2022 MN WILD/NHL THREAD

fishinfreaks wrote:

It’s going to be freaking cold foe the Classic this week. Glad I didn’t get tickets to that game!

I went to the stadium series game they had a few years ago at Target Field. Before I went, I thought the idea of watching a hockey game outside in a big baseball or football game was so cool. Unfortunately, after attending one, there is zero appeal to go again. You can’t see anything because the seating is so far back and the tickets are way over priced.

Highs look to be in the single digits on New Years with a slight chance of snow flurries.

The only thing that can throw a wrench in GMBG’s plan to get through the next 3 years of buyout cap hell is if Boldy, Beckman or Addison absolutely blow up in the next season or two and can justify a huge RFA deal. Management has already figured out the year by year strategy in terms of contracts coming off the books and players projected to fill those spots. The understanding is its a working model and injuries and big years for contract players can throw it off a bit, but there’s ZERO chance Leopold would have signed off on the idea if it wasn’t sound.

Go look at the Wild on capfriendly and you can get a pretty good idea of the plan GMBG has with big chunk expiring contracts coming off the books each of the next 3 years… Fiala is the main sacrifice the buyouts caused good or bad…

Matt Boldy is the key to the next 3+ years, if he can’t replicate Fiala’s production at the fraction of the same caphit, then GMBG’s plan is in trouble and puts more pressure on other guys (Duhaime/Sturm/Gudreau) to step up and fill the void. The fact that he can’t stay healthy now is worrisome….

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishinfreaks wrote:</div>
It’s going to be freaking cold foe the Classic this week. Glad I didn’t get tickets to that game!

I went to the stadium series game they had a few years ago at Target Field. Before I went, I thought the idea of watching a hockey game outside in a big baseball or football game was so cool. Unfortunately, after attending one, there is zero appeal to go again. You can’t see anything because the seating is so far back and the tickets are way over priced.

Highs look to be in the single digits on New Years with a slight chance of snow flurries.

I agree, I only forked over the $$ because its likely the only MN Winter Classic i’ll get to go to in my lifetime and judging by the weather outlook it will be an experience I can talk about for years to come (if I survive the cold). I’ll be wearing my full Striker Ice suit!

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I’ll be wearing my full Striker Ice suit!

Good call. The thing that honestly gets cold quicker just sitting there with your feet on cold concrete is the toes. Don’t wear sneakers lol. Make sure you wear warm socks and insulated boots.

gimruis wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
I’ll be wearing my full Striker Ice suit!

Good call. The thing that honestly gets cold quicker just sitting there with your feet on cold concrete is the toes. Don’t wear sneakers lol. Make sure you wear warm socks and insulated boots.

Ordered a variety pack of hothands this morning…

48 save SHUTOUT for Jesper Wallstedt last night at the WJC!! Wow!

JoeMX1825 wrote:

48 save SHUTOUT for Jesper Wallstedt last night at the WJC!! Wow!

Wow. Forget Iowa. Make him the backup next year!

Obviously they will give him a shot in Iowa, but man is it exciting having a MN sports franchise with actual top level prospects. I also have a lot more confidence in this regime to actually help them develop into stars than previous groups that have stuck them on fourth lines and turned them into grinders.

Sob! The Russo curse strikes again! After the new article about Brodin’s time to shine at the Classic he enters Covid protocol this morning…

Fingers crossed it doesnt move through the team now…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Fingers crossed it doesnt move through the team now…

This is from Christmas Day, two days before Brodin tested positive.

I believe he has at least 1 negative test right? If he has 2 he will be good to go.

Team USA placed in quarantine at world juniors after 2 players test positive. This results in a forefit in the game vs Switzerland.

CaptainMusky wrote:

I believe he has at least 1 negative test right? If he has 2 he will be good to go.

From what I read he had a positive test, then 2 negatives followed by another positive again… I think they are waiting a day or two to see if he has symptoms, if he’s asymptomatic, he needs 2 negative tests within 48 hours to be allowed to play… at least this was the scenario presented in a few articles I read…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>CaptainMusky wrote:</div>
I believe he has at least 1 negative test right? If he has 2 he will be good to go.

From what I read he had a positive test, then 2 negatives followed by another positive again… I think they are waiting a day or two to see if he has symptoms, if he’s asymptomatic, he needs 2 negative tests within 48 hours to be allowed to play… at least this was the scenario presented in a few articles I read…

So he’s been tested four times in one day with the results a even split? Why all the testing? If he has six negative tests in six hours it’s not going to change anything right?

Russo’s tweet was confusing…

“He tested positive yesterday. Next 2 tests were negative, but #mnwild  sent him home just in case. Confirmatory of positive came in at 3 am“

Ice Cap wrote:

So he’s been tested four times in one day with the results a even split? Why all the testing? If he has six negative tests in six hours it’s not going to change anything right?

My guess is the first 3 were all rapid antigen tests and then they were waiting for the 4th “confirmatory” test which was PCR. The testing is a clown-show, but will continue as long as the border crossing restrictions remain in effect.

Honestly with the recent Omicron spike I’m just waiting for a team to have a covid party and get all of their players positive tests. Once you get a positive PCR test, you don’t need to get tested to cross the border for the next 180 days. I think the NHL is doing something similar.

Game Jan 10 against the Jets is cancelled due to no fun fans allowed.

At this rate the NHL is going to be playing into August. Nobody will watch hockey in August. Better things to do.

tswoboda wrote:

Game Jan 10 against the Jets is cancelled due to no fun fans allowed.

seriously!? They canceled the game due to no fans?! Wtf

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tswoboda wrote:</div>
Game Jan 10 against the Jets is cancelled due to no fun fans allowed.

seriously!? They canceled the game due to no fans?! Wtf

No fans=no money. Apparently the NHL is not ready to continue to absorb more losses after playing without fans all last year. Something doesn’t change this league will be out of business it can’t continue this way.

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tswoboda wrote:</div>
Game Jan 10 against the Jets is cancelled due to no fun fans allowed.

seriously!? They canceled the game due to no fans?! Wtf

Well rescheduled or postponed, hopefully you knew what I meant.
A bunch of the early January games in Canada were rescheduled, likely to the 3 week Olympic break.

My guess is the league is getting covid projection advice and basing their schedule around it to maximize revenue potential (ie – postpone games now when Canada is limiting attendance to basically nothing and reschedule them in the future when the Omicron tidal wave retreats and restrictions are expected to be lifted)

I don’t think the olympic break period allows all missed games to be fit in due to venue availability already pre-booked (concerts, events, etc) so expect the season to go long again resulting in another shortened offseason (A good thing imo)

Interesting trade between the Wild and Blues before the Winter Classic. Receive Nolan Stevens for Will Bitten. Anyone know anything about Stevens?

KP wrote:

Interesting trade between the Wild and Blues before the Winter Classic. Receive Nolan Stevens for Will Bitten. Anyone know anything about Stevens?

Got excited when I saw the MN Wild trade banner, and then I saw the names. Two career middle 6 AHLers, this will have no effect on either NHL club. It would be interesting to know why they made the trade though… I’m guessing both players requested trades. May have something to do with the taxi squads, but I doubt that as Stevens was never on a taxi squad last year and Bitten was only on Minnesota’s for a couple days.

Agreed much to do about nothing.

IIHF may be cancelling the remainder of the World Juniors… what a joke.

They fly in teams from across the globe, throw them in hotels open to the public, and then say ok shows over due to 4 **FOUR** positive tests… what a clown-show.

tswoboda wrote:

IIHF may be cancelling the remainder of the World Juniors… what a joke.

They fly in teams from across the globe, throw them in hotels open to the public, and then say ok shows over due to 4 **FOUR** positive tests… what a clown-show.

What a joke. How are we going to navigate anything anymore at this rate?

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tswoboda wrote:</div>
IIHF may be cancelling the remainder of the World Juniors… what a joke.

They fly in teams from across the globe, throw them in hotels open to the public, and then say ok shows over due to 4 **FOUR** positive tests… what a clown-show.

What a joke. How are we going to navigate anything anymore at this rate?

This is why I applaud the NBA and NFL for pushing through this. Even changing their protocols. At some point the nation needs to realize we are going to be living with this for a long time and we need to move on and learn to push through the peaks and valleys.

CaptainMusky wrote:

What a joke. How are we going to navigate anything anymore at this rate?

This is just a complete failure by the IIHF and whoever is running that tournament. It’s pretty obvious by now that for an event like that they either need to completely bubble it off or be ready to accept a few positive tests and move on. They did neither and now the World Juniors is cancelled. My guess is Canada Public Health mandated the testing procedures and protocols and the IIHF didn’t want to pay for creating a bubble.

mahtofire14 wrote:

This is why I applaud the NBA and NFL for pushing through this.
At some point the nation needs to realize we are going to be living with this for a long time and we need to move on and learn to push through the peaks and valleys.

I 100% agree with what the NFL is doing with testing but comparing that to the NHL is apples to oranges. NHL has to deal with Canada where they have 7 teams and a third of their revenue is generated. Until the US-Canada border can be crossed without testing, the NHL is going to be in a tough spot and it’s really not their fault.

FWIW the NHL did decrease the mandatory quarantine to 5 days which might give Brodin a chance to play in the WC.

Hey at least we can watch China in the Olympics (pukes in a bag).

tswoboda wrote:

IIHF may be cancelling the remainder of the World Juniors… what a joke.

They fly in teams from across the globe, throw them in hotels open to the public, and then say ok shows over due to 4 **FOUR** positive tests… what a clown-show.

Well they canceled woman’s well before it even started.