Final Grade: Wojtek Wolski

	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	ESG	PPG	SHG	GTG	GWG	SOG
1st Half	38	7	12	19	-7	20	5	1	1	0	0	66
2nd Half	41	7	16	23	-6	8	6	1	0	0	3	103
Total	79	14	28	42	-13	28	11	2	1	0	3	169

Final Grade
2008 Grade	2007 Grade

Midseason Grade: B

Final Grade: B-

Joined Team: Drafted in the 1st round of the 2004 Draft, signed September 5, 2005.

MHH Nicknames (thanks Mike!): The Baron, Baron von Wolski, Dubya, Double Dub.

Lines:

• 2nd (47)
• 1st (25)
• 3rd (6)
• Plus one game where he was listed on the roster but did not play

Positions:

• Center (40)
• LW (38)

Linemates:

LW:

• Smyth (26)
• McLeod (5)
• Stewart (3)
• Hensick (2)
• McCormick (2)
• Arnason (1)
• Hendricks (1)

C:

• Sakic (13)
• Arnason (12)
• Hensick (6)
• Stastny (4)
• Laperriere (2)
• Guite (1)

RW:

• Hejduk (28)
• Svatos (20)
• Jones (11)
• Tucker (9)
• Hensick (5)
• Stewart (3)
• McCormick (1)
• Willsie (1)

Ice Time:*

• TOT 18:23 (3rd)
• EV 13:46 (3rd)
• PK 1:57 (2nd)
• PP 2:39 (3rd)

*Rank is based on total minutes, not average per game.

Best Month: January (13gp 4g 6a 10pt)

Career Highlights: Wolski set a career high in shots taken (169). Otherwise, not so much.

Report: There were a couple of big developments in the career of Wojtek Wolski. The first was his development into a bona fide shootout pimp. Not only did he convert 10 of his 12 opportunities last year, he made opposing goalies look ridiculous in the process. I still don't like the shootout, but watching Dubya in the shootout was extremely enjoyable.

Another was Wolski's emergence as a strong defensive player. Wolski went from 14 seconds of PK time per game in '06-'07 to 36 seconds a game the following year to 1:57 a game last year. I think we might have overstated Wolski's defensive game at times last year, but he's still emerged as a solid defensive player. I'm not nominating him for a Selke yet, but he's come a LONG way in two years and he and Paul Stastny could conceivably form an excellent 1-2 defensive (and offensive) punch down the middle.

That is if the 3rd development - the shift to center - works out. When Tony Granato made the change midseason, he looked like a genius. Wolski immediately went on a tear, scoring 4 goals in 3 games. Then he went ice cold, going 15 games without a tally. He heated up again with 3 goals in 3 games. And then more icecicles as he failed to pot a puck over the final 20 games of the season. Despite the offensive woes, he still looked miles better at center than at left wing. As a pivot man, Wolski was all over the ice (well, except for the area right around the goal, which seems to be a forbidden zone for him); I'm not sure I could name another player who covers as much ground as Wolski does defensively. He exhibited some nice playmaking flashes and I think his assist totals will rise significantly as he transitions to more of a starter than a finisher.

But for all the improvements in his game, he's still having issues with consistency and intensity. There were simply too many nights were the effort wasn't quite there. I can't blame Quenneville and his dog house for this one - Double Dub played on one of the top 2 lines all year long, with Ryan Smyth and Milan Hejduk as his two most popular linemates. I wish a little more of Smyth's work ethic would rub off onto Wolski. Everyone bitches that Wolski doesn't use his size enough. I don't care about that. I'd just like him to use his heart a bit more. He's close to turning the corner, but needs a bit more push to get there.

Fun Fact: Wolski had 7 goals and 14 assists in 39 home games and 7 goals and 14 assists in 39 away games.

The Wojtek Wolski Drinking Game: Drink whenever Wolski misses a shootout attempt. Drunk potential: Not even buzzing.

What I Said Last Year: "With a new coach and, hopefully, a shiny new offensive system, Wolski could have that breakout year I thought we'd see this year. Or, he could simply maintain his current path and become a useful 3^rd liner."

2008 Salary (and Cap Number): $2.5M ($2.8M)

2009-2010 Status: Wolski has one more year under the current contract. He'll be a RFA next summer.

Outlook for 2009: I think Wolski probably is penciled in right now as the #2 center going into next year, but that could easily change depending on how the summer goes. He could end up and LW again, but I think center is his best position. I really like Wolski and I still believe he's capable of being a very good player. But I predicted a breakout year from him the last two years and it hasn't happened yet, so this year I'm going to predict another 40 point year coupled with solid defense. You could do a lot worse than that. Still, in the pre-cap NHL - you know, the one where this franchise had a nice little dynasty going - The Baron would have been an excellent #3 center. In today's game, he makes too much money to fill that role.

Next Up: Cody McCormick