2022/2023 NHL/Wild Offseason-Season-Postseason Thread

He seems to be laboring in his skating IMO.
At 5 on 5 they are the second best team defensively in xGA in the entire league. Behind only Carolina.
If you take the guys that had career years last year and just got them to their career averages this team is probably sitting alright. I mean some of the guys that had career years in points are following it up with career lows.
Last year we worried because they didn’t have the goaltending and defense to keep the puck out. Special teams was bad, but they could score in bunches.
This year great goal tending. Good if not great team defense. Special teams has been good. They can’t score at 5 on 5 at all.
I mean when is the last time KK missed two shootout goals back to back.
Hockey is a funny sport sometimes.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Is slashing from behind during a breakaway denying the opportunity to score or isn’t it?

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

I know what the rule is. You’re missing the point.

My bad. Assumed that was a serious question.

6.5% shooting over the last 15 games… that’s not going to last. The goals are coming soon. But no one wants to hear about some bad luck when we should be out scratching trading the entire roster.

So right now… Who thinks Wild make the playoffs? They’re firmly in the bubble so there’s no wrong answer here. I’m 100% putting Wild in the playoffs. Anyone else?

I also say they make it and it is down to the wire.
For those that say who cares they will lose first round they should be going for higher draft pick don’t know how NHL finances work.

I think they will be in and agree with Rip that it will be right down to the wire.

Ripjiggen wrote:

I also say they make it and it is down to the wire.
For those that say who cares they will lose first round they should be going for higher draft pick don’t know how NHL finances work.

I could really care less if they are one and done again, I just want more Wild hockey. Obviously getting out of the first round would be fantastic, I just dont want the season to end at the end of the regular season.

Yeah not much difference in the 12th pick and the 18th pick… the thought of this team tanking is gross. I will say the 1st round is the best round to watch and I don’t really watch other games when the Wild are in it. Only happened once in 10 years and that was probably the most fun playoffs I remember watching since Nino buried the OTGWG in Colorado.

Owners make chump change (to them) for home playoff games (of course unless they make a long playoff run) maybe they clear a million per game after all of the revenue sharing & expenses are factored in… Team ownership is all about being in the “exclusive club” and cashing in on the big revenue bonuses (Expansion fee, TV Deals, Sponsorships fees, etc) when they happen. They aren’t in it to turn a profit on the actual business side of running the team/business, it’s a tax shelter/writeoff that they keep in the family as a legacy piece or eventually sell at a stupid profit…

tswoboda wrote:

Yeah not much difference in the 12th pick and the 18th pick and at this point in the season that’s irrelevant anyway. I will say the 1st round is the best round to watch and I don’t really watch other games when the Wild are in it. Only happened once in 10 years and that was probably the most fun playoffs I remember watching since Nino buried the OTGWG in Colorado.

Normally I’d agree on the draft slotting, but this year is special and there is a percieved tier drop after the first 13-15 players…The NHL Playoffs is one of the few sporting events where a single player can absolutely dictate the outcome of every game and take a team most thought didn’t have a chance and push them through to the finals, the crazy a$$ goalie… You just gotta get in to play….

Other than their awful 5 on 5 scoring (yes, it’s a big deal), I think this years team is built better for the playoffs. It’s bigger, special teams are better, and goaltending is MUCH better. D is playing a lot tighter most nights also.

But do you guys think they’re making it or no?

tswoboda wrote:

But do you guys think they’re making it or no?

I’m worried because of the quality of the teams that are neck and neck with us. The Avs will turn it on at some point. And Seattle is a darn good team too. The Wild need to start playing well real quick just to keep up in my mind.

Comes down to Calgary and Wild IMO.

tswoboda wrote:

Yeah not much difference in the 12th pick and the 18th pick…

Right. The 12th pick in 2019 netted us Matt Boldy. The 18th pick netted the Stars Thomas Harley. I think most would consider that a pretty big difference.

The Wild won’t be making the playoffs this year and with this draft class, that’s a good thing. I don’t think we have to Chicago it, but IMO this year as with most years 6 places will almost certainly matter on draft day.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Owners make chump change (to them) for home playoff games (of course unless they make a long playoff run) maybe they clear a million per game after all of the revenue sharing & expenses are factored in… Team ownership is all about being in the “exclusive club” and cashing in on the big revenue bonuses (Expansion fee, TV Deals, Sponsorships fees, etc) when they happen. They aren’t in it to turn a profit on the actual business side of running the team/business, it’s a tax shelter/writeoff that they keep in the family as a legacy piece or eventually sell at a stupid profit…

They make way more than a mill per playoff game. Our sponsorship does not include the playoffs and is in our contract that more is paid if playoffs are made. Sure we are not the only ones that are written this way.
Most teams don’t factor playoff revenue into their budgets because of the uncertainty of qualifying. If a team can perform at break-even level or better during the regular season, the playoffs are pure profit.
Yes the owners are not going broke by not making the playoffs but if you think they like breaking even your nuts.
I can tell you team executives most certainly want to get in the dance and they are the ones making 99percent of the decisions.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tswoboda wrote:</div>
Yeah not much difference in the 12th pick and the 18th pick…

Right. The 12th pick in 2019 netted us Matt Boldy. The 18th pick netted the Stars Thomas Harley. I think most would consider that a pretty big difference.

The Wild won’t be making the playoffs this year and with this draft class, that’s a good thing. I don’t think we have to Chicago it, but IMO this year as with most years 6 places will almost certainly matter on draft day.

And in 2020 The 12th netted Florida Anton Lundell and the Devils got Dawson Mercer. They have almost identical stats.
2021 Det selected Cossa at 15th and wild got Wallstedt at 20th.

Hits and misses in every first round draft.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Right. The 12th pick in 2019 netted us Matt Boldy. The 18th pick netted the Stars Thomas Harley.

Cherry pick much? I respect that level of pretty though, you win. There are actually charts that track the average value of picks over more than one specific draft class that fits your narrative, but those are no fun so disregard.

I get selling big name UFAs for a 1st if you’re out of the picture but giving up on a season when they’re in the playoffs? All to move up a few slots and acquire a couple third round picks. No thanks. I don’t like winning the prospect pool Stanley Cup that much.

And this draft, according to The Athletic, has 4 elite prospects, a good top 10, and then average after that.

I think it will be a close race down to the final week of the season, but I don’t think they’ll make the playoffs. I just dont see them overcoming their lack of scoring beyond Kirill…

Don’t personally care if Mrs. SC Johnson’s Husband makes a profit but playoffs are about more than gate revenue. It’s about selling a winning team. Lot easier to sell tickets the following season and peddle merch when the team is winning and making playoffs is a benchmark. Just look at ticket sales after the one season they didn’t make playoffs in 10 years.

I am willing to bet after Bedard and maybe the top four go. The rest of the draft will be just like any other good draft. There will hits and misses all through the first round.

On KFAN today they really dissected the goaltending. Gustafson is apparently second in the entire NHL in GAA and tied for 2nd in save percentage. Granted, his sample size isn’t nearly as high as some of the other goalies with gaudy numbers though.

Then they stated some of Fleury’s numbers. Woof. It was not very good. In the 30’s for both save percentage and GAA.

Maybe its time to give Gus the net more often. You could argue that other than Kaprisov, he’s having the best season of any player on the roster.

Matvei Michkov is the Wildcard…he has the talent to rival Bedard (I said rival, not better) but with his KHL contract running another 3+ years and who knows what he does afterwards….there’s a risk to draft him early with other good players available and not having the “Russia factor” attached to them…he could become another Yurov and slip down some in the 1st round…

gimruis wrote:

On KFAN today they really dissected the goaltending. Gustafson is apparently second in the entire NHL in GAA and tied for 2nd in save percentage. Granted, his sample size isn’t nearly as high as some of the other goalies with gaudy numbers though.

Then they stated some of Fleury’s numbers. Woof. It was not very good. In the 30’s for both save percentage and GAA.

Maybe its time to give Gus the net more often. You could argue that other than Kaprisov, he’s having the best season of any player on the roster.

Flower’s numbers were so bad his first 4-5 games that it will take all season of above average play to get them back to respectible levels…

Ripjiggen wrote:

Yes the owners are not going broke by not making the playoffs but if you think they like breaking even your nuts.

Leopold’s net worth is $3.6 BILLION dollars (with his wife)…Professional Sports is a fun fantasy league for Billionaires, you think they give a crap about making a few million dollars on playoff home games? They want bragging rights over other billionaires…yes, they’ll have thier annual meetings with the Operations team to go over how the business is going, but they don’t care, it’s just an excuse to “fire up the jet” play golf and get away from their family for a weekend…Their interest is only peaked during league meetings when they discuss things like TV deals, Expansion and Sponsorships, but only because those things bring in the level of dollars they pay attention to…

All pro sports are like this, at least for Hockey/Baseball/Basketball players they have gaurenteed contracts. I still can’t beleive how bad the NFLPA has negotiated for their players…it’s embarrassing and borderline criminal how the NFL owners have screwed the players over…

I don’t think it matters too much in MN about selling out if they don’t make the playoffs. May cause a drop in season ticket sales but overall it’s always packed in there. Dallas is a first place team and it’s half empty.

Oh boy, “oh hi Tony” on Twitter is going on a rant about how we should’ve gotten rid of 4 players in order to keep Fiala. I like much of his stuff but man he’s off the rails. He didn’t want to sign here that was obvious.

CaptainMusky wrote:

He didn’t want to sign here that was obvious.

This is an IDO only rumor all based on him having a hot wife. Zero basis or evidence behind this rumor that has no traction beyond this fishing website.

Tony Abbott is a lunatic, his blog gets posted here once in awhile when someone likes what he says lol. But he is completely batsh!t crazy. He is a woke commie and would 100% take that as a compliment.

That said how can you not laugh at everyone on this board saying trade this guy, trade that guy, for mid round picks no less. Put the whole team in the press box, we can’t score. And those are the guys they kept instead of Fiala.

And I’m still not saying they should have kept Fiala, I think the trade was the right move. I just called BS that it was the only option because it was never the only option. Billy G is a charismatic dude and the entire fan base ate that up.

I’ve heard the whole he didn’t want to sign here from several other sources than here. Otherwise why was he being so difficult? Heck he could be a model himself and make some serious coin in the off-season. Once Kirill got here he saw he was second fiddle and I don’t think he cared much for that punching him over the edge. BG wasnt going to leverage the future or even the current to sign him

The entire narrative coming into last season was that Kevin’s feelings were hurt because Kirill and JEEK got the long term contract that Kevin so wanted. The team took him to arbitration to get him for 1 year.

Billy and Deano didn’t want him. And that’s fine, I can buy that he’s not a guy you win in the playoffs with. But it’s the Wild that didn’t want Fiala, not the other way around.

Fiala did not want to sign here no more than BG wanted him here even if he could have signed him. It was a toxic environment between Evason, BG and Fiala. Had nothing to do with second fiddle to anybody. All I ever read was that Fiala and KK drove each other in scoring points a friendly rivalry. They benefited from each other by spreading out opponents defense and they both knew that and it’s proving itself out this year.

Fiala is not scoring goals right now like he was here last year. He’s a point a game right now at 55 points but only 18 of those points are goals. I don’t think anyone in LA is complaining though. The way Fiala rolls he could end the season with 40.

He’s actually been playing 3rd line in LA for a bit now. I took a stroll through a Kings fans board and it was pretty funny. Concensus was they all love his offense, super fun to watch, takes some stupid penalties, and turns the puck over