MN Wild 2019-2020 Official Thread

Now that the Wild have their next GM, time to move on to the upcoming season.

I like the hire personally. I think he will be good, definitely a better personality than Fenton ever showed.

hopefully one of the first things he does is fly to Russia and sit outside Kaprizov’s house until he comes out to talk about next season…

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No doubt!

I’m optimistic about Guerin.

Quote from the WCCO article: Fenton’s firing was the result of bad trades and a lack of good new additions on the off-season. WCCO’s Mike Max added the locker room culture had long been seen as an issue.

I just hope he can fix the locker room problems, which in my opinion, were an issue even before Fenton.

lindyrig79 wrote:

I just hope he can fix the locker room problems, which in my opinion, were an issue even before Fenton.

The part last year when I believe it was Fiala or Donato, one of the new guys, or perhaps multiple of them just got to the team and then NO ONE invited them to dinner when they were on a roadtrip was very troubling to hear. At the time I believe Koivu was injured so he likely wasnt with the team at the time, but I sure would hope Parise and Suter would do something. That is just plain poor!
Apparently Leipold heard about this and pulled some of the veterans aside. Where the hell was Fenton.

Ive heard these rumblings about issues win the lockerrooom, but really didnt want to believe them but there seems to be more and more instances of them to think there really is something there.

I’ve thought for a while that Parise and Suter suck all the oxygen out of the locker room.

Ice Cap wrote:

I’ve thought for a while that Parise and Suter suck all the oxygen out of the locker room.

Let’s hope that’s not the case and if it is that somehow the new GM can change that around.
When you think about it those two should have some control on the teams attitude in side the locker room. And if that is not the case you have to ask why? after all that was the intention of signing them both.

I can’t believe nobody here was named GM.

Dutchboy wrote:

I can’t believe nobody here was named GM.

Don’t you have Major baseball team thread to manage?

Very pleased with the choice of Guerin as the new Wild GM.

First off, unlike that useless POS Fenton, Guerin immediately made himself available for interviews and was on KFAN within hours after the official announcement.

The first thing I remember about Fenton was that he basically went into hiding the day he was named GM. Russo said right off the bat, the Wild organization made it clear Fenton was “not an interview guy”. No local interviews, nothing but the official Wild presser. I had a bad feeling about him literally from Day 1. Basically, Fenton started off acting like a spoiled pr!ck and it went downhill from there. Fenton was a complete fraud.

Completely the opposite with Guerin, he obviously knows how to manage players, his talent development street cred speaks for itself, and most importantly he’s genuine.

This “bad locker room culture” rumor dogs every hockey team and (surprise!) it disappears the minute the team starts winning. Every team has their version of this “bad guys in the locker room dragging the team down” rumor. St. Louis was full of rumors last year of a poison locker room culture but what do you know, nobody talked about it at all during the playoffs this year. I wonder why?

You guys that point to Parise as one of the likely culprits must have missed Praise actually pulled his first MN house off the market (he had already moved to his new place) and let Dubnyk and his family move in and live there for almost a year with when Doob first came to town with his wife and new baby.

The old political saying, “It’s the economy, dummy.” has a hockey companion: It’s about player performance, dummy.

Years of botched draft picks, poor front office hires (I’m looking at you, Yeo and Fenton), and poor trades have dogged the Wild since the Riseboro years.

We now have experience both behind the bench and in the GM position. This is the best coach/GM combo that the Wild has EVER had. Period. Things look MUCH better than they did a month ago.

Grouse

I suspect the locker room was sour with the players traded away. If the rumors are true, then I don’t have to tell you guys that when making $1M and more a year as an entertainer and when winning is the ultimate fan experience, you need to grow up.

These issues shouldn’t have to be addressed by a GM, they should be addressed by the coaches and players personnel directors.

Guerin accepts the job and within hours signs Ek to a 2 year deal. I like the term and the Salary at an average under $1.5MM. Fiala is the only remaining RFA to sign. Appears there were discussions with him prior to Fenton getting the ax about a bridge deal.
I just hope he gets in front of Spurgeon and figures out a way to have a talk with Milstein and Kaprisov.
A turn around with this team could happen pretty quick with only 3 UFAs next year (Koivu, Brown and Spurgeon) and roughly $20MM in cap space. Losing 2 of those guys wouldnt hurt the team much, but losing Spurgeon would be devastating unless we traded him and got something big back in prospects or ultra high picks.

I think Wild fans are getting too worked up about Kaprisov. Having a GM running around kissing his @ss and making him feel like some kind of savior only has the potential to give him a big head and create an entitlement mentality that will produce an attitude problem that we don’t need. We don’t benefit from a player who thinks from Day 1 that he’s entitled to be playing for a much better team.

The rights to foreign-born players do not expire. If Kaprisov wants to put on the big boy breezers and play in THE league, then he’ll be doing it for the Wild. If he wants to stay in PutinLand and earn chicken feed his whole career while doing local TV ads for Moscow Lada dealerships, then go ahead. No need to kiss his buttski, it’s his decision.

Obviously, Chuck had some kind of mental problems with Kaprisov and Russian players in general, but there may also have been issues on Kaprisov’s end with a self-serving agent that has since been dismissed. I’m not saying don’t be cordial or welcoming.

However…Kaprisov has not played one minute in the NHL. The Wild don’t have anything to prove to him, it’s the other way around. Don’t chase him like a lovesick schoolboy, just make sure he knows he’ll be welcomed to a very elite club if/when he proves himself ready.

I just hope we are done with flaky GMs for a while.

Grouse

mplspug wrote:

These issues shouldn’t have to be addressed by a GM, they should be addressed by the coaches and players personnel directors.

What I mean is if there are individuals on the roster who walk around with the sour grapes attitude, or the I am far more important than you attitude, ala; (Antonio Brown: yes an excessive example) it’s up to the coaches to deal with it, and if they can’t then it falls in the lap of the GM.

IMHO – Fenton falls as a scape goat, for most all the failings of last seasons team, when in fact they were playing like playoff crap for the past three years.
Liepold hired Fenton to try and tweak what Fletcher left behind, and as they peeled back the layers they found more problems.
You have to remember that when the trades stared happening last season the wild were already floundering at the bottom.
Fenton certainly deserves some blame here but most of it should fall in the lap of the owners decisions.

What are the chances of Boudreau with another GM change?

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

…just make sure he knows he’ll be welcomed to a very elite club if/when he proves himself ready.

So you want the Wild to trade his rights?

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

I think Wild fans are getting too worked up about Kaprisov. Having a GM running around kissing his @ss and making him feel like some kind of savior only has the potential to give him a big head and create an entitlement mentality that will produce an attitude problem that we don’t need. We don’t benefit from a player who thinks from Day 1 that he’s entitled to be playing for a much better team.

You don’t need to kiss his ass, he has someone in Russia that will do it for him. What you don’t want to happen is for him to sign a contract extension in the KHL. You absolutely want to get him here as soon as its possible so you can see what you have in him. Players careers are short, savor every single minute of it and don’t waste any more time with potentially your best prospect ever. He has excelled at every level he has been at and they need to find out what he can do within the confines of NHL rules/play. Dilly dallying around and keep telling yourself “well if he wants to play in the NHL he has to do it on OUR terms” is short sighted. Why waste the pick at all then, no one wants to leave their country and play here for a team that really could care less about them.

I imagine his mind is already made up and that is to come here when his contract expires. The GM still needs to be in touch, just as he would with prospects in any league. I am sure Guerin knows how to handle it.

mplspug wrote:

I suspect the locker room was sour with the players traded away. If the rumors are true, then I don’t have to tell you guys that when making $1M and more a year as an entertainer and when winning is the ultimate fan experience, you need to grow up.

These issues shouldn’t have to be addressed by a GM, they should be addressed by the coaches and players personnel directors.

I agree. And so begs the question, what/who is the problem then? Short list in my opinion.

mplspug wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
…just make sure he knows he’ll be welcomed to a very elite club if/when he proves himself ready.

So you want the Wild to trade his rights?

Now, that is funny!

lindyrig79 wrote:

So you want the Wild to trade his rights?

Now, that is funny!
LOL

lindyrig79 wrote:

So you want the Wild to trade his rights?

Now, that is funny!

OK, you guys can quit yucking it up now. By elite club, I was referring to joining the NHL. I can’t see anyone who had a shot at the NHL bigtime wanting to stay in a KHL B league backwater, so there’s no reason to fawn all over him and create an attitude problem. It’s our way or the Trans Siberian Highway. That’s the way it works with every foreign-born player.

Also, hate to throw a bucket of cold water on the Kaprisov love in, but I need to see him, you know, actually PLAY in the NHL before I’m sold. Like every other player coming to the bigtime, I’m hoping his skills translate, but I’m not putting all my eggs in the Kaprisov basket just yet and the 2020-2021 season start is a long ways away.

This year I really want to see Ek and Donato come up bigtime. Ek showed some terrific development late last year and I hope that continues.

I’m also looking forward to the return of Dumba. And an end to the talk about trading Zucker so he can get back to business as obviously Fentard for some reason had it in for him and that can’t have helped his on-ice play.

Grouse

We knew what you were saying, it was just a joke.

Have you ever seen Parise try to roof top corner from the bottom of the crease? Nope, he does the low percentage stuff and hack attempt that never works. I’ve never said he’s the 2nd coming of Gretzky, but I have always said he’s the best pure goal scoring prospect the Wild has ever had outside of Gaborik, everything he does on the ice is in attempt to score goals, he’s always thinking offensively…

Obviously I agree that he hasn’t proved anything yet in the NHL, but EVERY level he’s played at, he has dominated offensively… If he was drafted top 3 and playing in Junior or College the past few years, wouldn’t he have incredible hype around him? Instead he’s been dominant in the 2nd best league in the World, how is that not better? I’ve watched most of his KHL games over the years online, the kid is legit. All good things to those that wait, same was said about Terasenko and Kuznetsov (and Kaprizov has much better KHL numbers then they did)…

This was from a KHL preseason game yesterday, it’s not that he scored a goal against what appears to be a terrible penalty kill, it’s more about Kaprizov’s split-second no hesitation move to a optimal shooting position and snipe top corner:

Ну красота же? А? pic.twitter.com/6wAfWPMmfH

— ХК ЦСКА Москва (@hccska) August 22, 2019

That is just filthy! While it is true that many players’ games do not necessarily translate from International Ice to NHL size rinks, I think his game is actually going to get better here. He will have more space in the offensive zone because there is a lot more area between the goal line and the blue line on an NHL rink that an International sheet. Yeah, not as much width or space behind the net, but where he does most of his work is around the slot and that highlight is a perfect example of it.

In other non-Wild news, you guys here about IIHF banning Kuznetzov for 4 years because of cocaine? He will not face any punishment by the NHL because it isnt considered a Performance Enhancing Drug. I guess those videos of him last year were his thin white lines not a “buddy”.

Good hire!

Guerin has already reached out to Milstein to coordinate a meeting with Kaprisov. I am liking this guy already. Hitting the ground running.

The problem is and has been #9, #11 and #20.

I can’t stand Koivu as a captain. When I think of a captain I think of someone who can lead by example. He is slow, takes a lot of penalties and seems very quiet on the bench. Give the “C” to Staal now.

Parise got lucky playing in New Jersey where he actually had some talent around him to help the Devils get the the cup finals and then Jackpot! He signed a big contract and took away any chance of the Wild contending for many years to come. Oh, not too mention he went behind the coaches back and had Adam Oates attend practices to help improve the power play. Very disrespectful if you ask me. If it is true that he would consider waiving the no trade I would ship him out in a heart beat.

Suter spends too much time on the ice and shouldn’t be the first one out on the power play. He doesn’t play physical enough in the corners and he is slow.

This will be the 2nd year in a row that the Wild miss the playoffs.

Much ado about nothing Fiala being the only RFA on the Wild yet to sign?
Anyone catch the Russo/Boudreau show live from the state fair on Monday? Boudreau is an absolute treasure. The streaking story just kills me. How his mom (mum) wouldnt go to work for a week after he got arrested. LOL

The whole RFA signing issue this season is very perplexing, it’s almost as-if the Owners don’t want to set a trap for themselves signing these young players to such high value contracts (but they ultimately will) My guess is the Marner camp knows they set the market, so by them waiting it out, it puts the pressure on other GM’s to wait it out as well…and they will likely put pressure on the Leafs GM to get it done already so these players can get training camp in…

Not sure what Fiala’s delay is about…i’m sure he’s bummed that his sugar-daddy Fenton is out of the picture now and his true value and past performance as a player is what will set his contract terms… I’m guessing he signs a lower value 2 year deal like Ek and tries to prove his worth (the way it should be imo)

Read some interesting articles the past week on Parise and Suter’s contracts. The writers thought Suter’s deal could be easily moved with the Wild not having to retain any of his salary, but Parise would require eating some due to his injury history and play style.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Read some interesting articles the past week on Parise and Suter’s contracts. The writers thought Suter’s deal could be easily moved with the Wild not having to retain any of his salary, but Parise would require eating some due to his injury history and play style.

Interesting. I will have to look for those. Makes a lot of sense and I have heard the issue with Parise before mainly in the whole article that Russo wrote about how he was sort of at a crossroads with wanting to win now and seemed to be lost based on the changes Fenton did. I have to think that the guys have a bit better feeling about the situation now with Guerin in there, but it will remain to be seen the direction once a few moves are actually made.
Spurgeon is a key one.