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

tswoboda wrote:

Russo insinuating we will see Rossi.

They dont have many other options but that is a tough spot to put a rookie into. It will be a real test.

Sucks to lose Ek, we’ll see if Rossi is ready to step up like Boldy did… Ek’s been often injured, BUT his recovery time is always alot less than expected, lets hope that’s the case again… thinking if it was a bone break he would be having surgery today or tomorrow, if we dont hear that then it’s likely a fracture that just needs time and rehab to heal…

Well if it’s Rossi or Steel we at least know what they’re getting with Steel and we know it’s not enough. So maybe throw Rossi into the thunderdome and see what happens I guess.

Problem with losing Joel Eriksson Ek is that for a 3rd line center with no offensive skill whatsoever he is sure on the ice in a lot of important situations…

Opening faceoff: EK
PP1 faceoff: EK
PK1 faceoff: EK
End of game protecting a lead D-zone faceoff: Ek
End of game down 1 goalie pulled O-zone faceoff: Ek
OT faceoff: Ek

Yeah, nobody said it wasn’t going to hurt alot losing him….its a prove you belong or don’t complain about being in the AHL moment for Rossi if they indeed put him into the 2C slot…not ideal, but tough, this is the real world Marco, sink or swim… GMBG needs to know if he can play so he can make a better educated decision on extending Hartman/Gaudreau in the next 2 offseasons, I think he’ll be successful, we’ll see…

Yeah just curious on who is filling each of those roles because it’s going to take more than 1 player

tswoboda wrote:

Yeah just curious on who is filling each of those roles because it’s going to take more than 1 player

Freddy takes his PK slot, Hartman his PP slot, maybe Rossi takes over the backup spots, for sure he’ll play PP2…. Nyquist could take over as well if he gets his game back right away… he’s a Wildcard, could be good or bad…

Ek’s done everything they’ve asked and done it well. They’ve been working him like a rented mule. Was only a matter of time. No real 1st line center and no attempt to get one is still idiotic imo. BG has made some great moves and understand there’s not much out there for centers and you’d have to give up to much vs what it’d be worth. But no Ek, unless someone seriously steps up, I don’t care if KK is back, this will be a one and done in the playoffs and would be surprised if they won 2 games. Hope I’m dead wrong but lotta moving and shifting used parts that are far less than ideal. Should’ve had a contingency plan in place for a center and throwing Rossi in the playoffs against top end centers probably not the best long term game plan. Should’ve been thinking about the lack of center depth and high probability of injury months ago, not right before the playoffs. Plan for the worst, hope for the best. Or in the wilds case, plan for the best and hope you don’t get caught without a center. If you took away the pieces BG plugged in, not so sure this team would be even remotely relative in wining the division. Little shot at it now but who really thought they’d pull it off? Or win a 1st round series? Hope they do and been a surprisingly fun season. This team would be a lotta fun to watch with an actual top end 1st line center. The constant chasing pucks do to face off losses on both ends is so physically and mentally taxing. And yeah we all get all the issues the wild face and how hard it is finding a center and affording one. But schitzila just hope they don’t give Steel more ice time. Seriously not a fun player to watch at all. His biggest credentials are he can stand up on skates with a stick in his hands and wear a sweater. Just don’t see the love affair they have with the guy at all.

You can’t complain about GMBG not getting a 1C WITHOUT giving examples of actual 1C players that were/are available… Name 1… seriously…

Oh and there’s that thing called the salary cap that we’re 1-2 million from the max this season, how are you going to fit the $8+ million this mythically attainted 1C will cost???

The Wild are a few points from winning their Division and had they beat Vegas the last 2 games could have been close to the #1 seed in the West, all while having $13 in deadcap, i’d say he’s done a hell of a job…

injuries happen… the Avs just put Makar out indefinitely….

Yeah I think BG did all he could do and he got a helluva lot of bang for his buck at the deadline. Lets hope Nyquist can come in and play well to offset Ek a little bit. I think we are going to miss him on faceoffs and defensively most.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

injuries happen… the Avs just put Makar out indefinitely….

Yeah but Sakic had a contingency plan… they got Jack Johnson

Could use that same rant for any one of Ek Kaprizov Brodin or Spurgeon getting hurt right now. That’s a lot of contingency plans

This is where sheltering your prospects like Rossi rather than developing them bites you in the a$$. Now he’s going to be put in a position like Talbot was in game six last year. Now your going to find out what you got or what you don’t at the most inopportune time with a ton of added pressure on the player. The “you have to earn it” BG mantra really only applies if everything is running smoothly. Rossi should be wearing a Break Glass In Case Of Emergency shirt.

If Rossi fails to produce now it could set back his career indefinetly to no fault of his own.

icex wrote:

This is where sheltering your prospects like Rossi rather than developing them bites you in the a$$. Now he’s going to be put in a position like Talbot was in game six last year. Now your going to find out what you got or what you don’t at the most inopportune time with a ton of added pressure on the player. The “you have to earn it” BG mantra really only applies if everything is running smoothly. Rossi should be wearing a Break Glass In Case Of Emergency shirt.

If Rossi fails to produce now it could set back his career indefinetly to no fault of his own.

he’s now basically played 2 seasons in the AHL almost averaging a point a game. Other than not at least trying him at 1C to see if it could spark something, i’m not sure what else the team could have done for him, he just wasn’t ready to play a full time NHL top 6 role at the start of the season, he’s not built to be an effective bottom 6 player…

Now injuries allow him again to see if his NHL game is ready…

If Rossi fails to produce now, he will get all offseason to try and prove he belongs next season. Is it going to be tough for him? Yes. But what else did you want this team to do? Who would you have taken out of the lineup to put a guy that showed zero reasons to keep him in the NHL lineup for a whole month?

Dang a lot of hate for a team that lost a player week to week.
Rossi getting thrown into the fire like Cam in game 6? Hardly

Should had a plan B in case you lost Ek. Like what stashing 25 goal shutdown center somewhere?

He was bound to break down? What?
He took a clapper off the ankle?
It’s not like he has bilateral leg weakness.

By the way I blame Joe for the injuries with when he was rooting for injuries in the Dallas vs AVs game.

Ripjiggen wrote:

By the way I blame Joe for the injuries with when he was rooting for injuries in the Dallas vs AVs game.

hey, I gave you Makar out indefinitely… you’re welcome Wild fans in round 2…

I totally forgot about how the last Blues game went… oh this should be good tonight… Binner’s in the net tonight too….

Pretty confident the wild will make it to round two and Makar will be out during round two?

Wtf, I flip over to the Gophers game for 30 seconds and switch back and we scored 2 shorties in 15 seconds?!?

What are the odds it’s Hartman on Binnington.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Wtf, I flip over to the Gophers game for 30 seconds and switch back and we scored 2 shorties in 15 seconds?!?

I thought I was the only who wondered what the heck is going on.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Wtf, I flip over to the Gophers game for 30 seconds and switch back and we scored 2 shorties in 15 seconds?!?

Your watching the wrong game.

Same! Bouncing back and forth between the two hockey games and also missed it!!

Nyquist’s first point in a wild sweater!

Klingberg is really feeling it tonight, dude is dangling and dancing with the puck all game… he must drive the D coach crazy! He’s the definition of a Riverboat Gambler…

Nyquist looks super rusty (as he should) and yet he still has 2 primary assists…

Great team effort so far. But also a great game by Gustavsson to settle things down and give the team a chance to take control.

2 points his first game with a new team after an injury, I’ll take that kinda rusty. Go Swedes!

Gus is a such a calm goalie compared to the twitchy Flower.

Hasek would disagree with your twitchy comment.

I like how Nyquist is playing. Also is there anything better than running Binnington out of an arena?