I suspect Caufield goes WAY earlier than he’s projected to go…The one thing that always scared me about Hughes is that he gets hit HARD a lot…he’s constantly putting his body is harms way and he doesn’t have the frame to support that kind of abuse…
I’m really hoping Fenton can trade the #12 pick and get a young offensive stud another team can’t afford (Nylander or Kapanen) I’m tired of waiting for iffy prospects to maybe turn into something…picking #12 puts us in that spot again…
I’m really hoping Fenton can trade the #12 pick and get a young offensive stud another team can’t afford (Nylander or Kapanen) I’m tired of waiting for iffy prospects to maybe turn into something…picking #12 puts us in that spot again…
I’m of this thinking as well. Draft picks are a roll of the dice in most cases and at #12 there most likely isn’t going to be a game breaker so if that pick can be parlayed in the form of a prospect the Wild could really jumpstart the rebuild.
Trouble is the Wild will have to make some moves to get down to the mandatory roster level, so it is pretty clear some of the guys aren’t coming back that are RFA or UFA after this season.
2 of them are likely Bitetto and Aberg. I cant see how Fenton would think those experiments paid off at all.
The Iowa Wild barely made the playoffs, but sure came ready to play over the weekend. 7-0 victory. Sending Kunin, Donato and Greenway down is getting them lots more ice time I just hope none of them get injured.
I’m really hoping Fenton can trade the #12 pick and get a young offensive stud another team can’t afford (Nylander or Kapanen) I’m tired of waiting for iffy prospects to maybe turn into something…picking #12 puts us in that spot again…
If it were JUST for the Wild’s R1 pick, then yes. However, I’m concerned Fenton will get rolled over on this deal and Toronto will demand more than just the #12 pic knowing that this is a deal Fenton is desperate to make. So Fenton will end up getting taken to the cleaners where, as you pointed out before, it should be the other way round.
Fenton needs to play hardball on a deal like this and come out ahead. Our #12 OA pick for either Nylander or Kapanen or no deal. Take it or leave it. It’s the Leafs who have to dump salary, so the Wild should not be the ones coming out behind on this deal. Fenton also needs a Plan B so that this is not seen as a deal he NEEDS to make.
After the Grandlund trade where Fenton wore his heart on his sleeve and overpaid by not getting a draft pick and Fiala for Grandlund, I’m afraid Fenton is viewed as a bit of a boy amongst men as far as GMs go. They’ll be looking to take Fenton to the cleaners every chance they get because so far he’s proved to be an easy mark.
Grouse
Lots of Fenton hate already! I think it’s a bit premature for that so I’ll take a wait and see approach. I don’t think he’s done that poorly so far. Lots of speculating on the Wild and Nylander and the two teams haven’t said a word to each other about any kind of a trade as far as I know.
Lots of Fenton hate already! I think it’s a bit premature for that so I’ll take a wait and see approach. I don’t think he’s done that poorly so far. Lots of speculating on the Wild and Nylander and the two teams haven’t said a word to each other about any kind of a trade as far as I know.
Well said, 
After watching the games so far Grandlund has proven that he disappears in the playoffs and Nino is in one of his slumps.
Charlie 13 is playing well for the Bruins but I still think that having Donato is a better fit.
Kudos to Charlie 13 
hope he has a long successful career in Boston maybe even get his name on the cup or at least help the Wild improve their pick.
As far as the wild trading the #12 pick straight up for a top 6 starter,(Pipe Dream)I can’t see that happening.There will be many other teams with better offers for Nylander or Kappenen than a straight up #12 in this draft.
Fenton has done well with this clubs future so far. I don’t see them getting back into being cap strapped and minor league poor again anytime soon.
Well said, 
As far as the wild trading the #12 pick straight up for a top 6 starter,(Pipe Dream)I can’t see that happening.There will be many other teams with better offers for Nylander or Kappenen than a straight up #12 in this draft.
Fenton has done well with this clubs future so far. I don’t see them getting back into being cap strapped and minor league poor again anytime soon.
[/quote] I don’t think it’s a pipe dream, Toronto simply needs to get Nylander’s contracts off their books and not ADD any other salary in return. They will NOT trade him to an East team making them better and also so they don’t have to play him X amount of times a year vs only the 2 times they would play a West team. The team trading for him would need to be able to absorb a $7 million dollar contract without sending any contracts the other way in return. That just leaves a few teams including the Wild and if you’re Toronto, you would prefer to send him to a team you don’t think will be a contender during the Maple Leafs cup run window…
Fenton has to do something in terms of a big acquisition, as you said our minor league cupboard is bare so unless this team and fans are willing to wait 3-5 years for future draft picks to hopefully pan out, he needs to get some scorers quickly…We’ll overpay bigtime for this years mediocre FA class, so a trade for an established player with contract certainty is our best bet…
I don’t think it’s a pipe dream, Toronto simply needs to get Nylander’s contracts off their books and not ADD any other salary in return. They will NOT trade him to an East team making them better and also so they don’t have to play him X amount of times a year vs only the 2 times they would play a West team. The team trading for him would need to be able to absorb a $7 million dollar contract without sending any contracts the other way in return. That just leaves a few teams including the Wild and if you’re Toronto, you would prefer to send him to a team you don’t think will be a contender during the Maple Leafs cup run window…
Exactly. Very few first round picks have any impact coming out of the gate. It typically takes a year or two at the least before they even make the big club and that is if they are a top 15 pick. #12 is an area where you can get a developing player, but its down the road where they will help you. I would absolutely trade that pick for a established player like Nylander or Kapanen (who has to be signed). Regarding talks between the two clubs for a trade to this point, it was discussed in November and December that Fenton and Dubas had indeed been in talks about a potential trade for Nylander before he was signed. It didn’t work out then because the rumor was they were seeking Dumba. Torontos hands are tied now, they cannot afford him AND sign Marner with the other contracts they have. They have to move someone. They aren’t going to give up Marner or let him walk.
They could also do an Offer sheet for Kapanen (but every other team can as well, the Wild wouldn’t have any advantages like they would dealing for Nylander)
If the offer sheet is for $4 million or less the compensation back to Toronto would be a 2nd round pick, Toronto would easily match that, but once the offer goes over $4 million, the compensation is a 1st and 3rd round pick, then things could get interesting.
As far as the wild trading the #12 pick straight up for a top 6 starter,(Pipe Dream)I can’t see that happening.There will be many other teams with better offers for Nylander or Kappenen than a straight up #12 in this draft.
Thank you. Where did this idea get started? Zero percent chance a trade like this goes down… for any team. And what’s with all the love for Kapanen? The kid put up 40 points playing a full season on Mathews’s wing and everyone is ready to label him a future superstar. Nylander sure, but not Kapanen – they’re at much different levels imo.
I agree that Fenton was not good in his first year. Not just the trades, but his overall public appearance. He comes off as extremely arrogant, talks down to the media, hates Mike Russo, wants to get rid of Boudreau, put his inexperienced son in charge of the draft, etc. There’s no doubt he’s driving fans away… it won’t take long before CL says enough of that.
As far as the trades go, win or lose at least do your due diligence. Reports say that the Nino and Granny trades were both basically done on a whim. They both had trade value that was not reflected in the return we got for them.
Granlund, who was the Wild’s most valuable asset besides maybe Spurgeon, was not even shopped around the league. What kind of joke is that… Fenton didn’t even see what he could get for Granny because he had such a crush on Fiala he would give anything for him. I look at the Duchene trade from the Aves to Sens and see what you end up with when you shop around. Granlund isn’t quite at his level but very close and they had almost identical contracts at time of trade. Sakic shopped Duchene for a year before he finally got the return he wanted (1st round pick, top 4 defenceman, 2 depth centers) and I think the Wild should have got similar for Granlund this year.
This year is the most fun I’ve had watching the playoffs since 2014. The games, matchups, and story lines have been unreal. It’s pretty easy to see the current Wild roster is nowhere near that level.
Granlund, who was the Wild’s most valuable asset besides maybe Spurgeon, was not even shopped around the league. What kind of joke is that… Fenton didn’t even see what he could get for Granny because he had such a crush on Fiala he would give anything for him. I look at the Duchene trade from the Aves to Sens and see what you end up with when you shop around. Granlund isn’t quite at his level but very close and they had almost identical contracts at time of trade. Sakic shopped Duchene for a year before he finally got the return he wanted (1st round pick, top 4 defenceman, 2 depth centers) and I think the Wild should have got similar for Granlund this year.
Wait, what?! You first said that Granlund isn’t at Duchene level, then believe Fenton should have gotten similar in return for him in a trade? How does that work?
Kapanen would be an option because he is younger, would sign for a smaller contract. Do I think he is the equivalent of a Nylander right now? No, but you would save money signing him to get other pieces.
I agree that Fenton was not good in his first year. Not just the trades, but his overall public appearance. He comes off as extremely arrogant, talks down to the media, hates Mike Russo, wants to get rid of Boudreau, put his inexperienced son in charge of the draft, etc. There’s no doubt he’s driving fans away… it won’t take long before CL says enough of that.
As far as the trades go, win or lose at least do your due diligence. Reports say that the Nino and Granny trades were both basically done on a whim. They both had trade value that was not reflected in the return we got for them.
Granlund, who was the Wild’s most valuable asset besides maybe Spurgeon, was not even shopped around the league. What kind of joke is that… Fenton didn’t even see what he could get for Granny because he had such a crush on Fiala he would give anything for him.
Totally agree with all of this.
I don’t hate Fenton. My point is that the Wild cannot afford to carry inexperience staff like GMs and head coaches for years and years in hopes that they finally, somehow, will learn the ropes through on-the-job training and become good at their jobs. Eventually.
We can’t wait for that BS. We need top performers behind the bench and in the front office NOW.
Just look at the disastrous Mike Yeo years as CL held on for 3 bad seasons in hopes that Yeo would figure it out.
Then compare what happened in St. Louis with Yeo. They sure didn’t wait 3+ seasons for Yeo to figure it out. And look where they are now.
That Fenton got rolled in the Grandlund trade was obvious by the reaction of the entire league and anybody who knows much about the NHL. Everyone in the league was scanning the fine print of that deal looking for what ELSE the Wild got. Nobody could believe the answer was nothing. Grandlund’s value can’t be judged by about a month’s performance as the new kid in the very broken Predators lineup and with the most useless power play in the league besides.
The only solid trade or acquisition Fenton has made was shipping Two Touch and Give-R-Up Chuck for Donato. At best the rest of the moves have been in the kinda-maybe-we’ll see or they’ve been Abergs. Not a great track record.
Grouse
in defense of Fenton, he was given a roster of underachievers with 1-2 recent bad seasons signed to large contracts and a bunch aging veterans (most coming off of injuries) with no-move clauses. EVERY GM in the league knows he has to make some moves or he’ll have the shortest GM job ever. What exactly do you expect him to be able to do with that hand?
He put us in a better cap position while still keeping whatever competitive window we have left open to make the playoffs and potentially get hot and make a run. I think we can all agree that if Dumba and Koivu were healthy all season, the Wild would at least have made the playoffs, once you get in, who knows what can happen (just ask the Blue Jackets and Avalanche)
Yes, I agree some of his moves are complete head scratchers (Drafting Johansson, not trading Stahl at the deadline, not getting more for Granlund) but he worked directly under a GM who played the long term game and has been successful building a contender from within, so he’s not an idiot, there must be a plan for his decisions.
This summer is a make or break time for his job, let’s circle back in July and see what our team looks like then.
Sweet Jesus this is way more fun to read as a lurker.
I wouldn’t want the Wild to do much in the off season. You just got rid of the “Core that Flopped”. You now have guys like Ek, Donato, Fiala, Kunin and Greenway that could use minutes.
Yes, I agree some of his moves are complete head scratchers (Drafting Johansson, not trading Stahl at the deadline, not getting more for Granlund) but he worked directly under a GM who played the long term game and has been successful building a contender from within, so he’s not an idiot, there must be a plan for his decisions.
This summer is a make or break time for his job, let’s circle back in July and see what our team looks like then.
Agreed. The “value” of many of the trades hasn’t been realized yet. We’ve been saying it since the trades but it seems to be falling on deaf ears, the roster flexibility and cap space is the best we have had in years. Projected $20MM under the cap and an owner who has proven is willing to spend up to the Cap has to have Fenton and Broudreau salivating about what they can do and what new toys they will have this upcoming season.
From my chair, what has been done to this point hasn’t dismantled this team or hurt its chances at making the playoffs next year it likely increased the chances with the potential moves that can now be made THIS summer.
No doubt in my mind that if Dumba was healthy we would have made the playoffs. NONE.
Koivu? Would have certainly helped, but we saw Ek emerging as a guy who can take his place, so that was good to see.
Watching Coyle with the B’s is so strange. He scored the other night and he showed more emotion after that goal than all of his goals with the Wild combined. I hope he has a decent career, but he had his chances here.
Nino isn’t doing anything in the playoffs. He looked lost in the D zone last night, but luckily it didn’t cost them.
I am not a Fenton apologist, but I am withholding my overall assessment of his work until we hit the start of next season. This could be an exciting offseason. I have a feeling he is going to move at least one more piece from the “core”. Probably Zucker, but I am not sure I like the names being bantered around as potential trade chips. I really don’t want to see Spurgeon go, but I agree he could fetch the most return. His upcoming contract could be more than the Wild could stomach, but at the same time Koivu will be off the books after next year and Staal will be in the last year of his deal. Creative capology could do it. Might have to tap on Bryzinski from the Vikings to get that figured out.
Wait, what?! You first said that Granlund isn’t at Duchene level, then believe Fenton should have gotten similar in return for him in a trade? How does that work?
Kapanen would be an option because he is younger, would sign for a smaller contract. Do I think he is the equivalent of a Nylander right now? No, but you would save money signing him to get other pieces.
Oh boy, nitpick much? By similar return I meant at least in the same universe. Do you disagree? Or just gasping for things to nitpick?
I do like the direction Fenton has taken with acquiring players in lieu of draft picks, and he made some quality college FA gets. I just think his bad moves have outweighed the good to this point. Couple that with his perceived personality and I don’t think he deserves to get the benefit of the doubt for very long.
I think they caught a break not trading Zucker. At least he has been consistent in his career and may benefit playing with younger, faster players. He’s a 20 goal scorer and the only 20 goal scorers left on the team are old.
I think the value of the trades Fenton made were diminished by the play of those former core players, they lacked production for a team that faltered all season.
Couple that with their lack of success from previous seasons.
This season Fenton had no leverage.
I don’t see them signing any large FA contracts, I think they try and trade Zucker and a top 4 Defenseman before next season. Acquire more cap space, draft picks, and shape the teams future after the Expansion draft.
Don’t dismiss that their will be a Collective Bargaining issue in the near future.
Oh boy, nitpick much? By similar return I meant at least in the same universe. Do you disagree? Or just gasping for things to nitpick?
I don’t think Duchene and Granlund are comparable at all IMO. Do I think Fenton could/should have gotten more for Granlund? Possibly, but the Preds also took on Granlund’s salary (nearly $5MM over Fiala) which has another full season on it before he is a UFA.
That extra salary accounts for something in my book.
Duchene drives play, Granlund does not.
Don’t dismiss that their will be a Collective Bargaining issue in the near future.
This has me worried as well. The NHL would be doomed if they had a lockout. If there are hints of a lockout prior to Kaprisov getting here, we will never get him. He will sign in the KHL again and we will all be sitting here dreaming of the what ifs.
There is going to be big discussions around the whole CTE issue I bet. If I had to bet, the Players Assoc is going to push for more dollars for Health Insurance, Research, etc. Plus you have to think the topic of the Olympics get slid in there somewhere.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>jeff_huberty wrote:</div>
Don’t dismiss that their will be a Collective Bargaining issue in the near future.This has me worried as well. The NHL would be doomed if they had a lockout. If there are hints of a lockout prior to Kaprisov getting here, we will never get him. He will sign in the KHL again and we will all be sitting here dreaming of the what ifs.
There is going to be big discussions around the whole CTE issue I bet. If I had to bet, the Players Assoc is going to push for more dollars for Health Insurance, Research, etc. Plus you have to think the topic of the Olympics get slid in there somewhere.
if that were the case he would likely only sign a 1 year extension deal with an out clause like all other NHL’s who would choose to play in the KHL during a lockout. He’s also the face of the KHL now and can demand whatever he wants contract wise vs years ago when he was a 18 year old punk and likely bullied into signing the 3 year deal…He wants to play in the NHL, all of his NHL buddies are likely pressuring him to come over when he can, he knows the KHL is mostly where old NHL Russian players go to end their careers.
Nice! Coyle seals it for Boston with an empty netter, Wild gets a 4th round pick now… Coyle for Donato and a 4th round pick, I like it.
Attaboy Charlie
Unreal win by the Sharks, talk about taking advantage of a 5 minute major
Unreal win by the Sharks, talk about taking advantage of a 5 minute major
They sure did, but was that a 5 min major? Ive seen worse not even called. It didn’t appear they were even going to call a penalty until they realized Pavelski was hurt. I think its a penalty, 5 min major? MMMM?
Unreal win by the Sharks, talk about taking advantage of a 5 minute major
Just watched the highlights on the NHL network, the highlights had me on the edge of my seat.
After watching the coach Gallant taking shots at DeBoer and the sharks players
I am glad they were able to rub his nose in it.
Not sure who came up with the “franchise in a box” term? but that fits LV, their easy success has gone to their heads.
Not sure who came up with the “franchise in a box” term? but that fits LV, their easy success has gone to their heads.
That’s pretty funny! If Jones can even remotely be average in net, the Sharks could go a long way. Man, you put almost any other playoff goalie on the Sharks and I think they would win it all. Might be tougher now depending on the injury to Pavelski, but they have a blend of speed and toughness that is hard to matchup against.
That play was a series of unfortunate events. Stasney probably had more to do with it than Eakin, but they pretty much had to call the major with all that blood and Eakin did extend his stick, but I don’t think that his stick caused the bleeding. Bottom line, be responsible with your stick.
I thought it should have been either a Cross-check, Interference or a double-minor penalty at the most due to blood (even though I don’t think the cross-check to the face caused the blood) the damage came from Pavelski falling into Stansny and getting lifted sideways with no way to brace his fall to the ice. If they called the double minor it would have been a 3-2 Vegas lead with 8 or so minutes left…
I always thought the 5 minute major was only called when there was obvious intent to injure, I didn’t see that in this play at all…
I do like the fact that Vegas did tie it up and they played a long overtime, so Vegas had the opportunity to get their confidence back and it was a pretty even overtime with a 4th line guy who played less than 6 minutes all game scoring a nice goal to win it…
I need the Caps to win tonight to keep my Stanley Cup picks alive…
watching this play over and over again I don’t know how he was bleeding from the back/top of his head? The cross-check hit him in the lower chest area, nowhere near his face…His helmet looked like it was still on normally when he hit the ice, maybe it was a compression cut from the face shield?very very strange, but definitely not worth a 5 minute major… I’d be willing to bet this extends the replay challenge scenarios moving into next season similar to the NFL challenge rule change, you just can’t let this effect the game like that…
Another way to look at this play is you call the cross-check penalty because it directly resulted in the chain of events that caused the injury. The TJ Oshie hit (cross check to the back that resulted in injury) only got a 2 minute penalty and he’s done for the playoffs with a broken collarbone so there’s that as well…
His helmet looked like it was still on normally when he hit the ice, maybe it was a compression cut from the face shield?
Looks like the impact was at that little piece that comes down on the face side of the ear. The way NHLers were those lids, there is a ton of movement, especially side ways. I bet the blood was more from a compression cut as you said.
I don’t think that would ever be challengeable. Could you imagine if there was and that happened last night and the refs said, whoops sorry, 2 minutes.
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