MN Wild 2017-18 Official Thread

I would like to chime in on the whole Suter thing. I probably would not post this anywhere but here, but I feel like we have a small enough group that view this form that it is probably okay. I also want to make it clear that I am not trying to toot my own horn or anything of the sort, I just think that this information is interesting and I think you guys will think so as well.

I have two connections to the NHL, a former coach who now coaches for a team with a coach that coached Suter and Parise for the Wild, and a former NHL coach that won a Stanley Cup within the last 5 years that comes into the fly shop that I work for. We usually end up talking hockey for at least an hour every time he comes in, which is pretty sweet! Anyways, all I have heard from both of these people is that both Suter and Parise have attitude problems, and they have even gone as far as to say that Suter is a cancer in the locker room. Both coaches have told me that the former Wild coach who now coaches with my former coach was fired because he asked Suter if he would play fewer minutes. Both Suter and Parise went over his head to the GM and asked that that coach be let go. I may not have believed it as I am not a Suter hater and to me it seems like Parise has a great attitude, but this has come from both sources. I want to preface this by saying that I think Suter is one of the best defenceman in the NHL, but according to these sources he is known around the league as “second-gear Suter” because he plays so many minutes and is never trying his hardest. I do agree with the people who said that he is an effortless skater, but it is hard to ignore two NHL coaches saying these things. I have always felt that he would be more effective if he played fewer minutes, and this was replicated by the two sources.

As others have mentioned, there has been something weird going on in the locker room, and many, including these two coaches, believe that it has to do with Suter and possibly Parise being cancers in the locker room. To me, this really sucks because I was extremely excited when we signed them, and they did not seem to have holier than thou attitudes like some athletes do. I’d love to know what people think of this as I found it very interesting.

mplspug wrote:

So we are going to make the playoffs then!

We may very well but it would be just like last yr…one and done. Fletcher needs to be fired….he has done nothing for this franchise…8yrs into his tenure and we are no closer to a Cup run….his teams are not built for the rough and tumble NHL Playoffs IMO. Personally I would like them to blow this thing up as much as possible, take the pressure off for a few yrs, rebuild and give it a go…like Mapleleafs have done.

Slabhunter wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mplspug wrote:</div>
So we are going to make the playoffs then!

We may very well but it would be just like last yr…one and done. Fletcher needs to be fired….he has done nothing for this franchise…8yrs into his tenure and we are no closer to a Cup run….his teams are not built for the rough and tumble NHL Playoffs IMO. Personally I would like them to blow this thing up as much as possible, take the pressure off for a few yrs, rebuild and give it a go…like Mapleleafs have done.

The only thing holding me back from going full “Fire Fletcher” is that he inherited such a mess left by Risebrough… so maybe he deserves a shred of extra time…if they don’t make it to at least round 2 of the playoffs, then his time should be up…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

The only thing holding me back from going full “Fire Fletcher” is that he inherited such a mess left by Risebrough… so maybe he deserves a shred of extra time…if they don’t make it to at least round 2 of the playoffs, then his time should be up…

But 8 yrs later….4 coaches & a plethora of players/moves throughout those 8 yrs, etc? IMO the time has come.

Suter being a cancer in the locker room is definitely not a new rumor. His attitude and body language on and off the ice gives plenty of suspicion. And after thinking about it, To me Parise doesn’t seem to come off as over the top stand out leader.

I too have a professional sports coach connection that I hear the same type of talk from. He talks about what guys are really like off tv and it seems every team in every sport has this very situation. EVERY ONE.

I personally don’t hold it against these guys either. You put me in that situation where everyone knows my salary and has sky high expectations, you’ll get situations where to come off as a jerk. And now that’s how you’ll always be remembered.

That story doesn’t shock me in the least. And the story about going over the coaches head to get him fired you really have to take it with a grain of salt and try and see the other side.

Too often people look from the perspective that they’re familiar with and fail to even consider the other side.

This make Suter sound like he is completely unlikable and is the reason for their failures.

@adamaikens – I had no intent in discrediting you I just feel that what those coaches said can’t be taken 100% at face value. Believe me, I know it’s hard not to. I’m mean, how can you possibly argue with them? The other thing is that even if it is 100% true, there is no chance it could ever be proven.

I’m not saying Fletch is a genius, but he inherited a terrible team and now they have made the playoffs 5 years in a row in the toughest division in the NHL.

I’m not sure which call to action I find more hilarious… Getting rid of Parise/Suter or “blowing up the team” and rebuilding right now.

Do people really not understand the Wild can’t move Parise or Suter? It can’t happen so get over it and stop talking about it like it’s an option. The Wild are on the hook for $15 mil/year for the next 7 years. The only way that changes is if something happens with the 2020 CBA [IE: lockout].

Why are people so quick to “blow up a team” that has made the playoffs 5 years in a row and most likely will again this year. Not to mention the core of their team are all entering their prime. Do people really envy the Sabres, Coyotes, and Oilers fans that much?

I can see Parise being a dick off camera. On camera he has that kind of aw shucks personality. I think he’s a Eddie Haskell, not joking.

I think a rap on Suter can be also that he seems to not care. You remember those interviews on the past where they are full on slump and he doesn’t seem angry or anything.

What ya drinking tonight?

@mwodziak

I think you make some really good points. Definitely can’t be proven, and I meant to say something about taking it with a grain of salt, but I got off track haha. I definitely understand the money thing, but it still sucks. The guy that comes into the fly shop was a head coach for the Pens when they won the cup a few years back, and it was pretty interesting to ask him about Crosby because it’s a completely reverse situation. Lots of people don’t like the guy and call him a whiner, but he said that he is absolutely not a whiner and a great guy in the locker room. It’s hard for me to get over Suter potentially being on his high horse when the best player in the league is not even like that, ya know?

The only people who don’t think Crosby is a whiner are pens coaches, players and fans. The rest of us see heim whine.

biggill wrote:

What ya drinking tonight?

Me? 2 beers. I’m done. The wife’s birthday was yesterday. I think we needed a break from booze.

She had today off. It was a long day at work for me.

Rebuilding would absolutely SUCK! I don’t want to if at all possible!

RS coasts through games, and it’s not because he’s such an elegant, great skater. If he was as good as guy’s think with his hockey sense, we wouldn’t be one and done in the playoffs. Players don’t get better around him like great players demand. Wish he was an A hole prick and played like one vs an effortless skater who had a laundry list of intangibles and wasn’t such a deaf, dead fish. No one denies he’s got talent, but so did Adrian Peterson. Nether ZP or RS has proven it on the ice when it counted. Yeah, we get to the playoffs, but if it’s one and done most of the time, the clock is ticking on the next seven year’s. Seven more years of this mentally challenged locker room, then what, another decade of rebuilding?

YUCK!

Coaches have been fired.

Piece players have been moved.

The GM is probably next.

Then what four years from now with immovable contracts, build a new rink cause we are stuck with these guys because that’s the way it is? Bull shirt!

Nobody is clambering to play with RS or ZP cause they are such great players and destined for greatness.

Hope they get it going and keep it going, but I just don’t see it happening unless two or three younger player’s really catch fire, which is always possible. So keep hope alive.

Terrific effort against Vegas last night and even though the NBC announcers attributed it (over and over and over again) mainly to Vegas coming off a tough game against the Jets the night before, I guess they think that the Knights are the only team that has to play back to backs.

What won the game for the Wild wasn’t that Vegas was too tired to play, it was smothering defense that limited opportunities and then the Wild were using a great forecheck and puck control to keep Vegas pinned in their end for minutes at a time. Almost all of Vegas’ quality chances came on the power play when they finally got to play offense for an extended period of time.

OK, now before Sticker says it, yes, Coyle scored again. Awesome. This is my frustration with Coyle, he has everything that indicates he should be scoring except that he goes game after game without actually scoring. Last night’s Charlie Coyle is the Coyle I want. Aggressively looking to shoot the puck rather than two strides and a poor pass. Did the coaches get a fire lit in Coyle that’s going to last? I hope so.

Staal! What else can you say about Staal? Probably Fletcher’s second greatest accomplishment for this team after signing Doob.

Time to chain down everything that can be stolen, we’ve gotta go to Dallas and play the Texass Team Thieves. Basically, this IS a playoff game tonight.

mplspug wrote:

The only people who don’t think Crosby is a whiner are pens coaches, players and fans. The rest of us see heim whine.

IMO the people that call Crosby a whiner the most are fans of Eastern conference teams who are tired of Crosby & Co whipping their @sses with his superior skill and better team year after year after year. So they whine and call Crosby a whiner.

There are a LOT of Caps fans that call Crosby a whiner for some reason.

Coincidentally, the Pens hammered the crap out of the Caps last night 7 to 4.

Grouse

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Staal! What else can you say about Staal? Probably Fletcher’s second greatest accomplishment for this team after signing Doob.

Where does the Clutterbuck/Nino trade rank?

Wife and kid went to the game last night. Kid is a hockey nut. He still thinks they can play better LMBO. Truly hope Coyle ignites. If him and a couple other odd ball guy’s get going, nobody, myself included, will care about what second gear suter does, as long as the effort is there.

tswoboda wrote:

Why are people so quick to “blow up a team” that has made the playoffs 5 years in a row and most likely will again this year. Not to mention the core of their team are all entering their prime. Do people really envy the Sabres, Coyotes, and Oilers fans that much?

LOL…half the teams make the playoffs in the NHL so that is not hard to do…making it to the Conf finals or Cup finals sure would be nice. Consider the list of franchises that have won…you’ve got the “stalwarts” then these ones…Colorado, NYJ, NYI, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Anaheim, LA Kings…not too mention San Jose & Nashville have been in the cup Finals the last 2 yrs. Chicago has won 6, 3 within the last 8 yrs and eventhough Chicago is a mess this year I bet they win their 7th Cup before the Wild wins their 1st. If it is broke you have to fix it or you just live with mediocrity…MN deserves better.

biggill wrote:

Where does the Clutterbuck/Nino trade rank?

Well, as Mrs. Grouse says, I’m nothing if not cheap and more to the point, a GM must, must, must be able to spot undervalued talent. We gave up nothing to get Staal, and I believe Dubnyk cost us a 3rd round draft pick.

Clutterbuck for Nino. Good trade, but I don’t think it was an obviously lopsided trade in our favor back when it was made. We probably got the better end in terms of goal production, but that wasn’t necessarily a slam dunk going in.

I’m not saying Fletcher is a hockey genius of the first order. He’s had some stinkers too. Granted, after the disastrous Reisboro era, Giggles the Clown would look like an improvement as a GM. I’m not wanting him out the door like I wanted Yeo gone 2 years before they actually fired him, but I wouldn’t’ be torn up if he got the gate.

Grouse

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

I’m not wanting him out the door like I wanted Yeo gone 2 years before they actually fired him, but I wouldn’t’ be torn up if he got the gate.

Same here. I personally think he’s done pretty good except we were essentially without draft picks for a couple years with nothing in return. Leddy was also a big mistake but I think many more good “guesses” than bad.

If anyone has ever done any hiring they would know how much of a crap shoot it really is when you’re dealing with people.

@slabhunter

The problem with this argument is that the NHL is probably the tightest among the professional sports leagues, and everybody obviously wants to win. There can only be one winner, and in a league where pretty much any team can be good on any given night, it is tough to be that one champion. I think it is borderline ridiculous for hockey fans to expect their team to win the Stanley Cup. As a Wild fan, I would obviously love to see them win a cup, but I don’t think it is something that you can expect. The “I don’t care what has to happen, we just need to be better” mindset doesn’t hold a ton of weight in my opinion, because we could tank and get a high 1st round draft pick and that guy could not turn out, or we could make trades that don’t work out, we could fire our GM and end up with someone worse, etc. Obviously sometimes changes need to be made, but I think it is okay to be a little patient, especially since we have a solid coach and what really should be a great hockey team. I understand the frustration of watching our team and thinking, “man, we really should be better”, but you never know what will happen. Maybe we figure it out and have a really good second half, or maybe it takes until next year, but I think the bottom line is that when you are a fan you have to take the good with the bad. I’m sure I will take some flak for this, but I would personally rather enjoy watching the best sport on earth and if my team wins that is obviously a major bonus, but it just doesn’t seem worth the stress to always be angry that we are not better.

biggill wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>

If anyone has ever done any hiring they would know how much of a crap shoot it really is when you’re dealing with people.

This is spot on.

Mn fans.

I won’t be surprised if the wild finish in one of the 3 divisional spots. I think they are healthy now and they are going to be much better headed into the playoffs. See you in June. Go Bolts!

Oops! Did I do that?

Yeah Pug, that post didnt age well. Have to figure out these road issues.

This has worked in the past.

The wild suck. Good luck making the playoffs. There is something wrong with this team and I think it is no heart. Hello losing streak.

Chuck Fletcher inherited a mess, improved it a bit, never made a good draft year, made 3 good moves and countless bad ones.
The only good moves were Staal, dubnyck and nederiter.
On his best draft pick granlund he missed out on teresenko.

That last one kind of says it all.

Tom schmitt wrote:

On his best draft pick granlund he missed out on teresenko.

I’m honestly asking this question:

Do the Wild as an organization seem to have a blind spot when it comes to Russian players? Why or why not?

What is the average number of Russian players on an NHL team these days? And what about the minors?

I’ve wondered before if for some reason Russian players were not being as aggressively scouted by the Wild compared to other organizations?

Grouse

There may be something to that. I’m sure koivu wanted granlund picked and the Capt always gets what he wants

What are the odds that Vegas wins a cup before the wild?

Don’t know about that but it will be interesting to see how they deal with all the contracts that will expire after this year.

Is the sound f’d for everyone else on NBC?

biggill wrote:

Is the sound f’d for everyone else on NBC?

Nope