2023/2024 NHL/WILD Offseason-Season-Postseason Thread

Flower has been the better goalie down the stretch for sure, but the last 3 he gave up yesterday were brutal….

JoeMX1825 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Tom schmitt wrote:</div>
The Wild could have tanked for just this year when it became clear that they were not a playoff team at the halfway point.
The injuries and cap have crippled the Wild this year.
They could have spent more time cycling players up from Iowa, sending players that need surgery, playing 4 lines more evenly, trading away dead weight.
Take a look at Dallas, how do you think they got Robertson, they had a bad year.

They got Robertson because they have good scouts… He was a 2nd rounder.

Dallas has been drafting gems for the past 4-5 years, I believe their highest pick was Hieskanan at #3 (Cale Maker went the next pick)

The Wild missed out on that great draft class by Fletcher trading away our 1st & 2nd round picks for trade deadline pickups Martin Hanzel and Chris Stewart… makes you want to cry, but you can understand WHY he made the trades, but his player choices were terrible…

Yea, my bad, they took Robertson with the 8th pick in the 2nd round..
In the first round they took Miro Heiskanen #3 overall and Jake Oettinger at #26.
So yea having a bad year will never help your draft success.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Flower has been the better goalie down the stretch for sure, but the last 3 he gave up yesterday were brutal….

The score would have been 3-0 after the first period if weren’t for Fleury.

Tom schmitt wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
Flower has been the better goalie down the stretch for sure, but the last 3 he gave up yesterday were brutal….

The score would have been 3-0 after the first period if weren’t for Fleury.

for sure on the Parynko save, but the last 2 Kyru goals were wrist shots from the top of the circle, the OT goal was soft, not sure if Flower’s stick break reaction was due to letting in a softy or because Boldy just letting Saad skate right to the net…

https://records.nhl.com/franchises/dallas-stars/season-by-season-record

For those who think you need to be bad for many years in a row, this is how Dallas did it, one bad year.

And they have won the central 1 time. A couple of playoff series wins but not exactly a dynasty.

Tom schmitt wrote:

For those who think you need to be bad for many years in a row, this is how Dallas did it, one bad year.

Their ping pong ball got pulled… they missed playoffs with a mediocre team and got lucky in the lottery

Dallas hasn’t ever finished lower than 24th…
They have two top 10 draft picks in franchise history…

…and you’re using them as the example for tanking!!??

Ovi with 25 goals now…. Remember a month ago when most were saying he’s done…

Yes I am, they finished 2nd in the league in 2015 16.
Followed it up with a 24th place finish for one year.
Yes they got a little luck but they also got top 10 picks.
And that 1 year set their core.
Take a look at how Colorado got Makar, very similar.
I’m not talking about doing a Chicago tank, I’m talking about taking advantage of a bad year.
Unfortunately the time to play that strategy was 15 games ago, when it was pretty clear the playoffs were going to be a giant struggle.

Too late now.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Ovi with 25 goals now…. Remember a month ago when most were saying he’s done…

Make that 26 goals now….

Tom schmitt wrote:

I’m not talking about doing a Chicago tank, I’m talking about taking advantage of a bad year.
Unfortunately the time to play that strategy was 15 games ago, when it was pretty clear the playoffs were going to be a giant struggle.

Yeah and they did… traded roster players for picks. 4th line and 3rd pair are all AHL players literally no other team took them for free. Billy G is doing exactly what you want… you should be happy with him and very angry with Mr. Kaprizov.

This Avs vs Penguins game is bonkers, Avs slept through the 1st period down 4-0 and flipped a switch and are just dominating…

The Avs are just another level team now, I think the only way they lose the Cup is if their goalie falls apart…

LeTang just pulled a “Boldy” in OT, Avs score 5 in a row to win….

JoeMX1825 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
Ovi with 25 goals now…. Remember a month ago when most were saying he’s done…

Make that 26 goals now….

It helps when the entire roster stops shooting and the focus has become just feeding Ovi the puck. The sooner they get this over with the better it will be for the entire team. I love Ovi but to me this most goals record is pretty empty. Just no comparison other than a number.

I still cannot believe we are talking about tanking. YAWN!

Joe Smith wrote an article today on the Faber vs Bedard Calder race and of expected, the comments section doesn’t disappoint…

I see it this way, All of the Bedard fans point to his current 55 Points as the end all be all and disregard that Faber has 40 as a Defenseman…Yes, Bedard missed 14 games with injury, but you just can’t assume he would have registered points in those missed games…and yes +/- stat has it’s flaws and is imperfect, but you can’t overlook Bedard’s -37 vs Faber’s +5, their point total difference helps Faber here too…

Yes, Bedard is still just 18 years old vs Faber 21, i’m not diminishing his rookie season, but Faber is a much more complete rookie right now, honestly Bedard’s defense is an absolute joke and any other Rookie who played defense the way he does would be shipped to the AHL in a heartbeat…I believe my Bedard season prediction was 25-30 goals and 65 points? (somebody feel free to find my post) he’s been as good offensively as I thought he would be with the shot he has and that’s been the weapon he’s been able to lean on all season. I think there was a feel out period by NHL defenseman early on and that attributed to alot of his “highlights” but if you’ve watched his recent games (not the 2 against the JV Ducks where he lit it up) he’s been pretty much contained..

I realize the national media voting is likely a popularity contest, but those same media guys talk with former players and analysts all the time and i’m sure there is alot of Faber talk going on as to why he deserves the award.

It will be a close vote with Bedard getting the popular kid vote, but if Faber can get to 50 points and get the point differential to under 10 points, that lessons Bedard’s biggest selling point and maybe, just maybe he can pull it out?

95% of the voters will watch Brock Faber play maybe 5 games this season and I just think you need to actually watch Faber’s games to see how good he is and what he does every game and every shift. He doesn’t have a lot of highlight plays. The same voters are probably watching 10-20 of Bedard’s games and remembering his highlight goals and plays that grab all the attention.

Unless something drastic happens over the last 10 games, it’s not going to be close. Russo campaigning hard for Faber might get him a few more 1st place votes, and it should be close but it won’t be. Going by the exact definition of the award – which never ever happens for any of these awards – it would be Faber by a landslide.

I just hope Wild fans – and Russo – aren’t a bunch of crybabies about it.

CaptainMusky wrote:

I still cannot believe we are talking about tanking. YAWN!

lol sorry I just can’t help myself, I’m easily trolled

CaptainMusky wrote:

I still cannot believe we are talking about tanking. YAWN!

I still can’t believe we are talking about the Calder again. YAWN

tswoboda wrote:

95% of the voters will watch Brock Faber play maybe 5 games this season and I just think you need to actually watch Faber’s games to see how good he is and what he does every game and every shift. He doesn’t have a lot of highlight plays. The same voters are probably watching 10-20 of Bedard’s games and remembering his highlight goals and plays that grab all the attention.

Unless something drastic happens over the last 10 games, it’s not going to be close. Russo campaigning hard for Faber might get him a few more 1st place votes, and it should be close but it won’t be. Going by the exact definition of the award – which never ever happens for any of these awards – it would be Faber by a landslide.

I just hope Wild fans – and Russo – aren’t a bunch of crybabies about it.

good points and you’re likely correct… it just feels like there’s been a recent effort by former players and analysts to bring awareness to Faber and try to justify why he deserves it. Its like in high school when the nerds/normal kids team up to try and outvote the popular kids for winning prom king/queen

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Its like in high school when the nerds/normal kids team up to try and outvote the popular kids for winning prom king/queen

Faber most definitely fits the look of a nerd. I certainly think he is the better overall player vs Bedard, but Bedard is going to win it and I dont think it will be close. Rossi might take some votes that Faber would get too.

Ripjiggen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>CaptainMusky wrote:</div>
I still cannot believe we are talking about tanking. YAWN!

I still can’t believe we are talking about the Calder again. YAWN

lol sorry I just can’t help myself, I’m easily trolled

I think its alot closer than everyone thinks… especially if Rossi overtakes Bedard in goals and Faber in assists as the #1 argument being made by Bedard fans is that he leads Rookies in Goals AND Assists AND Points and that = Calder

If Brock can somehow score 3 more goals and 7 more assists and get to 50 points, it will help too…I can’t remember what the Ekblad, Seider, Makar, Hughes rookie season stats looked like, but I believe 50 points was the threshold?

Wasnt Makar a shortened season?

CaptainMusky wrote:

Wasnt Makar a shortened season?

I believe so… I’m just pointing out 50 points by a rookie Defenseman seems to be a differentiator in thinking, especially for one as defensively astute as Faber is vs somebody like Gostisbere who put up big rookie points but was a defensive liability…

Makar put up 50 in 57 games.

Ripjiggen wrote:

Makar put up 50 in 57 games.

THat is damn impressive especially for a D man.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Ovi with 25 goals now…. Remember a month ago when most were saying he’s done…

I thought the Capitals were done a month ago too.

They are on a good run and could make the playoffs at this rate now.

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Ripjiggen wrote:</div>
Makar put up 50 in 57 games.

THat is damn impressive especially for a D man.

I mean the kid is on his way to being one of if not the best defenseman ever to play in the NHL…anybody that can legitimately be compared with Bobby Orr is otherworldly…

i’m in no way comparing Faber to Makar as players, but I think the comparison could be made that Faber will be just as important to the Wild’s future as Makar is to the Avs…They are absolute franchise cornerstones for a generation or two (Faber obviously needs more time to show this)

JoeMX1825 wrote:

i’m in no way comparing Faber to Makar as players, but I think the comparison could be made that Faber will be just as important to the Wild’s future as Makar is to the Avs…They are absolute franchise cornerstones for a generation or two…

Agreed.