<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tswoboda wrote:</div>
USA v Sweden today. Just saw Boldy walk Brodin on a zone entrySay it aint so! That is impressive. Brodin doesnt get walked by McDavid. Is he washed?
Ha ok walk might be aggressive, but he did gain the zone cleanly and set up a goal.
Now Jojo scored 
Now Jojo scored
OK now we need someone over to check on you because you are deep on the gummies!
It’s all here in this thread Bruh
Just messing with you man! JoJo scoring was NOT on anyones bingo card.
Ek vs Boldy battles all game were interesting… they got pretty physical with each other several times…
Dang… the Wild are pretty far away from playing the type of hockey Bruins vs Panthers are bringing…
Dang… the Wild are pretty far away from playing the type of hockey Bruins vs Panthers are bringing…
The Wild are pretty far away from playing the type of hockey of anyone in the playoffs. I’m seeing a Rangers Avalanche final.
Dang… the Wild are pretty far away from playing the type of hockey Bruins vs Panthers are bringing…
The Bruins only had 9 shots when I checked the score in the third period.
That’s like the 3rd or 4th time now this post season where they’ve seriously struggled to generate offense.
I think the Panthers are better than the Rangers but we’ll likely find out next round.
So what does Soucy get for hitting McJesus? To his credit, he was likely trying to cross-check McJesus’s chest, but the hit from behind a second early pushed Conner’s face lower…Connor also gave a good chop to Soucy’s leg to start everything…
I didnt see the play, but I think the league is reviewing it because it was after time expired right? so it wasnt a hockey play as they say.
I didnt see the play, but I think the league is reviewing it because it was after time expired right? so it wasnt a hockey play as they say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmXLjlvMOX0
Connor looked like he wasn’t hurt…
Craig Button’s latest mock draft has Cole Eiserman falling to the Wild… I’ll gladly take that… He has Zeev Buium going to the Devils at #10….
Great timing by Val Nichuskin 2 years in a row… makes you wonder what & when Colorado knew about it…
Can’t trust the Russians. 
Avs are done.
avs are missing a little seasoning without landeskog and its obvious
I checked the score in the second period and the Avalanche only had TWO shots on goal. Yikes
its funny how we all complain about how average Wild team’s could never seem to score in the playoffs, well how would we feel if we had a Cup seasoned team like the Avs playing with multiple generational talents and they can’t score…
Great timing by Val Nichuskin 2 years in a row… makes you wonder what & when Colorado knew about it…
Indications are the Avs only found out when Nichushkin failed a league-required drug/alcohol screening that is a condition of reinstatement after phase 2 of the league’s substance abuse program. A positive test automatically puts the player in phase 3.
Regardless of the playoff gap this leaves the Avs with, it’s not a good situation going forward for either Nichurshkin or the Avs as an organization.
Good article in The Athletic today about what each of the western conf non-playoff teams need to do to become contenders.
I say “good article” but as it relates to the Wild, it really only re-states the obvious for about the 15th year in a row. We’re lacking both an elite center and a top line center. Shocking. There are other gaps, but again this exposes the biggest long-term gap. We have good in EE and Rossi, but we never have great.
All the other gaps, IMO are much more fixable than this long-term issue at the Centerman position.
Good article in The Athletic today about what each of the western conf non-playoff teams need to do to become contenders.
I say “good article” but as it relates to the Wild, it really only re-states the obvious for about the 15th year in a row. We’re lacking both an elite center and a top line center. Shocking. There are other gaps, but again this exposes the biggest long-term gap. We have good in EE and Rossi, but we never have great.
All the other gaps, IMO are much more fixable than this long-term issue at the Centerman position.
They are an awful lot better at the Center position now though then ever before in Franchise history…Let’s see what a full year of Ek with Kaprizov and Boldy looks like…Rossi is a competent 2C right now and Khusnutdinov, Yurov, Heidt, Haight, Kumpelienen, Stramel (cough cough) are all promising center prospects that are 1-3 years away… I think this is why there’s some smoke around the Rossi trade rumors, the Wild brass feels like Center could actually turn into an organizational strength and players could get moved to fill other gaps (like Defense with size and RH Wings with size who can score)
They are an awful lot better at the Center position now though then ever before in Franchise history…Let’s see what a full year of Ek with Kaprizov and Boldy looks like…Rossi is a competent 2C right now…
I agree, we’ve got “good” at the center position. We even have layers of good, with EE, Rossi, and the up-and-comers, totally with you there.
But looking at the numbers in the article, the problem that has to be faced if we really want to go somewhere in the playoffs is that good might be good enough in some areas, but in the centerman position, a team needs one “great”.
This trade Rossi talk drives me crazy because just when we get some solid depth, now we’re supposed to trade it? The only way I’d part with Rossi would be if we had the cap space to package picks/prospects with Rossi to get an established #1 center and that ain’t going to happen so there’s no point. Doing the ol GMBG Hockey Trade to ship Rossi off for a center who is just like Rossi makes zero sense to me and there is a 99.975% chance that Rossi would promptly turn into a Wild killer who enjoys slamming the puck into our net with ruthless efficiency.
Rossi will be a 30 goal guy next season, mark my words. If it isn’t here in MN, it’ll be wherever he lands and we’ll be left crying about it. I just look at his development curve and I just can feel it, he’s going to be a 30 goal / 50+ points guy, but now we’re supposed to love the idea of tradoing him for a 20 goal/40 points guy.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
They are an awful lot better at the Center position now though then ever before in Franchise history…Let’s see what a full year of Ek with Kaprizov and Boldy looks like…Rossi is a competent 2C right now…I agree, we’ve got “good” at the center position. We even have layers of good, with EE, Rossi, and the up-and-comers, totally with you there.
But looking at the numbers in the article, the problem that has to be faced if we really want to go somewhere in the playoffs is that good might be good enough in some areas, but in the centerman position, a team needs one “great”.
This trade Rossi talk drives me crazy because just when we get some solid depth, now we’re supposed to trade it? The only way I’d part with Rossi would be if we had the cap space to package picks/prospects with Rossi to get an established #1 center and that ain’t going to happen so there’s no point. Doing the ol GMBG Hockey Trade to ship Rossi off for a center who is just like Rossi makes zero sense to me and there is a 99.975% chance that Rossi would promptly turn into a Wild killer who enjoys slamming the puck into our net with ruthless efficiency.
Rossi will be a 30 goal guy next season, mark my words. If it isn’t here in MN, it’ll be wherever he lands and we’ll be left crying about it. I just look at his development curve and I just can feel it, he’s going to be a 30 goal / 50+ points guy, but now we’re supposed to love the idea of trading him for a 20 goal/40 points guy.
I agree with most of what you said, a few things though…
1) Do you think Rossi will be a Great or Good Center? 30 goals and 50+ points is a good center…
2) If GMBG and the Wild talent evaluators think Rossi’s ceiling will just be a Good Center and the prospects coming up (Yurov/Heidt/Haight/Kumpelienen) will be able to provide everything Marco does or more (also add some added size and strength) and with Marco’s trade value potentially never higher, do they move him for a type of young player they currently don’t have in the organization (Right Handed Power Forward Wing who can shoot) who could potentially turn into a top 3 Wing? Remember Russo said the Wild would ONLY move Rossi if the return was worth it…they won’t give him away for lesser value…
3) Ek just put up a 30 goal, 64 point season and has improved his career highs every season of his career, he keeps trending towards the best 1C option we’ll have unless we draft top 3 or overpay for a UFA (both not likely) Can he KEEP improving his career highs for seasons to come? if he does, he’s moving towards the Great category (hard to see that a few years ago, but his improving numbers don’t lie, yes I’M admitting IF Ek keeps improving his numbers, he’s moving towards a legit 1C ceiling, even I can’t argue that, but the next level for him to attain is also the toughest)
I don’t think you’ll find a bigger Rossi fan than me, but I can see the reasoning/long term thinking for moving him if the return is worth it…if we could turn Rossi into a 20 year old Wing prospect like a Ryan Leonard or Cutter Gautier, wouldn’t you think long and hard about doing it?
If they are going to trade Rossi I doubt it’s for a center IMO
If they are going to trade Rossi I doubt it’s for a center IMO
no, it would either be for a Power Forward/Scoring Wing or a Defenseman and they likely need to be in their ELC so we have cost control next season and then RFA team control for awhile…there’s not a big pool of good players that fit that description that teams are wanting to part with, so it’s a tough trade…
But the recent Drysdale + 2nd round pick for Gauthier trade leaves some hope…
Wild are waiving Firstov. No surprise there.
Wild are waiving Firstov. No surprise there.
yeah, you only have so many spots to put these guys once they turn pro, at some point you either play them, trade them or cut them…Don’t understand the point of him coming back to Iowa for a few weeks after his KHL season ended though…
Oooof!
IMG_7145.jpeg
I know its over a week ago this game took place, but here’s a recap video of the U18 Gold Medal game USA vs Canada. There are lots of kids that will go in the first round of this years draft playing in this game, including 2026 likely 1st overall phenom Gavin McKenna for Canada! The skill at this level is crazy!
Cole Eiserman, Tij Iginla, Cole Hutson, Liam Greentree, Trevor Connelley (who got the 5 minute major that lead to Canada’s win) are the other standout players…
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