Dumba was also one big reason the Wylde managed to turn around their early OT troubles IIRC.
I'm not so sure you'd get that much by dealing depth players like Brodin, Dumba, and Coyle (I'm guessing Coyle's a goner one way or another). Those guys aren't the problem. It's their stars. They built this team around two guys who were, when they were signed, two elite players in their primes (I used to rag on Suter a lot, I've since changed my tune mostly). Those guys are approaching 35 now, and Parise is running aground due to injury, and Suter has already said that he doesn't know if he'll ever recover fully from the broken leg that ended his season. You have to have game-breaking elite talent to win the Big Prize, and I don't think the Wylde have that, at least not anymore. And I still say the most important ingredient to a Stanley Cup winner is that 1-2 punch at center. I also don't think Minnesota has ever had that. How do they get there? I don't know, but I don't think they're a few "tweaks" away from being a true contender. I personally think their window closed a while back. Russo put it best recently, that core is spent. It's gonna be a MAJOR retooling before this team is truly ready, and it might take even more than that.
I'm not so sure you'd get that much by dealing depth players like Brodin, Dumba, and Coyle (I'm guessing Coyle's a goner one way or another). Those guys aren't the problem. It's their stars. They built this team around two guys who were, when they were signed, two elite players in their primes (I used to rag on Suter a lot, I've since changed my tune mostly). Those guys are approaching 35 now, and Parise is running aground due to injury, and Suter has already said that he doesn't know if he'll ever recover fully from the broken leg that ended his season. You have to have game-breaking elite talent to win the Big Prize, and I don't think the Wylde have that, at least not anymore. And I still say the most important ingredient to a Stanley Cup winner is that 1-2 punch at center. I also don't think Minnesota has ever had that. How do they get there? I don't know, but I don't think they're a few "tweaks" away from being a true contender. I personally think their window closed a while back. Russo put it best recently, that core is spent. It's gonna be a MAJOR retooling before this team is truly ready, and it might take even more than that.