MN Wild 2017-18 Official Thread

This NHL Network guy is an idiot, never heard of him before…

The Wild’s cap situation next year will be interesting as well with Koivu, Zucker and Dumba all expecting big raises…My guess is they’re hoping that Ennis has a big year and they can deal him at the deadline for picks, then use his cap space to try and help resign these guys…

I’m not sure what to think about a Koivu contract. I have to think he shouldn’t be expecting a huge raise since he is on the tail end of his career. If he wants a big one, I vote to let him walk.

I’m guessing he asks for $7 million+ a season, looking for a 3 year deal. The problem is he’ll get it somewhere…I’m fine with letting him go if he won’t take a good discount, hopefully Kunin and/or Erickson Ek can fill the 2nd & 3rd line center gaps…Staal continues to center the 1st line…

After this year we free up the Vanek buyout, plus we are already out from the Pominville contract and do not have to worry about signing Scandella in the near future so, I think we will be OK. I wish we had been able to pull off something to keep Hanzal here. Even though many didn’t think he did much in his time here, I think he did and would be an excellent 3rd/4th line center for us.

mplspug wrote:

True, a Dallas renaissance kind of throws a monkey wrench into the playoff picture, but the Wild had an excellent year last year in just about every category. Losing Scandella and Haula should be fairly easy to overcome, especially if Ek has a stellar rookie year.

Deja vu all over again. Keep in mind, a lot of these same pundits were having a major man crush on Dallas LAST season too. After 2014-15’s season, Dallas was just supposed to keep on climbing where the Wild were supposed to be in steep decline and missing the playoffs.

Dallas is the new Colorado. Lots of talented headcases pulling in different directions.

My prediction is Dallas continues to struggle this year when it comes to finding consistency on both sides of the puck. Frustration will build and the result will be underperforming all year.

Grouse

They have Hitchcock back behind the bench. It will be interesting to see what system he implements with that team. Typically he isn’t a high scoring type guy. They certainly have the scorers.

Just getting Bishop is huge. If he stays healthy they will be in the hunt for the division with the players they added.

Defense will still be their Achilles, so they probably don’t go far in the playoffs unless Bishop carries them.

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mplspug wrote:

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Sounds like they stole our “takes”.

That should be a good insurance maker…the guy can still play

Maybe I’m not that old, I still remember as a high schooler watching him as a Husky! Glad to see him finishing out with the Wild and 3 straight cups!

BigWerm wrote:

Maybe I’m not that old, I still remember as a high schooler watching him as a Husky! Glad to see him finishing out with the Wild and 3 straight cups!

I was a freshman at SCSU with Cullen and Parrish, had 5-6 classes with at least one of those guys + other hockey players that year. Those Huskies team were fun to watch, especially when the Gophers started going south at the same time.

Cullen is exactly what the Wild need to round out their line-up, shifts Coyle to the wing and gives them extra PK and face off options. IMO Fletcher is really doing a nice job with this roster, should be a contender again next year.

Watching him sad thing I was playing against him and i really feel old and he is still a legit NHLer. Loved watching him in the playoffs this year he was playing great.

I don’t mind the signing at all, but I think we should have been focusing on Foligno first since he will command more $$$$.

He’ll never replace Hanzel!!!!!

We pretty much knew it was coming, it was all up to him. He’s a pretty good signing at $1M. He can replace Haula on the PK. He is another great face off center. Keeps Coyle and Granlund from playing center.

NOW SIGN FOLIGNO! I am getting a little unnerved that they haven’t signed him.

mplspug wrote:

NOW SIGN FOLIGNO! I am getting a little unnerved that they haven’t signed him.

I know right!!! Based on what I am seeing the Wild do not even have money to pay him what he made LAST year, let alone give him any sort of raise that I am sure he is after.
Perhaps they sign a multi-year deal (3) with the first year 1.5MM, 2MM, then 2.5MM or something. That would be an annual cap hit of 2MM if I understand how they calculate it right. They only have 2.1MM in cap space right now. Ugh.

Hoyt4 wrote:

Watching him sad thing I was playing against him and i really feel old and he is still a legit NHLer. Loved watching him in the playoffs this year he was playing great.

It sucks watching guys you played against now in the NHL. Now at 36 I get to watch these same guys at the end of their careers retiring. And with full bank accounts to top it off. going through the Da Beauty League rosters and seeing Matt Hendricks name. Pretty sure we were on the same summer league team together in Cottage Grove in junior high.
DT

I don’t think they sign Cullen if something wasn’t imminent with Foligno. I’ll go out on a limb and say Stewart gets traded and then we sign him or we trade the rights to Foligno.

Jeebus, where would we be had we not traded Scandella and Poms?

Wildfisher wrote:

Per Russo, The Wild have singed Matt Cullen to a 1 year deal.

That’s the best news I have heard in years!!!!!! He is such a scrapper and a great hockey mind

Cullen will be a great leadership presence and even in his closing years in the NHL I’d say Cullen more than fills the gap left by Haula’s departure. Yes, it’s probably a 1 year upgrade, but an upgrade none the less.

mplspug wrote:

Jeebus, where would we be had we not traded Scandella and Poms?

You’re not kidding! Shipping Poms off in a package with Scandella represents Fletcher’s masterpiece. It also explains why our “surplus” of D men took so long to produce a trade. I strongly suspect Fletcher has been shopping Poms as part of a package to teams looking for a D man and it took this long to find the team willing to go for it.

In today’s “What the ….” NHL news, the Oilers signed Draisaitl to an 8 year $68 million deal with an $8.5M annual cap hit. Wow.

Grouse

These contracts are getting out of hand. If only to be the guy on a line with Connor McDavid. Heck, he could probably get Dany Heatley back in the league and a 7M deal.

The Wild has 2.1 million in cap space left after Cullen was signed. My guess is that Stewart gets traded for a draft pick(s) freeing up his salary and they make the 1st year of Foligno’s deal a lower cap hit as they’ll need some wiggle room $$ left over for the season…

Some of these new contracts make the Parise and Suter contracts look alot better as they were established stars when signed… Draisatl had what 1 good year and he got 8.5 million per season for the next 8 years!?! yikes!

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Some of these new contracts make the Parise and Suter contracts look alot better…

Nobody that knows anything about hockey beyond the casual fan level thinks the Parise/Suter contracts are oversized. First, the casual fan knows nothing about defense or how to value it. The only thing the casual fan understands about offense is goals. So listening to some Wild fans go on about how overpaid Suter/Parise gets tiring.

Yes, they were long deals, but they were market rate at the time and that completely justified their salary level. If Suter were a free agent now, he’d probably get a raise if anything.

Grouse

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
Some of these new contracts make the Parise and Suter contracts look alot better…

Nobody that knows anything about hockey beyond the casual fan level thinks the Parise/Suter contracts are oversized. First, the casual fan knows nothing about defense or how to value it. The only thing the casual fan understands about offense is goals. So listening to some Wild fans go on about how overpaid Suter/Parise gets tiring.

Yes, they were long deals, but they were market rate at the time and that completely justified their salary level. If Suter were a free agent now, he’d probably get a raise if anything.

Grouse

Just for fun I went to MN Wild’s Cap Friendly page and “bought out” Parise. Kinda funny running the numbers, but I certainly wouldn’t want to be paying him into 2032 lol

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

Yes, they were long deals, but they were market rate at the time and that completely justified their salary level. If Suter were a free agent now, he’d probably get a raise if anything.

.

Should a team be so lucky for top end players to choose their team, there’s no reason to complain unless you can’t comprehend the big picture. I don’t get it either.

biggill wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
Yes, they were long deals, but they were market rate at the time and that completely justified their salary level. If Suter were a free agent now, he’d probably get a raise if anything.

Should a team be so lucky for top end players to choose their team, there’s no reason to complain unless you can’t comprehend the big picture. I don’t get it either.

It really is mind blowing, but there are the rubes out there and with social media armchair GMs come out of the woodwork.
I wish Parise had been healthier to this point, but I cannot complain at all about Suter’s production. He doesn’t get enough credit in my mind.

CaptainMusky wrote:

but I cannot complain at all about Suter’s production. He doesn’t get enough credit in my mind.

Couldn’t agree more.

Russo is leaving for anew opportunity. Kind of a bummer, I hope whoever replaces him is just as good.

Just saw that on Twitter. He was the best in the biz I say. The way he phrased it on Twitter made me think he will be working for the Wild.
DT