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

His development has been pretty solid upto this crazy season…The kid has had 2 normal seasons since getting drafted, he was a 19 year old AHL allstar in 2022-23 with 6 goals and 32 assists in 55 AHL games, then in the 2023-24 season he mostly split between AHL/NHL and had 8 goals and 21 assists in 72 games (43 NHL/29 AHL) and then added 3 goals and 8 assists in 14 AHL playoff games. Then the Management team that drafted him was fired/gutted in Feb 2024 and the new regime wanted to go in a different direction so there was drama that offseason/training camp and they ultimately traded him to us and he spent this season ping ponging between the AHL/NHL for Columbus and Wild organizations…

like I said, the kid needs a normal offseason to reset knowing he’s in a place that wants him. By all accounts, he’s really happy here sofar… The latest becoming Wild focused on Iowa Wild and showed some of this with his fellow Czech teammates…

This was also a trade for 1-2 seasons down the road when Spurgeon needs to be replaced…yes Billy took a risk, but he felt it was worth it knowing where the Wild would likely draft the next X amount of years if his plan works out and there would be no chance to draft an offensive RH shot Defenseman with size in that pick range…

And you have confidence in the wild to develop him for 1-2 years down the road. At this point I do not. It’s not as if their track record is real great in this department. They have literally developed 1 player in BG’s time and he is always on the trading block.
Watching more games than playing at 21 isn’t exactly the best way to develop.
I understand there was circumstances at play.

basseyes wrote:

Classy by Ovi getting the whole team on the ice for Fleury. That was wicked cool.

I was there! Absolute goosebumps when Ovi brought everyone out to honor Fleury.

Perreault, Hagens and Leonard are must see tv for BC

This game has been good, Bentley goalie has kicked the net off the pipes a few times already… BC dominating in a 1-1 tie game…

Lol, Roaming TV guy interviews the ice crew guy about the net pipe issues…

What’s your over/under guess for number of times Buccigross says “Buium’s Dancing” in their game?

I say 10 times

Buium looking good against Providence tonight. Looks like a rematch with the top ranked Eagles in on tap for Sunday.

Crazy to see a defenseman dominate an NCAA game like that…

Ooof brutal game by Spurgeon and Brodin tonight… Rossi and a bunch of forwards looked absolutely lost as well…

1-3 in their last 4 games and only a six point cushion from falling out of the playoffs?

Rossi and Boldy are just invisible lately. Gus was way off his game. The defense as a whole was brutal. The amount of bad pinches looked like a coaching decision because the forwards aren’t getting anything much done offensively. And so many odd man rushes.

Gus needs to be perfect for this team to win right now. Dude needs a break

LETS GO BLUES!!! 9 in a row baby!

Side note: 19,265 in attendance tonight, largest crowd of the season.

Zeev Buium plays tonight vs Boston College and Danila Yurov’s KHL team is down 3-0 in their 1st round playoff series with game 4 on Tuesday…

Curious to see what GMBG does IF both lose? Yurov would obviously need agreement by his KHL team to terminate the last few months of his contract early (like Marat did last year) and then go through the work visa hoops… likely cap gymnastics as well to try and fit them both in if possible…

Kap and Ek practicing with the full team today, another good step towards coming back…

This team sure has a knack of dragging the end of the season along. Sure would be nice to finally see someone anyone step up their game when adversity hits. Just never seems to happen with this group. Guys are just spent. KK Ek Zeev Yurov are not going to be able to save this tired worn out team.

tswoboda wrote:

Gus needs to be perfect for this team to win right now. Dude needs a break

I agree. For a large majority of this season, the improved goaltending is what has kept them in the hunt for a playoff spot compared to last season.

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tswoboda wrote:</div>
Gus needs to be perfect for this team to win right now. Dude needs a break

I agree. For a large majority of this season, the improved goaltending is what has kept them in the hunt for a playoff spot compared to last season.

Agree with both statements 100%. This team isn’t in the playoff picture without Gus at all even kind of.

This Denver vs BC game is ridiculously physical! Buium took a knee on knee hit and was limping for awhile but looks better now…

Denver has to be the best 9th seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

gim wrote:

Denver has to be the best 9th seed in the history of the NCAA Tournament.

Their goalie has found his elite game again that he showed last year, and their studs (Buium, Devine, Thompson) are producing…

I thought BC had their number this game, sofar after 22 minutes they are getting completely outplayed… lots of game left though…. BC’s top line needs to wake up, they’ve been invisible…

Oh man this should be an epic 3rd period after the way the 2nd ended…

Damn, gotta wait 2 more weeks for Zeev… well worth it… BC put a big target on his back and he got the last laugh again… I thought this was BC’s year… nope…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Odds are Zeev Buium’s college career come to an end this Saturday (Denver plays Providence in round 1 then #1 Boston College on Saturday….

gim wrote:

Let’s not put the cart ahead of the horse here.

BC has to win their first game.

Denver is about as dangerous of a 9 seed as I’ve ever seen. Defending national champions too. I could easily see them coming out of that regional and making the frozen four again.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

I got BC winning it all against BU, they both are absolutely loaded…

gim wrote:

You have a short memory. That is nearly exactly what everyone said last year too.

Then the Pioneers came along…

I rest my case, Joe.

After the MN teams were out I’m all in on Denver! They are tough. The bigger and/or older schools so often beat the younger skill/talent based teams which is why I have a hard time ever picking the gophers and Boston schools.

Western Mich would be cool to see all the way though too.

Denver v WM is going to be a game

Congrats on picking the defending champ I guess? BC has more talent, but that talent didn’t show up for most of the game, Denver got their lead and successfully sat on it for the 3rd, it was a fun game to watch. BC had the gameplan of bullying Denver physically, especially Buium, obviously that didn’t work… glad Zeev appeared to get out of the game without any injuries, he took some serious shots!

Denver vs BU would be quite the title game!

JoeMX1825 wrote:

BC has more talent, but that talent didn’t show up for most of the game

You can’t win on talent alone, because, well, you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone.

– Herb Brooks

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
BC has more talent, but that talent didn’t show up for most of the game

You can’t win on talent alone, because, well, you don’t have enough talent to win on talent alone.

– Herb Brooks

yeah yeah we’ve seen the movie

I guess we may only see Zeev in a wild sweater possibly one game this year then.

Ripjiggen wrote:

I guess we may only see Zeev in a wild sweater possibly one game this year then.

yep, last regular season game of the year at home vs Ducks on the 15th.
Semifinals are on April 10th, Hobey Baker ceremony is on the 11th, Title game on the 12th, Wild are in Vancouver and Calgary the 11th & 12th…

This was awesome! The quote “keep your head up prick” comes to mind. https://x.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1906494802796879938