Is Colin Wilson out of position?

by predster on Jul 8, 2011 12:55 PM EDT

We all know that Colin Wilson was almost invisible towards the end of the year and benched for most of the playoffs. It seems to me he has been fairly unproductive since the move to the wing. He's a big strong guy and spent his life playing center. I have felt this move was a mistake all along. Am I off base here or can anyone explain to me why we're better with him on the wing?

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Yes, you are off base.

Wilson was 5th on the team in goals despite being bastardized by Trotz.

He was absent in Trotz’s and your minds, not the scoresheet.

The truth is always the right answer....

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Jul 8, 2011 2:34 PM EDT reply actions

I agree

that he is off base in the

has been fairly unproductive

assesment. The kid spent pretty much the entire year at wing and scored 34 points. He was also only 10 games over the limit from being considered a rookie this year. Not exactly disappointing in my book.

He was absent in Trotz’s and your minds, not the scoresheet.

This breaks down CW’s season into a few chunks. The numbers don’t lie, going MIA on the scoresheet is exactly what he did soon after the all-star break so, for me anyway, it’s not a stretch to think that his playing time dipped because of it.

Game PpG TOI
1-50 0.50 14:06
51-59 0.30 14:20
60-69 0.22 12:49
70-82 0.31 9:40

While everyone has their right to an opinion on Trotz’s defense first system, it’s hard to justify that he was

being bastardized by Trotz.

As a young forward, he also had a ton of giveways and not very many takeaways (SK74 was bad about this too). That, coupled with the drop-off in offensive output, are the key reasons I think he was the odd man out when the playoffs started.

"I don't want to get into a he said, she said with the refs...I'm the he."

—Chris Pronger

by Marcus Newman on Jul 9, 2011 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions

So he has a bad 10 game stretch and all of a sudden you cast him down to the 4th line?

How many guys on the Preds disappear for 10 games stretches?

40 game stretches?

60 game stretches?

Yet their playing time doesn’t change. Fact is, if you’re offensive minded, Trotz will beat you to a pulp to get that out of you.

The truth is always the right answer....

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Jul 9, 2011 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions

It was a 19 game stretch (9 game decline followed by an even worse 10 game slide) that happened when we were battling for a playoff spot. Don’t overlook the fact that Fisher coming in is the catalyst that really drove him down the depth chart though. He didn’t exactly do anything to force Trotzy to keep him in the lineup with his play either. I agree he isn’t as effective on the 3rd and 4th lines (yet) because he doesn’t check or play the physical game like the regulars in those roles do.

On a positive note, there is a clear top 6 spot waiting for him this year with Sully, Goc, and Ward all gone. No way he doesn’t improve this year, regardless of which position he plays. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him lead us in goals.

I can’t debate Trotz’s scheme with you except to concede that he wants solid defense out of everyone. I know that drives a lot of people nuts.

"I don't want to get into a he said, she said with the refs...I'm the he."

—Chris Pronger

by Marcus Newman on Jul 9, 2011 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions

He's a winger now

The team is better with him on wing. All of his professional points were scored on the wing. He earned his place on the team as a wing, and earned his way out of the doghouse earlier in the year just fine as a winger.

As a center, he has been a hindrance. He played a few games at center when that position was depleted by injuries, i think in December. It was painfully obvious he couldn’t follow the speed of the puck from there and as a result they never got out of the Dzone.

Keys to the game: GF>GA

by flyalder on Jul 8, 2011 3:18 PM EDT reply actions

5th in scoring...

Really? So he was The 5th highest scorer on a team that can’t score and that makes him a good winger. I say he was a HB finalist as a center and if Trotz would have stuck with him at center and given him a chance to develop we might see something different. At wing he’s gonna end up being a Santorelli or Peverly. By that I mean playing for someone else and being very productive.

by predster on Jul 8, 2011 6:43 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 1 recs

Agreed

Comparing his production and consistency to his teammates who almost all have reputations for being less than productive and quite inconsistent is not going to prove anything. That is not a good basis for comparison. And looking at the scoresheet alone is not a good idea either. Just watch him during the games. Is he living up to the expectations of one of our more exciting first round picks? The answer is no, and I do not think that is his fault. In my ideal lineup for this year, I have Willy at center.

by gojersey on Jul 10, 2011 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

He should be at Center

We drafted the Kid as a Center and forced him in to playing winger. He should have been left to develop as a Center. Heck The Kid would probably volunteered to play Goalie if it ment staying up with the team.
I much as I disliked Mike Modano he was a good Center. He was switched to Right Wing in 2009 playing for the Stars. After joining the Red Wings and going back to Center, He said he was Glad to get back to playing Center because playing winger was like playing in a box. So Trotz took a top 5 College Center and put him in a box were he wasn’t used to playing. Smart………
Maybe he couldn’t hack the Defensive side of the position or maybe we had so many Centers he made the move just to stay up at this level. We will never know. But then again maybe if they had left him develop a a center we wouldn’t be out shopping for the next number1 line Free Agent Flop.

by donald hackett on Jul 8, 2011 7:40 PM EDT reply actions

Colin Wilson

CW is still really green. he needs some seasoning in order to make the splash we want. Trotz moved him to wing because wing is easier to play (less responsibilities) and he did what a lot of young players do…questioned the move by letting his play slip and sulk on the bench. Nothing bad about that, he just needed to produce so Trotz put him in position to and he didnt. scoring is scoring as a forward you just have to know if you are a playmaker or shooter. currently CW is still figuring it out. I trust Trotz in this. He knows how to motivate and improve players. They need to be multi-tooled rather than one dimensional. Peverly and Santorelli were one dimensional and the Preds just arent talented enough to have one dimensional players scoring 50 points but posting a minus on the stat sheet every game. CW will better as he develops and he will probably center a line with Radulov on the wing eventually…….

by jeffery101y on Jul 9, 2011 9:05 AM EDT reply actions

Peverly and Santorelli were one dimensional and the Preds just arent talented enough to have one dimensional players scoring 50 points but posting a minus on the stat sheet every game

The only problem I have with your assessment is where has that gotten us in terms of offensive output? Just saying imagine if we have this great defense, but we actually have players who are completely offensive minded as well to score for us. Put us in the top half of scoring in the NHL, and I’ll bet it makes a big difference come playoff time. Trotz made the statement that Nashville was 3rd in defense behind Boston and Vancouver, thus correlating our ability to be in the Cup Finals due to our defense. Downside? We were 23rd in scoring where Boston was #6 and Vancouver lo and behold was #1.
Just sayin’

by HardCorePredFan316 on Jul 11, 2011 1:34 PM EDT reply actions

I thought he played his best defense when he was at center. He was playing tough on the boards and I thought his defensive instincts were better at center than wing.

World Wide Weber.
There is no tenderness or humanity in fanaticism.
~Joe Strummer

by cisar on Jul 11, 2011 10:00 PM EDT reply actions