2024/2025 NHL/WILD Offseason-Season-Postseason Thread

Curious why you guys think playing the Jets or Vegas would be so much better?

Those teams would physically dominate us in the playoffs…The only thing that scares me about Dallas is their Powerplay against our PK crew (take away their comical number of PP goals and we’ve outplayed them the past few years) and we have more control over that (just don’t take stupid penalties) vs surviving brutal forechecks and physical play for a 7 game series…no chance Spurgeon and/or Brodin survive a Jets/Vegas 1st round matchup…

I think Colorado loses 1st round no matter who they play, can’t rely on just 1 line in the playoffs and that’s all they have…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Curious why you guys think playing the Jets or Vegas would be better?

I think Dallas is a better hockey team than Vegas or Winnipeg

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I think Colorado loses 1st round no matter who they play, can’t rely on just 1 line in the playoffs and that’s all they have…

Didn’t Colorado absolutely cook the Jets in R1 last year with virtually the same rosters for both teams ??

LOL I already forgot about Rantanen. But pretty sure they didn’t have Nichushkin. So Nichushkin + Necas = Rantanen (maybe kinda??)

tswoboda wrote:

Didn’t Colorado absolutely cook the Jets in R1 last year with virtually the same rosters for both teams ??

Nichuskin (he “left” game 4 of the 2nd round) and Rantanen dominated that series, I just don’t see Hellybuck falling apart again like he did that series…

I don’t think there is an easy matchup obviously, but the Jets don’t exactly have a great playoff history lately.

Let’s say the wild do get healthy and all forwards are healthy. I still have doubts this is even possible for this team, but who is the odd man out sitting in the press box. I think body size and what they paid they would like to keep Trenin on the ice to see if he can find a spark to his game.
Does Nyquist take JoJo spot on the second line? And you roll out a true checking line as your third line like Hartman Trenin Foligno then Freddy Lauko Hinostroza. Obviously there can be some intermixing there. Does JoJo stay and Nyquist tries to get some scoring going on the third line?

Again not sure we will ever see a full healthy forward group.

Don’t see Hinostroza in the lineup if they’re fully healthy. Agree Nyquist takes Jojo’s spot and not sure where he fits after that. I’d also be surprised to see Mojo consistently scratched, staff seems to love him or at least love playing him. I like the Foligno/Trenin + Freddy or Hartman 3rd line against good teams.

97-23-36
12-14-Nyquist
17-89-13
38 with some combo of 94/90/22

And yeah that’s a big emphasis on *if* healthy because that feels almost impossible this year. Still on track to get there for the playoffs though.

I think these next 15+ games are Nyquist’s audition for taking Jojo’s spot in the top6…

Here’s my guess for Playoff game 1 lineup:

Kaprizov – Rossi – Zuccy
Boldy – Ek – Nyquist
Trenin – Hartman – Foligno (You need a beef line in the Playoffs)
Gaudreau – Khusnutdinov – Lauko (Hinostroza will swap in on the 4th line, possibly game 1)

Nothing about Jojo’s game makes him valuable in the playoffs other than if you’re on the verge of elimination and you put him in the lineup as a desperate attempt he somehow catches fire offensively for a game or two…

Maybe Khusnutdinov can find his game down in Iowa a bit but outside of skating fast he really does nothing on the ice. His offensive metrics are some of the worst in the entire league for a full time player. His Corsi is terrible. His possession metrics are bad. Not a stout faceoff guy. Wasn’t great on PK. (Like everyone else) I get he is young and has potential. Frankly though he has not been a good player this year. Even as a 4th line role player.
I think some guys get blinded by the fact he skates hard.

yeah, I forgot to add that Marat is out if Hinostroza gets in the lineup on the 4th line, Freddy moves to center…I think Hynes really likes Hinotroza and will make sure he gets in the lineup…reminder he’s signed for next season as well…

Marat’s speed and tenacity are what could keep him in the lineup as a penalty killer (pretty sure you could say ALL Wild PKers have been terrible)

Yes, his season has been all over the place, he’s invisible for 10 games, then looks like one of the Wild’s best players for 1-2 games, I think alot of that has been the constant revolving door of AHL role players he’s been paired up with…but so goes the life as an NHL 4th liner…

I don’t think he has a Wild future beyond a 4th liner (maybe that’s his ceiling and the Wild are ok with that?) He’ll sign a cheap 2 year bridge deal this offseason and they’ll give him a longer runway to prove he’s a full time NHLer…The more likely scenario is he will be a piece in any offseason trade offers the Wild make…

Mathew Tkachuk ruled out for the rest of the regular season. shocking

Ripjiggen wrote:

Mathew Tkachuk ruled out for the rest of the regular season. shocking

They will totally play the Tampa/Vegas LTIR card and load up for the playoffs this week…They are 13 points up on the last Wildcard spot and have been playing lights out recently…

Tkachuk will be back game 1 of the playoffs…

Smart move

tswoboda wrote:

Smart move

Agree.

I wonder if GMBG is just waiting until Thursday’s games are over with to see where the Wild sit in regards to the playoffs before announcing if Ek & Kirill will be back for the regular season? We could be up 11 points with 20 games to go….

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I wonder if GMBG is just waiting until Thursday’s games are over with to see where the Wild sit in regards to the playoffs before announcing if Ek & Kirill will be back for the regular season?

Why come out and say they will be back in the regular season then. Sure seams like another reason to question the medical staff. Why not just keep saying we don’t have a time table at this time instead of saying they will definitely be back before the end of the season.
Frankly though I don’t think they have picks to make any major move at this point and getting Nyquist was the nice way of saying keep playing hard boys. I think they wait till next season to spend and not give up assets.

Would a 9 point lead vs a 7 make that big of difference?

He did say yesterday they’re planning for them all to be back in the regular season and any more trades are penny in penny out. Literally pennies… he said Khusnutdinov was sent down to accrue cap space for Nyquist and also have Ek and Kaprizov back. Demotion was strictly money reasons

Then also proceeded to say “I don’t know” like a dozen times lol

Which I don’t see what pennies could be going out.

I think the I don’t know part was when Russo and others were pressing a tighter time window for the three that are out.

Ripjiggen wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
I wonder if GMBG is just waiting until Thursday’s games are over with to see where the Wild sit in regards to the playoffs before announcing if Ek & Kirill will be back for the regular season?

Why come out and say they will be then. Sure seams like another reason to question the medical staff. Why not just keep saying we don’t have a time table at this time instead of saying they will definitely be back before the end of the season.
Frankly though I don’t think they have picks to make any major move at this point and getting Nyquist was the nice way of saying keep playing hard boys. I think they wait till next season to spend and not give up assets.

his decision on adding player(s) or not on Friday will ultimately be his announcement (he either spends their LTIR capspace or he doesn’t)

They have the prospects to get a deal done, I agree on the lack of picks, but the 2026 draft class is super weak, I think teams would rather have farther along prospects vs higher risk of drafting a bust in 2026…

It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he made a significant trade before the deadline and then came out Friday evening and said either Kirill or Ek had a rehab setback and will be out the rest of the season…

I think the rest of the league is finally saying “F it, we’ll play the LTIR games too if injury recoveries can line up around the playoffs”

Yeah I’m not going to hold my breath for that.

tswoboda wrote:

He did say yesterday they’re planning for them all to be back in the regular season and any more trades are penny in penny out. Literally pennies… he said Khusnutdinov was sent down to accrue cap space for Nyquist and also have Ek and Kaprizov back

That’s why he was willing to pay the high 2nd round pick asking price for the 50% retention, it allowed him to get a deal done with the limited capspace he had (and would accrue) in the event Kirill and Ek came back before the season was over with and LTIR wasn’t an option…

Ripjiggen wrote:

I don’t think there is an easy matchup obviously, but the Jets don’t exactly have a great playoff history lately.

Playing the Jets would purely be because of this. I agree, we dont really match up well with any of those teams above us.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he made a significant trade before the deadline and then came out Friday evening and said either Kirill or Ek had a rehab setback and will be out the rest of the season

it also wouldn’t surprise me if he makes no other moves and gives the PR answer of “Getting a healthy Kirill/Ek back and adding Buium” will be our deadline deals…

One thing is for sure in my eyes. If BG pulls the LTIR game, it better pay off and we better not miss the playoffs before we could even reap the rewards of it AND that player must be something at this point we would keep around for a while. At first I was thinking rental would be fine, but that has now changed.

CaptainMusky wrote:

One thing is for sure in my eyes. If BG pulls the LTIR game, it better pay off and we better not miss the playoffs before we could even reap the rewards of it AND that player must be something at this point we would keep around for a while. At first I was thinking rental would be fine, but that has now changed.

They already have their rental in Nyquist, that’s a 2nd round pick gone the moment we get eliminated…any additional player of value added would most likely be in their plans for re-signing them in the offseason…If Ek is truly out for the regular season, then as much as I wouldn’t like it, Brock Nelson makes the most sense to sign…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

They already have their rental in Nyquist, that’s a 2nd round pick gone the moment we get eliminated…

Which is why I said my tune about a rental changed.