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

Another 2 goals and an assist last night for Riley Heidt, nice 2 goal 6 assist weekend for the leading scorer in all of Canada Junior hockey…

Ripjiggen wrote:

7-2 under Hynes.

My mistake, that’s accurate. Even better.

Ripjiggen wrote:

The Wild are calling it a ‘mutual parting’, but there’s certainly way more to that story. Billy, who’s an open book, you know, as transparent an executive as we’ve had in town in a long time… is not responding to messages. So just… there’s some weird stuff going on right now.”
“My understanding is it’s not anything that Chris did wrong. And so… just very, very interesting, the timing of all this; middle of the season… mid-December, that the assistant general manager is now gone… who recently signed a new contract, by the way. Just… the whole thing, it’s just weird. There’s way more to that story, put it that way. Way, way more.”

Who said this?

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>wormdunker wrote:</div>
Do you realize the reason Gus was not in the team group chat was not a decision, it was a technology reality. Every player on the team except Gus had an iPhone, Android can’t communicate via iMessage.

Not according to what Russo wrote it was because he was irritated about the green bubble. I have no issues texting people on Iphones many of my family members have them.

Group chats lose a bunch of functions when Androids join iPhones. That’s when the stupid ‘so and so laughed at “blah blah blah”….’ showing up all the time. Just annoying stuff. My take was it wasn’t serious at all and really just a joke. Gus laughed about it when asked. Said he had iphones available to him but was holding out because he’s an Android guy. Like a running team joke. Losing respect for Heydt feels like a bit of an overreaction here.

Darren Wolfson…so take it for what it’s worth,

Russo has been very careful on KFAN to tip toe around it.

Basically his one article is all that has been said about it.

it wouldn’t surprise me if GMBG and the Wild hinted to Russo and other top credentialed reporters to let this one drag out a bit and hopefully the public loses interest… (seems to be the trend nowadays, delay delay and let the news cycle eat up the public’s interest until its all but forgotten about)

Obviously that can’t stop the others involved and no longer working for the Wild from telling their story, but typically NDA’s are involved for folks in the higher up roles who know alot of information about the company…

If the investigations are over with, then GMBG/Leoplod should be able to talk about it or at least put out a bit more detailed public statement….St Paul Mayor could put pressure on the Wild if they want to receiving backing for a public bill to renovate the X…

Just seems so stupid that the Wild PR playbook wouldn’t change (after the Chicago/Perry fiasco) to get some accurate info out asap vs keeping quiet and letting speculation run rampant…

Crazy how “Michigan” goals barely get noticed anymore…

https://x.com/bardown/status/1736515309186523386?s=46&t=uoRWUp28rKzoSODmtmr3Lw

Hynes riding the hot hand and going with GusBus again tonight, kind of a ballzy move not to start Flower in Pittsburgh, but I like him doing what’s best for the team vs catering to what’s best for Flower (personally)…not sure how Flower will feel about it though…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

catering to what’s best for Flower

Why would playing Flower be “what’s best for Flower”? Because he played for Pittsburgh?

Netguy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
catering to what’s best for Flower

Why would playing Flower be “what’s best for Flower”? Because he played for Pittsburgh?

yes, most thought they would give Flower the start in Pittsburgh, his likely last time before he retires… some to give GusBus a break after starting 8 of the last 9 games?, but also as a good will token to a guy only a few wins away from 2nd all time in the NHL in the city he started out in and won multiple cups with…

especially when Hynes said Flower would start the next night in Boston, I’m sure Flower was like why not just start him in Pittsburgh then?

JoeMX1825 wrote:

especially when Hynes said Flower would start the next night in Boston, I’m sure Flower was like why not just start him in Pittsburgh then?

Ya I’d probably start Fleury against the Pens too in this case. Boston is a much more powerful team than the Penguins and the better goalie should be in there against the Bruins.

I personally don’t think Pittsburgh is a playoff team anymore. I’ve watched them play a few times this season (thanks to free center ice package) and age has caught up to them. Other teams in the Metro have passed them with speed and youth now.

My guess is they’re looking at the Boston game as a scheduled loss. Back to back, on the road, with travel, against the best team in the league, who is on 3 days rest, and at home. They’re putting their best goalie in the game they have the best chance to win.

I still think the Penguins make a run in the playoffs this year but they’ve been hovering around fake .500 pretty much all year. Their stars are still stars but the PP and bottom 6/bottom pair have been horrible. Erik Karlsson has actually been playing defense, it’s insane

tswoboda wrote:

Losing respect for Heydt feels like a bit of an overreaction here.

Taking someone off the group chat because of a green bubble is stupid. I dont give a rip when IPhone users I text can “react” to texts and I cant that is just plain childish. The fact that you intentionally kept a team member out of the loop for key plans is just plain unprofessional.

Latest Biz and Whitney Sandbagger with Salane and JR (2 of my favorites) Teemu is so competitive it’s hilarious watching him play with JR who’s just a gambler…How is JR not in the Hall of Fame?

I get it could definitely seem like a big deal, and maybe it is I really don’t know. But I’m just going off whenever it’s brought up in podcasts everyone involved laughs pretty hard at it and it really just comes off like a running joke more than anything. Gus, Heydt, other players, all of them always joking and laughing when it gets brought up… Gus was making more jokes than anyone.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

How is JR not in the Hall of Fame?

Same reason he got fired from NBC… Lotta people don’t like him.

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
How is JR not in the Hall of Fame?

Same reason he got fired from NBC… Lotta people don’t like him.

lol, you can say that for about half the guys that are in it…Bobby Hull was a model citizen…

JR carried USA Hockey for a decade…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

JR carried USA Hockey for a decade…

I don’t think that helps his case… seriously. Committee is 2/3 Canadian.

To be clear I’m not saying he should or shouldn’t be in. Just saying JR is a polarizing guy, and that plays a factor when he’s on the HOF bubble. Bobby Hull was by all means a scumbag but he’s also nowhere near that bubble… and he’s Canadian.

tswoboda wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
JR carried USA Hockey for a decade…

I don’t think that helps his case… seriously. Committee is 2/3 Canadian.

To be clear I’m not saying he should or shouldn’t be in. Just saying JR is a polarizing guy, and that plays a factor when he’s on the HOF bubble. Bobby Hull was by all means a scumbag but he’s also nowhere near that bubble… and he’s Canadian.

You think he’s a bubble HOF player? 500+ goals should be an automatic entry card imo… Keith Tkachuk had more goals, but fewer assists and never played on good teams or win any awards, I think he should be in as well… It was him, JR and Modano that carried USA hockey.

Tell that to Keith Tkachuck…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

You think he’s a bubble HOF player? 500+ goals should be an automatic entry card imo…

Well he’s been in the conversation for 10 years and isn’t in so yeah I’d say it’s pretty dam obvious he’s on the bubble. Again not my opinion.

I also think using arbitrary cutoffs of the major stats is silly, like 501 is somehow vastly better than 498

I really think it’s wild they leave it to an 18 person kangaroo court and the whole process is basically classified

tswoboda wrote:

It was him, JR and Modano that carried USA hockey.

Dead serious I don’t think the Team USA argument helps them one bit, might even get used against them. The committee has 3 Americans and 12 Canadians… you know those Canadians are asking how many OG Gold Medals they won while carrying Team USA

Team looks tired in that 1st period.

Good thing we planned on losing tonights game to save ourselves for tomorrow nights game…oh wait…

Kirill is just broken…

Come on Faber!

Faber is redonkulous!

So apparently can’t post pics from phone Russo dropped a little Heydt news in one of his banters in twitter. He is definitely not with the team anymore.

Elliot Friedman did a story about it and contradicted Russo on a few issues mostly around GMBG being given time away from the team and needing to attend counseling classes vs being back in the offices and working as normal…

Like others he said there still alot more to the story still to be told…

Well alright, now we got a brand new game at 3-3.

Horrible officiating