Speculation: Trade Ideas and Free Agency XXVII

[Voodoo Child]

Kapanen does have a year left on his ELC and he is waiver exempt, but I think you could find a place for him.

The tools are there, in ways he's actually similar to Zucker; speedy and has decent hands, he PKs as well, I think he could do well on the 3rd line as a right shot.



Johnsson showed well in his limited time, got a few goals in the playoffs and supplanted real gud pro Komarov in the playoffs, and is looking too good for the AHL.

I think both get at least 30 points next year with minutes.

The defense isn't super ugly but it's absolutely a weakness, would need to keep Liljegren and Dermott.

Korshkov, Bracco and Greenway? Those could be made to work. Not proposing Gardiner because how are you gonna give 10-12 to Dumba and Zucker combined (?) by shipping 4.6 Tyler Ennis and something for Gardiner at 4.05?

Coyle is of more interest because it would really help the lack of depth we have on the team (Matthews, Kadri, probably not reupping Bozak), and you guys take a small hit now but get a good pick and have less stress signing Dumba and Zucker, who are key guys.

 

[Wabit]

The problem is the Wild already have too many LHS FWDs for Johnsson to sniff the NHL lineup, so he ends up on waivers. Maybe he passes though, maybe he doesn't.

Kapanen is either 3RW or in the AHL with Kunin and Greenway. The reason you want Coyle is the reason the Wild need to him too; their center depth is bad behind Koivu/Staal, JEE is still a big question mark.

I'd be more interested in a Kapanen if say Zucker was the guy being traded instead of Coyle. Wild have too many (11) LHS and 1 RHS (Coyle). Coyle is also decent at FOs and losing the only RHS that can do that hurts in late game situations.

In a bubble Kapanen+1st for Coyle is probably an overpay in terms of value. But it's not really a good trade for the way the Wild are currently built. Other bigger trades would have to happen before this one made much sense.

 

[57special]

We don't trade players like Brodin or Coyle in at a lesser value in order to get rid of one year of Ennis.

Wild fans have been complaining that we don't have a bunch of decent, but not elite forwards. Don't see how trading down for Kapanen makes any sense. It's not like we need help with our bottom six, with Kunin and Greenway likely to be ready sometime next year.

JD Greenway has left the Badgers, under under a bit of a cloud. Had a very disappointing year last year, and he was very raw to start with. Don't see how he, or Bracco (skilled, but will any of his skills translate to the NHL?) are scratching any sort of itch that the Wild have, roster wise. Seems like the Leaf proposal is about sending lesser bits for a better player. Is that what MN should be doing now? Rebuild city?

 

[SomethingGeneric]

I feel like Bracco is a high skill high risk type prospect that could be interesting and is lacking throughout the wild system besides Krill but I'm with 57 that I don't like how he would be acquired in the current format. At this point if we get rid of Ennis I want it to be where we turn one of our thirds into a 4th or 5th pick if at all possible. Don't know if Buffalo would take him back for a year, I've heard talk on the Vancouver boards that it would be feasible for them to take him on. Even if we retain half it wouldn't be horrible.

 

[57special]

I find the trade propsals to be confusing because I don't know what the Wild need. Basing any trades driven off impressions given in 5 playoff games strikes me as misguided.

It's nice to think that one elite forward would solve our problems, but the truth is that elite players can get shut down, too. Just look at Ovi and Backstrom prior to this year. Preds are complaining about Josi, now. Oshie was traded by STL Because he was labeled a choker, and he's beeen great for WAS.

I am not in the dressing room, but can not speak to how well the team gets along. Does it even matter that much? We see signs of a team that can jell during the regular season. Why not in the PLayoffs?

The only characteristic that seems to be missing from this team is the ability to raise their play, as a whole, during playoff time. We've seen glimpses of it at varying times over the years from MiG, Coyle, Nino, but never consistently. Is that a quality that you can trade for? Cullen was a guy who who had that experience, and I thought he did raise his game a bit towards they'd of the season after a mediocre at best regular season.

If the Wild don't know what they are missing, They won't know how to fix it.

 

[Wild11MN]

I find the trade propsals to be confusing because I don't know what the Wild need. Basing any trades driven off impressions given in 5 playoff games strikes me as misguided.

It's nice to think that one elite forward would solve our problems, but the truth is that elite players can get shut down, too. Just look at Ovi and Backstrom prior to this year. Preds are complaining about Josi, now. Oshie was traded by STL Because he was labeled a choker, and he's beeen great for WAS.

I am not in the dressing room, but can not speak to how well the team gets along. Does it even matter that much? We see signs of a team that can jell during the regular season. Why not in the PLayoffs?

The only characteristic that seems to be missing from this team is the ability to raise their play, as a whole, during playoff time. We've seen glimpses of it at varying times over the years from MiG, Coyle, Nino, but never consistently. Is that a quality that you can trade for? Cullen was a guy who who had that experience, and I thought he did raise his game a bit towards they'd of the season after a mediocre at best regular season.

If the Wild don't know what they are missing, They won't know how to fix it.

Net-front presence, in both zones. Righties. Someone who knows what a one-timer is. That's my two cents.

 

[57special]

Net-front presence, in both zones. Righties. Someone who knows what a one-timer is. That's my two cents.

Kunin and Greenway. Sokolov as a longshot. Get Nino and Parise healthy . Hope that Belpedio becomes another fast, PMD that can pair with the more pedestrian Soucy/Seeler.

Lose Ennis down a storm drain...or maybe he can get attacked and disabled by someone's pet rabbit...Hoppy? Re-sign Winnik, maybe. Pray that Suter comes back healthy, and flog BB if he plays him over 24 minutes per game. Put Koivu on the same drugs that Staal is taking. Hope the KHL fails, and not only Kaprizov, but Svetlakov end up being quality NHL'ers.

The more I look at this, the more I think that the Wild shouldn't make any desperate moves, whether it be overly optimistic trades or selling the future in order to aid the present. Parise and Ennis aside, MN is not beset by a bunch of bad contracts, touch wood(Suter). We are in good shape...just need some sort of spark.

One other thing. BB, as much as I like him as a personality, is officially on notice. For all the regular season success, the past two years playoff performances were poor. I need to see better coaching from him.

 

[nickschultzfan]

Any way I cut it, I just don't see how we can afford to trade a Dman, even a guy like Belpedio.

However, I am starting to think JEE might be on the block if the Wild want to try to bring in top-6 center. Something like Zucker/Nino + JEE for ROR, Galchenyuk, RNH, etc. I don't think that is wise, given the shallowness of our young player pool, but I can see Leipold and Fenton liking that if they get the right center back and can push Koivu down to the third line.

 

[Bazeek]

Any way I cut it, I just don't see how we can afford to trade a Dman, even a guy like Belpedio.

However, I am starting to think JEE might be on the block if the Wild want to try to bring in top-6 center. Something like Zucker/Nino + JEE for ROR, Galchenyuk, RNH, etc. I don't think that is wise, given the shallowness of our young player pool, but I can see Leipold and Fenton liking that if they get the right center back and can push Koivu down to the third line.

I can see trading Eriksson-Ek if the right center is coming back. Depending on what other piece(s) we were adding JEE to I could get my head around O'Reilly or RNH; not so much Galchenyuk. It does kind of kick the can down the road a few seasons rather than solving the underlying problem, but that doesn't make it a bad option.

I kind of doubt that our trade options at center are going to be all that appealing, though.

 

[57special]

Trading JEE would be moronic. His value would probably be as low as it ever is going to be over the next 10 years... would far rather trade Coyle, and I'm not crazy about trading him. I need to see Coyle and Nino with dramatically better first halves of the season, or I would be open to using them as trade bait at the TDL.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

First have to identify what Eriksson Ek's ceiling is going to be, and when it's going to happen. If you're thinking that he's an O'Reilly caliber player at best (20+ goals, 60+ points), and you're still looking at 3 or 4 years down the road for it to happen, then trading him for current O'Reilly is defensible under the current circumstances.

The problem is that he's likely to the 2nd most valuable pieces on our side of the deal, so is the hit to the other position (probably defense) worth it to upgrade the #2C spot, and to have a player of O'Reilly's caliber (not elite, or even great offensively) as your #1C in what could be as little as 6 months if Staal takes a step back? But does it matter if Eriksson Ek isn't going to be that anyway?

 

[TaLoN]

So Russo wad on kfan this morning... he apparently now thinks Brodin is the defenseman most likely traded.

That one makes more sense than his thinking Dumba would be in his podcast.

He said he thinks Brodin, Nino and Coyle are the most likely traded if/when a move happens.

 

[57special]

I wonder how much inside info Russo actually has? If not much, then his opinion is as good as mine.

I don't see any of the top 4 Dmen being traded unless it's part of a package for a gamechanger. I am not a fan of getting ROR. In hockey terms, he is middle aged. I don't see any upside to him beyond what he has already shown. I also don't get trading NIno or Coyle when their value has to be lowered after subpar seasons.

 

[TaLoN]

I wonder how much inside info Russo actually has? If not much, then his opinion is as good as mine.

I don't see any of the top 4 Dmen being traded unless it's part of a package for a gamechanger. I am not a fan of getting ROR. In hockey terms, he is middle aged. I don't see any upside to him beyond what he has already shown. I also don't get trading NIno or Coyle when their value has to be lowered after subpar seasons.

Something changed his mind from it being Dumba to Brodin in less than a week.

That doesn't mean a defenseman is likely to be traded either though.

 

[Dee Oh Cee]

My two current Wild jerseys...Brodin and Nino

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I wonder how much inside info Russo actually has? If not much, then his opinion is as good as mine.

I don't see any of the top 4 Dmen being traded unless it's part of a package for a gamechanger. I am not a fan of getting ROR. In hockey terms, he is middle aged. I don't see any upside to him beyond what he has already shown. I also don't get trading NIno or Coyle when their value has to be lowered after subpar seasons.

Maybe, maybe not. Other GMs/front offices had the same opportunities to see their injury issues. My guess would be that they wouldn't base all of the value on just the one season.

The "upside" to ROR isn't him improving on what he has previously done, but him accelerating what Eriksson Ek will be by a few years. There's obviously downside to that too, which would have to be solved in the next couple of years (getting a new future top 6 C).

 

[57special]

I could see trading Brodin for a more offensive Dman if we felt we needed the offensive punch on the PP or in general, but the Wild have one of the most potent D groups in terms of offense, with Belpedio waiting in the wings. Promoting Seeler to the top 4 after a mere 27 games in the nHL strikes me as more than a little impulsive. Trading any solid, top 3, 24 yo dman shouldn't be done, especially when said dman is an excellent skater, and can defend against speedy forwards in the open ice w/o relying on obstruction.

Perhaps what they are thinking is trading Brodin for a #1 pick of someone like DET? If Hughes is gone, I can see it.

 

[Bazeek]

We might also be falling into a trap by thinking too much in terms of who we'd be most comfortable giving up. Fenton was brought as someone with "fresh eyes" that didn't have the same degree of attachment to the current roster. It's likely that his first move is going to be one of his biggest and will set the stage for future plans. It seems analogous to Fletcher making the Burns trade like a month after he was hired: retooling around Koivu was a cornerstone of the team's strategy for years after that, and still isn't really in the rear-view mirror.

The point is that the eventual trade may be dictated more by the targets than what the Wild want to give up. Less "what can we get for Brodin/Coyle/Nino" and more "what does it take to acquire X"? Unfortunately we're not likely to know what sort of X's Fenton is after until the trade is made, so it's hard to discuss it from that angle.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

We might also be falling into a trap by thinking too much in terms of who we'd be most comfortable giving up. Fenton was brought as someone with "fresh eyes" that didn't have the same degree of attachment to the current roster. It's likely that his first move is going to be one of his biggest and will set the stage for future plans. It seems analogous to Fletcher making the Burns trade like a month after he was hired: retooling around Koivu was a cornerstone of the team's strategy for years after that, and still isn't really in the rear-view mirror.

The point is that the eventual trade may be dictated more by the targets than what the Wild want to give up. Less "what can we get for Brodin/Coyle/Nino" and more "what does it take to acquire X"? Unfortunately we're not likely to know what sort of X's Fenton is after until the trade is made, so it's hard to discuss it from that angle.

Your timeline is a little off.

Burns was traded during the 2011 draft; Fletcher was hired before the 2009 draft.

 

[57special]

Last time i trust anything Bazeek says...

 

[Bazeek]

Your timeline is a little off.

Burns was traded during the 2011 draft; Fletcher was hired before the 2009 draft.

I didn't phrase that well. I meant that the trade Fenton is likely to make is similar to a Burns trade without the 2 year evaluation period that Fletcher had. Different goals and a much faster timeline, but it's likely to be as pivotal to the "Fenton era" as the Burns trade was to the "Fletcher era."

 

[Wabit]

I wonder how much inside info Russo actually has? If not much, then his opinion is as good as mine.

I don't see any of the top 4 Dmen being traded unless it's part of a package for a gamechanger. I am not a fan of getting ROR. In hockey terms, he is middle aged. I don't see any upside to him beyond what he has already shown. I also don't get trading NIno or Coyle when their value has to be lowered after subpar seasons.

I'm guessing he doesn't have much right now. He still has his sources, and they're probably telling him that other teams have been calling about Brodin/Coyle/Nino more than say Dumba/Zucker. But the new GM is really a x-factor that can't be accounted for yet, so he's speculating like the rest of us.

 

[nickschultzfan]

Only way Brodin can get moved is if Fenton makes it a top priority to sign a LHD free agent to replace him. Otherwise, the Wild will start next season with Nick Seeler as their top pairing defenseman.

 

[nickschultzfan]

Nino is probably the "easiest" to trade because he is already on a big contract and he probably tops out as a 25/35 player, but he is also the type of players that other GMs are always trying to get. Fenton doesn't need a lot of evaluation to pull the trigger on trading him.

Of course, in the right situation (top line minutes, 1st PP), Nino probably could do even better than that if healthy.

 

[2Pair]

Trading JEE would be moronic. His value would probably be as low as it ever is going to be over the next 10 years... would far rather trade Coyle, and I'm not crazy about trading him. I need to see Coyle and Nino with dramatically better first halves of the season, or I would be open to using them as trade bait at the TDL.

Moronic only if you're still convinced that Ek is going to become the player that everyone wants him to be. Right now you can still sell him as 1st rounder that's showing flashes of why he was a 1st rounder but hasn't quite put it all together yet. If you wait, and he has another year like this one, pretty much any value is gone.