2021 MN Wild/NHL Thread

JoeMX1825 wrote:

putting Patryn on waivers does nothing unless he’s claimed right? Maybe it was a gamble by the Avs thinking because Patryn is cheaper he’ll more likely get picked up off waivers vs the more expensive Cole?

If he clears waivers it takes roughly $1m AAV off his cap hit while he’s on the Taxi Squad or AHL club. Any player on a 1-way contract can be buried in the AHL/Taxi Squad and take $1m off their cap hit.

I think it’s the opposite of what you wrote and that they were concerned that Cole would get claimed off waivers. They want to keep the organizational depth at D in case of injury but wanted to save some cap space at the same time.

The fact that Sackic dealt Cole to the Wild tells me he does not see the Wild as any kind of threat to the Avs in the playoffs… no surprise there!

Koivu making his debut tonight for CBJ. Not sure if I will have that game on one of my channels or not, havent looked at the schedule yet, but it will be weird seeing him in different colors. Staal has 2 goals and an assist and has been averaging 15 minutes of ice time. Seems he is out there a good amount.

I have no ill will towards him, but i’m glad the Wild moved on…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I have no ill will towards him, but i’m glad the Wild moved on…

Agreed on both accounts. Their best days are behind them. Enjoyed Koivus lengthy career, but we needed changes and those were two big pieces that instantly changed this lineup. I’m not sure Johannsen is producing like BG hoped, maybe it will just take a few games to get acclimated, but aside from the OT winner that KK setup he hadnt showed much.

April 12th (Trade Deadline) this team will look much different than it does now and the focus will sharpen on the players this team has moving forward. I fully expect Bonino, Johansson, Bjugstad and Cole to be traded if BilyG gets offers and what will the return be for those guys will determine how much draft firepower we have to get at least a 2nd line Center and perhaps make a blockbuster deal for a #1 Center at or around the draft.

Owning draft picks will be key this offseason as most team’s budgets are locked down due to the aftermath of the COVID seasons..I don’t see this team doing anything in FA, why overspend for a FA when you can likely get one cheaper trading overvalued draft assets? Kaprizov, Fiala and Ek’s long term deals will eat most if not all our capspace…this is yet another reason why it will be important to trade Dumba by the draft…

I forgot koivu didn’t retire and then I was disappointed he was out when we played the boojackets.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Kaprizov, Fiala and Ek’s long term deals will eat most if not all our capspace…this is yet another reason why it will be important to trade Dumba by the draft…

There is little doubt one of D men is going to be sacrificed. Obviously the best target would be Dumba, but I dont see any way around it.
Regarding those guys you mentioned, I wonder what BG is thinking regarding them, bridge deal or lock em up? Bridge deal and the next one could be mammoth for KK or Fiala. I think Ek will be affordable, but the other two are going to be scary potentially.

I would try to get out ahead of BOTH Fiala and Kaprizov, you’ll have what will look like overpay to sign them long term because you’ll be eating into their potential UFA years…similar to what Ottawa did with Thomas Chabot (but hopefully less than his $8 million per season…or they could try to bridge to get closer to Parise and Suter contracts expiring freeing up all their caphit…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I would try to get out ahead of BOTH Fiala and Kaprizov, you’ll have what will look like overpay to sign them long term because you’ll be eating into their potential UFA years…similar to what Ottawa did with Thomas Chabot (but hopefully less than his $8 million per season…or they could try to bridge to get closer to Parise and Suter contracts expiring freeing up all their caphit…

Agreed getting ahead of it might be the best idea IMO especially with KK, but Fiala as well.
One other thing to float out there is the buyout potential for someone like Parise. Say we kick the can down the road on a bridge deal for KK or Fiala to buy us some time (2 years or whatever). If the Wild chose to buyout Parise in June of 2022, the Cap hits would look like this is subsequent years:
$5.9M (save $1.5M), $6.9M (save $.5M), $6.9M (save $.5M), $444K, $444K, $444k. So while they would be adding 3 years it would only be for $444k each.
It wouldnt be about the overall savings, but it gets them out from under that contract high Cap hit a year earlier.
I can’t believe that the CapFriendly website is run by 2 guys! They get it updated so dang fast its unreal, plus all the buyout calculators etc. They must never sleep. LOL

Its an awesome website, kudos to the owners

The guy who started it died a few years ago. I’m not sure if these 2 were involved then or not but many thought the site was going to die with him.

Johansson is just lost out there on the ice, Kaprizov is basically playing by himself…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Johansson is just lost out there on the ice, Kaprizov is basically playing by himself…

Seems like he’s around the puck a lot but never can keep it on his stick.

Basically, the immortal words of the Sage Poet Denny Green keep coming to mind whenever I watch the Wild: They were who we thought they were.

The good news: Kaprisov is the real deal. The Greenway/Ek/Foligno line is just a delight to watch. Kappo has been surprisingly solid and you could argue the D isn’t what’s propping him up, he’s doing a lot of it in spite of the D, not because of it.

The bad news: Well, I don’t know how to break it to you, there, fellow Wild fans. But… Well, we’ve got this gaping hole in the centerman position. Yeah. Like, say, wahhhhhhhat? No! Not the Wild, right? Yes, really.

Honestly, I’m just glad to have hockey to watch. The Wild are good enough to make it worth watching and that’s all I care about. I certainly didn’t have any “this is the year” aspirations going in, so I’m not going to feel let down if they don’t make the playoffs.

Grouse

Agree the center position if it wasn’t glaring before which it was is really bad right now. Not seeing Rossi is kind of a bummer to get an idea where they are at. In the current state they are looking for a 1 and 2 center.
I can’t help but think how much better off they would be trying to build this without the Zucc contract.

Ripjiggen wrote:

I can’t help but think how much better off they would be trying to build this without the Zucc contract.

NO DOUBT!!!

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

The bad news: Well, I don’t know how to break it to you, there, fellow Wild fans. But… Well, we’ve got this gaping hole in the centerman position. Yeah. Like, say, wahhhhhhhat? No! Not the Wild, right? Yes, really.

Grouse

Haha this is great, classic Grouse. That hole was obvious coming into the season, and now it’s got a giant red flashing beacon on it!

What is going on in Pittsburgh?! Rutherford resigned today for “personal reasons” and would not elaborate other than it’s not due to his health. Have to wonder if it has something to do with the sexual assault scandal that came to light before the season.

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
The bad news: Well, I don’t know how to break it to you, there, fellow Wild fans. But… Well, we’ve got this gaping hole in the centerman position. Yeah. Like, say, wahhhhhhhat? No! Not the Wild, right? Yes, really.

Grouse

Haha this is great, classic Grouse. That hole was obvious coming into the season, and now it’s got a giant red flashing beacon on it!

What is going on in Pittsburgh?! Rutherford resigned today for “personal reasons” and would not elaborate other than it’s not due to his health. Have to wonder if it has something to do with the sexual assault scandal that came to light before the season.

we all wouldn’t mind a complete collapse for the Penguins this year, although recently they’ve been making some comebacks and getting wins…

I did some reading on the projected draft for 2021, outside of the top 5 loaded with defenseman, there are about 10 good center prospects that fall in anywhere from 6-20, so we’ll likely get a chance to draft at least one of them…although none of them project to be top talents…it’s going to take a substantial trade to get a top center on the team this or next year while we wait to see what Rossi turns into (Still no word on him?!? How do they think they can keep ignoring talking about him? I’m sticking with my myocarditis guess…)

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
The bad news: Well, I don’t know how to break it to you, there, fellow Wild fans. But… Well, we’ve got this gaping hole in the centerman position. Yeah. Like, say, wahhhhhhhat? No! Not the Wild, right? Yes, really.

Grouse

Haha this is great, classic Grouse. That hole was obvious coming into the season, and now it’s got a giant red flashing beacon on it!

What is going on in Pittsburgh?! Rutherford resigned today for “personal reasons” and would not elaborate other than it’s not due to his health. Have to wonder if it has something to do with the sexual assault scandal that came to light before the season.

Very odd. He also stated that he doesn’t necessarily plan on retiring.

Lines have been tinkered with in Morning skate. Ek between Johansson and KK97. Sturm between Greenway and Foligno. I need to see more, a lot more out of Johansson. I dont see how Coach or BG push him further down the lineup but that is where he deserves to play.

I will have to look back and see the remarks about the Stall trade. I am pretty sure most were good riddance he is old and slow. Not part of their future. Well at this point he would be more valuable than Johansson. Both now and for our future.

Ripjiggen wrote:

I will have to look back and see the remarks about the Stall trade. I am pretty sure most were good riddance he is old and slow. Not part of their future. Well at this point he would be more valuable than Johansson. Both now and for our future.

I agree. I am pretty sure I was in support of it at the time, but man, having him instead of Johansson would be much better right now. I think the Johansson has more of an upside at getting moved at the deadline than Staal.

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ripjiggen wrote:</div>
I will have to look back and see the remarks about the Stall trade. I am pretty sure most were good riddance he is old and slow. Not part of their future. Well at this point he would be more valuable than Johansson. Both now and for our future.

I agree. I am pretty sure I was in support of it at the time, but man, having him instead of Johansson would be much better right now. I think the Johansson has more of an upside at getting moved at the deadline than Staal.

For the sole reason he is younger. But if it is rental situation I am not sure that has as much implications.
Stall plays center can contribute on the PP. still finds ways to score. Is cheaper and has cup cred. Both have same limited NTC.
Johansson doesn’t start playing he will be worth a bag of pucks if that.
Also a good chance Buffalo doesn’t want or need to move Stall at the deadline.

Staal was super slow last year, I don’t think he’s found the fountain of youth over the long offseason…Johnasson isn’t looking anything like the player I’ve watched in the past, hopefully it’s just alot of rust that needs to wear off with more play…

I don’t like moving JEE off the 3rd line, he’s not the type of player Kaprizov needs to play with and we’ll be breaking up the best line sofar this season… I’m all in for loading the 1st line with Kaprizov and Fiala and keep trying new guys at center, i’d like to see Mayhew get a shot…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I don’t like moving JEE off the 3rd line, he’s not the type of player Kaprizov needs to play with and we’ll be breaking up the best line sofar this season… I’m all in for loading the 1st line with Kaprizov and Fiala and keep trying new guys at center, i’d like to see Mayhew get a shot…

It will be interesting to see. I was hoping they would move Greenway AND Ek up with KK, but alas, they didnt. I think that would be a good line. Russo was talking about how he doesnt see Ek working because he’s a “North/South” type player. I dont necessarily disagree with that, but I think giving him a shot with someone who has a lot of creativity could make him blossom. Ek will never be a dynamic player I dont think, but you can put guys in those spots and get really good production out of them. KK doesnt need someone to make plays for him, he can create on this own. He just needs guys on the line with him who pay attention because when he decides to pass its already on your stick.
Rask experiment needs to be over, but who would center that 4th line? All for Mayhew getting a shot, but he’s a winger right?

Mayhew is not a center, but at this point what do we have to lose? outside of Bonino, all of our other centers are terrible at faceoffs anyways and center defensive zone coverage isn’t what it used to be and as long as you can skate (like Mayhew can) you can cover guys in the zone.
Outside of this year with Ek already having 4 goals, he’s not a goal scorer at all, he has hands of stone. Kaprizov will be putting him in great scoring chances and he’ll blow it and that will just frustrate Kaprizov even more. He’s the PERFECT 3rd line center, but lets not think he’s something he’s not, we would just be setting him up for failure.

Plus, if you give Kaprizov the determined best center we have, Fiala will get moody about it…I would entertain Ek centering Kaprizov and Fiala though, as long as his focus would be on opening space for them, stirring it up in front of the net for garbage goals and being defensively responsible…Fiala and Kaprizov obviously need to play with somebody with an offensive mindset (who can expect the crazy setups they can provide vs not paying attention for it or their mind is 2 plays behind) and speed, I honestly think Mayhew is likely the one guy left who can BEST fill that roll who we haven’t tried out yet…

Ripjiggen wrote:

I will have to look back and see the remarks about the Stall trade. I am pretty sure most were good riddance he is old and slow. Not part of their future. Well at this point he would be more valuable than Johansson. Both now and for our future.

Just gonna quote myself here… pretty sure I didn’t like the trade when it happened, and still don’t.

tswoboda wrote:

Is Staal better?
Is Staal cheaper?
Does Staal play center?
Does MJo play wing?

If the answers are yes, then this was a terrible trade. If the answers are no, you’re delusional.

tswoboda wrote:

The wild gave up cap space to trade a top 6 center for a bottom 6 wing. Friendly reminder that they already had too many wings and not enough centers. If no other pieces move, then this is a terrible trade.

The only kicker is Staal’s no-trade list was loaded with playoff teams that would want him at the deadline and Johansson’s likely isn’t. But at this point, what playoff team is going to give up assets Johansson?

This was a rebuilding move that made the team worse for this season 100%.

CaptainMusky wrote:

I was hoping they would move Greenway AND Ek up with KK, but alas, they didnt. I think that would be a good line.

100% agree with that. Ek and Greenway play almost all of their shifts in the o-zone, that alone will give Kaprizov chances to create offense. You think he’s not frustrated playing all his shifts in the D-zone and getting a few odd chances in transition?

Ek is not an offensive center, duh. But playing with Kap and/or Fiala, he won’t have to drive the offense.

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>CaptainMusky wrote:</div>
I was hoping they would move Greenway AND Ek up with KK, but alas, they didnt. I think that would be a good line.

100% agree with that. Ek and Greenway play almost all of their shifts in the o-zone, that alone will give Kaprizov chances to create offense. You think he’s not frustrated playing all his shifts in the D-zone and getting a few odd chances in transition?

Ek is not an offensive center, duh. But playing with Kap and/or Fiala, he won’t have to drive the offense.

Yes, I agree. Its worth a shot. If the end result is that KK falters or the 3rd is really suspect then its time to rethink, but give it a shot and see what happens. Greenway has really impressed this year and IMO deserves to be rewarded. There are few on this team that deserve that.

He needs to start taking over like Fiala does. He’s out there with nobody that can help him, so start using that shot we’ve heard so much about. 19 minutes of ice time without a shot is unacceptable for a player of his caliber. I understand he’s probably trying to be a good teammate on a new team, but he passed up about three solid shooting opportunities last game to pass to players with no shot of scoring.