MN Wild 2019-2020 Official Thread

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

It’s just the way things are going with all-star games in any of the contact sports. Sports are a business and the athletes that go to an ASG are WAY too valuable to risk in even one non-value-added contest. That’s just the way it is.

With the risk limitations, the owners are willing to accept, the format is going to be basically constrained to gimmicks and contests. I don’t really care what they are, I find all this stuff boring to watch, so I don’t.

I get it, it’s a big $$$ generator as far as ad and sponsorship revenue, so it will always happen, but I just take a few days off and look forward to the games starting again.

BTW, Carolina sources say Hurricanes offer Erik Haula for Staal or a combo of players/prospects for Brodin.

Grouse

we need to hold out for 1 of their 2 first round picks, Eric would likely waive his ntc for a chance to win a cup with his brother…

This is just sick from Kaprizov….
https://twitter.com/i/status/1222580550923407361

JoeMX1825 wrote:

This is just sick from Kaprizov….

Hes got a filthy backhand for sure.
Do you happen to follow Scott Wheeler on The Athletic? He is in the middle of his Team’s prospect ranking and he is up to #15 (from 31) and still hasnt listed the Wild. Im shocked TBH.

Zucker to Penguins, again? Poor Jason, must drive him nuts being the constant bait on the trade hook seeing as how he really wants to stay here.

Trade Speculation

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
This is just sick from Kaprizov….

Hes got a filthy backhand for sure.
Do you happen to follow Scott Wheeler on The Athletic? He is in the middle of his Team’s prospect ranking and he is up to #15 (from 31) and still hasnt listed the Wild. Im shocked TBH.

I have been watching that thread, Fenton made alot of bad decisions but (other than his nightmare (Johansson) and questionable (Boldy over Caufield) 1st round picks) his 2 drafts have sofar looked excellent with very high potential hit % of his mid/late round picks… I suspect the Wild will end up being ranked between 11-14 on his list only because our previous Fletcher drafts (outside of Kaprizov) have been so bare… If we can somehow pick in the top 5 this draft we’re pretty much assured of getting another surething talent to stock the cupboards for the future…

Ice Cap wrote:

Zucker to Penguins, again? Poor Jason, must drive him nuts being the constant bait on the trade hook seeing as how he really wants to stay here.

Trade Speculation

I’m convinced that Zucker is going to the Penguins, it’s likely coming down to Guerin holding out on wanting a certain prospect and picks and the Penguins are being squeezed and don’t want to blink first…. Sending him to the East means we only face him twice a year and putting him with Crosby is a no brainer…

The Penguins still have their 1st round pick, but no real prospects (other than Calen Addison who’s a right-shot defenseman) that wow anybody and I sure hope Galchenyuk isn’t part of the deal unless he’s just a throw in to free up capspace so Zucker fits… Addison and the Penguins 1st might be enough to get Guerin to dance…

Since the Wild are off, it seems like all there is to talk about is Kaprisov because even trade speculation is getting boring.

Dare I even say it? Things are looking really, really good. The reality is that while you can never be sure-sure that his skills will translate, what I really like about the highlight footage is that Kaprisov can score from the left, from the right, with guys dragging him down, with guys hooking him, with guys slashing him, with guys cross checking him in the back. Basically, he can score during all those peanalaties that the Wild never seem to get calls on.

It sounds like the biggest question marks for Kaprisov are around the fact that he’s never actually been to the US as far as anyone can establish. And his command of English is a little sketchy.

It’s pretty exciting, though, to think that this is a 20 year old franchise that has had exactly 1 player in its history that can reasonably be called a true star. We’ve had pretty good, we’ve had decent, we’ve had fairly ok… Wherever this ends up, it’s going to be really entertaining watching Kaprisov join the NHL.

Grouse

How long has Malkin been here? I still don’t understand a word he says.

mplspug wrote:

How long has Malkin been here? I still don’t understand a word he says.

I think Malkin does not like speaking to the media. His english is better than he lets on.

Dumb question.. but what are the odds Kaprisov ever suits up in a Wild jersey?

lindyrig79 wrote:

Dumb question.. but what are the odds Kaprisov ever suits up in a Wild jersey?

Not sure if I understand your question. If he wants to play in the NHL, then the odds are 100% he will play for the Wild.

Grouse

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>JoeMX1825 wrote:</div>
This is just sick from Kaprizov….

Hes got a filthy backhand for sure.
Do you happen to follow Scott Wheeler on The Athletic? He is in the middle of his Team’s prospect ranking and he is up to #15 (from 31) and still hasnt listed the Wild. Im shocked TBH.

Wild ranked #14 on his list

JoeMX1825 wrote:

Wild ranked #14 on his list

Yep, just finished reading it. From what he says its for the most part the same as I have been hearing from a lot of other folks for basically every player. He does seem to have a little more upside in some guys than others have said. The first paragraph was pretty funny about how as the rankings were published he was getting flak from Wild fans about what he was thinking. LOL He said normally its the other way around, but not for the Wild.
“I’ve got to be honest, the run-up to the release of this ranking has been unlike any of the others so far because I began receiving messages from Wild fans fairly early expressing surprise that they hadn’t appeared yet. In recent days, those messages ramped from surprise to shock.

That’s rare from a fan base, where the typical reaction normally goes the other direction. Most fans think their favorite team’s prospects should be ranked higher, not lower. The inverse reaction probably speaks to the way recent memory has soured Wild fans.”

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>lindyrig79 wrote:</div>
Dumb question.. but what are the odds Kaprisov ever suits up in a Wild jersey?

Not sure if I understand your question. If he wants to play in the NHL, then the odds are 100% he will play for the Wild.

Grouse

Does he really want to? And will the Russians let him go? It’s not a sure thing yet, right?

lindyrig79 wrote:

Does he really want to? And will the Russians let him go? It’s not a sure thing yet, right?

He has said on a number of occasions that he has dreams of playing in the NHL and is looking forward to it when he’s done.
His contract in the KHL is up at the end of this season so unless he signs a new one he will be coming over. Its also worth noting that he within the last 2 years switched agents. He is now represented by Dan Milstein who is VERY highly regarded and represents many of the Russian players including some of Kaprisov’s teammates.
There was talk that he switched agents because he would have liked to come earlier, but his agent was not meeting with Fletcher or Fletcher was not meeting with his agent. It was hard to know which side was to blame, but you have to think that Fletcher was attempting to get his hands on him much sooner and certainly didnt want him to sign another KHL deal. After that signing he switched to Milstein.

Well, I guess the changing of agents should be viewed as a very positive sign

The only thing that would keep him in the KHL is if the NHL didn’t matter to him and the KHL threw a ton a money at him as the face of the league…Every indication is that he’s coming over after his contract is up, it was even a question asked to most players at the KHL All-Star game and all said he’s going. He’s being a team player and not talking about it while still playing for CSKA…

lindyrig79 wrote:

#1911191
Well, I guess the changing of agents should be viewed as a very positive sign

I know as a Minnesota fan of anything, we can’t have any fun or enjoy anything about a MN team UNTILL they win it all. So with that restriction firmly in mind…

Kaprisov in all likelihood is coming to the NHL next year and he will play for the Wild. Yes, yes, of course, nothing is sports or life is a sure thing, we all know that, so now we don’t have to put that * behind every mention of Kaprisov.

It’s going to be exciting and interesting to see what happens with him. It isn’t hype or hope to say he is certainly the most talent-laden offensive player the Wild have had in their development system (including foreign leagues) for a long time, perhaps even ever.

There’s some notable possible downsides as well. Kaprisov is said to be 5’10” tall and listed at 200 pounds which is obviously an exaggeration as it is with most players’ listed weights. Bottom line is for the NHL he’s no giant. Basically, he’s the same size as Zach Parise, but he may not even weigh as much.

Also, it’s the usual caution that the KHL is NOT the NHL. We’ve all heard the comparisons to the minor league NHL or top college teams, top euro domestic leagues, whatever I’m not going to get into that debate, but whatever level it is equivalent to, it ain’t a Russian equivalent to the level of play in the NHL.

But I think it’s going to be fun and exciting to see him, because both as a scorer and a playmaker, he’s got some juice. Even in his rookie season, I can’t see him being a guy you’d want to forget was on the ice, he looks slippery, he looks speedy, and he doesn’t look like a guy who’d be easy to defend. It’s going to be really fun to see which lines he works on and how the chemistry works out.

Grouse

JoeMX1825 wrote:

He’s being a team player and not talking about it while still playing for CSKA…

Which shows that while he is young, he is a pretty mature kid. He has an English tutor apparently and actually has answered a few reporters (from the US) in English, but it is still difficult for him, but you get the common hockey cliche’s as you can about imagine.

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

There’s some notable possible downsides as well. Kaprisov is said to be 5’10” tall and listed at 200 pounds which is obviously an exaggeration as it is with most players’ listed weights. Bottom line is for the NHL he’s no giant. Basically, he’s the same size as Zach Parise, but he may not even weigh as much.

Oops, I just dropped this here…
“1. Kirill Kaprizov, LW/RW, 22 (CSKA Moskva)

It helps when your team has arguably the best winger outside of the NHL. And while the Wild’s relationship with Kaprizov hasn’t exactly played out according to plan, he’s a legit star-level talent who will be an impact player from Day 1 of his NHL career. He’s doing his thing again this year as CSKA’s leading point producer and is tied for the league-lead in goals. Kaprizov is a natural playmaker who excels with the puck on his stick and can break down defenders in a myriad of ways. He can shoot through them and score with his release. He can dangle through them with his hands. He can occasionally burn them out wide (I would say he’s fast without saying he’s explosive). And he can make plays through them — or around them — as a passer, which remains an underrated element to his game when defenders zone in on attempting to prevent him from getting his shot off in dangerous locations. He’s also sneaky strong and absorbs contact without getting pushed around. Though there are still times in games when he can drift to the perimeter or fade for a period, Kaprizov can break a game open in a split second. Few young players in hockey are as exciting as he is with the puck on his stick.”

TheFamousGrouse wrote:

It’s going to be exciting and interesting to see what happens with him. It isn’t hype or hope to say he is certainly the most talent-laden offensive player the Wild have had in their development system (including foreign leagues) for a long time, perhaps even ever.

I agree with this 100%. The only other player I think we got so excited about before playing a Wild game was Gaborik. Granlund got some steam too because he exploded at that one international tournament right before joining the team, cant remember if that was World Juniors or Olympics, I think it was World Juniors, but that was at a lessor extent because he was seen as a playmaker, not a legit scoring threat like Gaborik and now Kaprisov.
The only thing holding me back from a Kaprisov tramp stamp right now is not knowing if he is going to be #97 when he plays here.

CaptainMusky wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>TheFamousGrouse wrote:</div>
It’s going to be exciting and interesting to see what happens with him. It isn’t hype or hope to say he is certainly the most talent-laden offensive player the Wild have had in their development system (including foreign leagues) for a long time, perhaps even ever.

I agree with this 100%. The only other player I think we got so excited about before playing a Wild game was Gaborik. Granlund got some steam too because he exploded at that one international tournament right before joining the team, cant remember if that was World Juniors or Olympics, I think it was World Juniors, but that was at a lessor extent because he was seen as a playmaker, not a legit scoring threat like Gaborik and now Kaprisov.
The only thing holding me back from a Kaprisov tramp stamp right now is not knowing if he is going to be #97 when he plays here.

Granny exploded on the World Stage hype when he scored his lacrosse goal in the World Hockey Championships prior to coming to the Wild, from what I remember he didn’t have a very big World Junior tourney…

I think from a marketing standpoint Kaprizov will wear #97, I think he prefers #7 but it was taken when he arrived at CSKA.

The KHL is widely regarded as being even if not more of a physical league than the NHL, you get more clutching & grabbing because there’s a wider gap between the top players and most other mid-level players who simply can’t stay with them on the ice. Kaprizov has been able to handle his own physically the past 3 years as he’s a bulldog on skates, with a very low center of gravity. He’s a very good edge skater as alot of his highlights show, so he’s able to pivot around checks and against the boards. I think he’s going to be a star if we can get players that can get him the puck in scoring situations…

Ovi has Backstrom, Hull had Oates, Kurri had Gretzky, the great goal scorers always have played with great passers, if he’s forced to do it all on his own, he’ll burn out quickly…Gaurin needs to get an elite passer on this team…

Kuch is 5′ 11″. When you get to a certain talent level, size doesn’t matter.

mplspug wrote:

Kuch is 5′ 11″. When you get to a certain talent level, size doesn’t matter.

especially in the current NHL, it makes what small players like Theo Fleury and Martin St Louis did even more incredible in the clutch & grab era…

JoeMX1825 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>mplspug wrote:</div>
Kuch is 5′ 11″. When you get to a certain talent level, size doesn’t matter.

especially in the current NHL, it makes what small players like Theo Fleury and Martin St Louis did even more incredible in the clutch & grab era…

100% just think what Kariya could do today? Had he not had his head caved in, he would have had an amazing career.

9 day break and you get completely outworked by a team who played the Jets the night before…pretty pathetic…

Twins had a kid who was the franchise savior coming through their system also. His name is Byron Buxton. This Russian might be the real deal, or maybe not. He will need to prove everything at the NHL level when he gets there.

JoeMX1825 wrote:

9 day break and you get completely outworked by a team who played the Jets the night before…pretty pathetic…

Greenlay ACTUALLY SAID on the postgame that the Wild were at a disadvantage and didn’t have their legs under them because of the 9 game break. I almost fell over in my living room when he said that.

They need to stop playing Dubnyk. His GAA is almost 4! He’s not even stopping shots that are straight on with nothing in his line of sight. Awful timing for him personally but his head just isn’t in it right now.

They need to fold this season up..Zero chance to win in the playoffs and they are on pace to wreck any chance at a top ten draft pick.
The little Russian needs more talent around him “if” he gets here.
No Veteran leadership from this roster,time to move them on.