think they have a really good unit.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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