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

No Brodin, no Spurgeon. Jesus (Brock Faber) take the wheel. Patrick Dwyer white knuckling it tonight

Second time in his front office career that there has been an investigation around him. No bueno..

tswoboda wrote:

Sounds like Mr President has been MIA and radio silent. Weird situation getting weirder.

The fact that he didn’t go on the road trip after signing Hynes is strange (you’d think they would want face to face meetings to go over things) and leads me to think he and other Management not involved were staying back figuring out how to proceed with the investigation results, but the fact that he’s been absent from Team events recently (gala for one) is a bit worrisome that he might somehow be involved now…of course this is all speculation, but that’s all you get when no information has been released…

I just get the feeling this could be fraud related…you’d think if it was a recent road trip legal issue, there would be public arrest info dug up by now?

You gotta think Russo is just sitting on the official story and was likely contacted by GMBG/Wild to hold off for awhile…

Oh I’m sure Billy is just locked in his office doing a 5 day CBA Salary Cap boot camp style crash course. Ha for real though this is not a good year to lose their cap guy mid-season.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

You gotta think Russo is just sitting on the official story and was likely contacted by GMBG/Wild to hold off for awhile…

No doubt he knows way more than what he’s reporting so far. Listening to his podcast and on KFAN he’s being extremely careful with his words right now.

No doubt if anyone knows what is going on its Russo.

CaptainMusky wrote:

I really wonder what is behind that. “Mutually decided to part ways”… That typically means he screwed up in some fashion.

The only worse statement would have been if he “Left to spend more time with his family.” Which translated means, “We fired his ass and frog-marched him through the back door.”

CaptainMusky wrote:

When you bring in outside council to handle an employee situation, you’re talking about a major HR/Legal issue that’s likely Financial Fraud or Sexual in nature…and it turns out the Wild has 2 situations they are investigating…not good

If it was some kind of sexual misconduct and assuming Gurin has two functioning brain cells to rub together (which he appears to) then the allegations should already have been handed over to law enforcement like the live grenade they are. We all know what happens when organizations try to internally handle criminal sexual conduct allegations. Cough. Looking at you Blackhawks.

Gotta be financial I would have to think.

But also if we see Gurin standing up a lot these days, it’s because suddenly his chair seems too hot to sit in. Like it wasn’t that way just a few weeks ago, but now, wow, that seat is HOT.

Gurin has been great as far as getting a fully functioning adult into the GM role, but now the shine is gone and it feels to me like the ownership suite has started asking some hard questions about when, exactly, the Wild are going to be anything more than a bubble playoff team that routinely gets steamrolled in the first round. That’s not really showing any improvement. Constantly saying, “Look at our prospect pool! Look at our prospect pool!” over and over again will only buy so much time.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Gurin has been great as far as getting a fully functioning adult into the GM role, but now the shine is gone and it feels to me like the ownership suite has started asking some hard questions about when, exactly, the Wild are going to be anything more than a bubble playoff team that routinely gets steamrolled in the first round. That’s not really showing any improvement. Constantly saying, “Look at our prospect pool! Look at our prospect pool!” over and over again will only buy so much time.

I just don’t believe this…Leopold was fully aware what buying out Parise and Suter would mean to the team not being fully competitive for 2-3 years, he signed off on it, if anything the Wild have overachieved the past few years and he got some bonus playoff home game revenue he wasn’t planning on…and look at Parise this year, he’s not in the NHL, so not taking into account the Locker room cancer rumors, Parise appears to be retiring from the league 1 year earlier than what GMBG was worried about, who knows what the cap recapture penalty would be for the next 2 season if he was still with the Wild (nobody can tell me what it would be)
Suter’s game is being covered up playing with Heiskenan in Dallas and he’ll most likely be bought out for a 2nd time this offseason…

In terms of the promised prospects, you can really only say Rossi was delayed by 1 season and he looks this season like everything they hoped he would when they drafted him. Then Faber has exceeded ALL EXPECTATIONS (including GMBG’s) and would likely be a top 5 draft pick if they could redraft knowing what they do today. Ohgren, Yurov and Khusnudinov are all planned to come over to the US next season, maybe Yurov was expected to come over this season and not sign the KHL 1 year deal, but Russians are always Wildcards, Ohgren was injured over the summer, but was always expected to stay in Sweden 1 more year…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

and look at Parise this year, he’s not in the NHL, so not taking into account the Locker room cancer rumors, Parise appears to be retiring from the league 1 year earlier than what GMBG was worried about, who knows what the cap recapture penalty would be for the next 2 season if he was still with the Wild (nobody can tell me what it would be)

Challenge accepted… $6,538,459 cap hit this season and next season. I’ll even show my work.

That said, he’s apparently been training and likely returning to the Isles at some point.

tswoboda wrote:

Challenge accepted… $6,538,459 cap hit this season and next season. I’ll even show my work.

If that’s correct, wtf was the big worry then? They always made it out to be this boogeyman compounding dollar value that equated to way more $$ than just keeping them on the roster…

NVM, I suppose the unknown worry was if/when they would retire and if we signed somebody else prior to that and then get hit with the $6.5+ to fit in our current caphits…

Keeping them on the team was not an option for Billy G. Don’t forget they 100% wanted Parise/Suter out of the locker room, the buyout was just the method. If they traded Parise then the cap recapture had potential to be much more painful.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I just don’t believe this…Leopold was fully aware what buying out Parise and Suter would mean to the team not being fully competitive for 2-3 years, he signed off on it, if anything the Wild have overachieved the past few years and he got some bonus playoff home game revenue he wasn’t planning on…

There’s more to this than just the ol “It was Parise and Suter what done it.”

Faber. Looking great, no doubt. And how are we feeling about Hartman? Well… Rossi? Looking much better. Foligno? Meh… Gus Bus? Looking great. Goose? Not so much.

One step forward, one step back.

Everybody assumes Leopold was full-on 100% on board with the buyouts but was he? Or was it more, “Okay Billy, you win, but you better make it work AND keep this team in the playoffs.”?

Gurin has repeatedly said (in his own bizarre way) the goal is NOT win in the first round. Okay, we’ve all taken this with the “He would say that, wouldn’t he?” grain of salt, but what if this was more of an order from Leopold rather than a just a Gurin slogan?

I’m not thinking Craig is likely to hit the Eject GM button soon. Meaning this season, I think he’s safe. But it’s also the case that in the cold light of day, Gurin has limited runway and the buyouts can’t be an excuse forever

tswoboda wrote:

Keeping them on the team was not an option for Billy G. Don’t forget they 100% wanted Parise/Suter out of the locker room, the buyout was just the method. If they traded Parise then the cap recapture had potential to be much more painful.

100% They had to do it when they did otherwise they would have been absolutely screwed if they retired early like not even able to field a full roster screwed.

tswoboda wrote:

Keeping them on the team was not an option for Billy G. Don’t forget they 100% wanted Parise/Suter out of the locker room, the buyout was just the method. If they traded Parise then the cap recapture had potential to be much more painful.

Exactly.
Depending on how this assistant GM thing comes out no doubt BG seat is getting warm.

Yeah Rip I dont like this one bit about what is going on. I really trust BG but if there is something going on that is illegal he needs to be gone.

tswoboda wrote:

Sounds like Mr President has been MIA and radio silent. Weird situation getting weirder.

Not weird. Wild.

Sounds like the assistant GM was the scapegoat and BG got the pass. Not a good look.
Russo dropped the story. Weird he named the accuser.
He is definitely in the hot seat I would think.

Hmmm, if it was just verbal abuse, that accuser needs to man up a bit imo… hockey is a stressful sport, especially when the team is struggling. As long as there was no physical contact, then this is a big nothingburger in my mind. Still need a better explanation on why O’Hearn left though…

Definitely not a nothing burger it’s the second time he has been accused and investigated of work place disfunction. Guy had been with the org 10 years I’m sure he is used to the language around the rink.

2 weeks ago Boldy puts that shot into the middle of the goalies chest or 2 feet high and wide…confidence is a funny thing…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

2 weeks ago Boldy puts that shot into the middle of the goalies chest or 2 feet high and wide…confidence is a funny thing…

Or he’d of passed the puck. Might take some pressure off KK and he’ll stop getting double teamed.

Ripjiggen wrote:

Definitely not a nothing burger it’s the second time he has been accused and investigated of work place disfunction. Guy had been with the org 10 years I’m sure he is used to the language around the rink.

I dont know… without more info it sounds like there’s a policy already in place and O’Hearn must have broke it and Billy didn’t… i’m sure there will be more info that comes out unless guys had to sign NDA’s…

Since all 3 work closely together I could imagine a situation where in a meeting Heydt and GMBG get into a verbal argument, someone says something over the line and O’Hearn loses his cool and throws a punch…

Or Heydt and Billy have the argument and later on O’Hearn confronts Billy about it and throws a punch or shoves him… that would explain the 2 cases being investigated…

I agree outing the accuser is VERY STRANGE unless he came forward to Russo first…

If he didn’t going to cost somebody some money.

He is not getting double teamed. That is not a thing in the NHL.

Ripjiggen wrote:

If he didn’t going to cost somebody some money.

Russo isn’t going to make a mistake like that…

Agree someone inside the org obviously told him.

Heydt is basically best buddies with every single player not some random disgruntled elevator attendant or something. He has more contact and personal relationships with the players than probably any other employee including coaches. He’s been around forever and survived the Fenton years without anything like this. For him to make the formal complaint, and then give Russo the OK to drop his name, something bad had to happen. Or it’s been an ongoing buildup of toxic behavior. Either way this is a lot more than nothing. Some major dysfunction in the organization right now.

In a couple week span they’ve replaced the coach, fired the capologist, Pres and GM gone radio silent, and now the guy who runs their day to day lives and travel is MIA.

Article said the ohearn investigation is completely unrelated ?? Also didn’t necessarily say the verbal abuse was directed at Heydt, just that he reported it to HR.

I agree and think you are correct that Heydt just reported it and is not the one abused. I am at the game and read it while my 7yo was tugging on my arm.

Russo and Heydt are buddies he’s not dropping that name without his full support

Kirill can’t finish, that line is buzzing though…

Love the Gus “scoot” out of the crease…