Speculation: What's the final roster look like to you?

[thestonedkoala]

Zuccarello - Rask - Kaprizov
Greenway - Eriksson- Ek - Foligno
Pitlick- Gaudreau - Fiala
Sturm - Hartman - Bjugstad
Duhaime, Rau

Brodin - Spurgeon
Kulikov - Dumba
Goligoski - Merrill ?
Benn

Talbot
Khakonen

Click to read more...

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Like 5 or 6 guys are in the wrong spots.

 

[MuckOG]

Zuccarello - Ek - Kaprizov
Greenway - Hartman - Foligno
Pitlick- Gaudreau - Fiala
Sturm - Rask - Bjugstad
Duhaime

Goligoski - Spurgeon
Brodin - Dumba
Benn - Kulikov
Merrill

Talbot
Khakonen

 

[thestonedkoala]

Like 5 or 6 guys are in the wrong spots.

I ran into issues past the top 6 as those are pretty much slated at the moment.

Pitlick is a center, but they have like 4 guys that play center in depth: Pitlick, Gaudreau, Hartman and Sturm. They have two righties in Bjugstad and Hartman, and then Fiala plays right.

They have pretty much a mess of depth players.

I'd put Kulikov > Goligoski for now because Kulikov has looked better than Goligoski in the pre-season. They can be swapped though. And then that last right position, we have Merrill, Benn who are lefties. Does that mean they are going to slot in Addison automatically?

Edit: I see Kulikov can play left or right so:

Brodin - Spurgeon
Goligoski - Dumba
Merrill - Kulikov?

 

[MuckOG]

I ran into issues past the top 6 as those are pretty much slated at the moment.

Pitlick is a center, but they have like 4 guys that play center in depth: Pitlick, Gaudreau, Hartman and Sturm. They have two righties in Bjugstad and Hartman, and then Fiala plays right.

They have pretty much a mess of depth players.

I'd put Kulikov > Goligoski for now because Kulikov has looked better than Goligoski in the pre-season. They can be swapped though. And then that last right position, we have Merrill, Benn who are lefties. Does that mean they are going to slot in Addison automatically?

You ran into an issue on the top line. What makes you think Rask is going to center Zucc and Kaprizov?

 

[thestonedkoala]

You ran into an issue on the top line. What makes you think Rask is going to center Zucc and Kaprizov?

They don't have any other options. Eriksson-Ek might start out there, but I see Rask getting lots of minutes. Evason and Bargain Billy didn't really do anything to fix the center issue and still believe in Rask from what it seems.

 

[AKL]

Kaprizov-Ek-Zuccarello
Pitlick-Gaudreau-Fiala
Greenway-Hartman-Foligno
Rask-Sturm-Bjugstad
Duhaime

Brodin-Dumba
Goligoski-Spurgeon
Merrill-Kulikov
Benn

Talbot
Kahkonen

 

[MuckOG]

They don't have any other options. Eriksson-Ek might start out there, but I see Rask getting lots of minutes. Evason and Bargain Billy didn't really do anything to fix the center issue and still believe in Rask from what it seems.

Ek will be that center. Guerin and Evason have all but announced it.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Ek will be that center. Guerin and Evason have all but announced it.

I mean last training camp they were singing praises over Parise - Bjugstad - Kaprizov and we all saw how that went.

 

[57special]

Too soon to say what the roster will be. I believe that there are still roster spots to win on the forward line, and that they will be determined by the last two games. Less sure about the D, but I hope Addison gets consideration, also. I hope it is this;

KK- JEE - Liz
Boldy/Beckman- Hartman- Fiala
Beckman/Boldy- Sturm- Foligno
Greenway - Gaudreau- Bjugstad
Rask

top 4
Kulikov- Addison

Benn

 

[Wabit]

I'd put Kulikov > Goligoski for now because Kulikov has looked better than Goligoski in the pre-season.

It's an apples to oranges comparison at this point. Kulikov has a bunch of games with AHL talent so it's easy for him to look good simply because he a NHL quality d-man. Goligoski has 1 game played and Brodin, Dumba, and Spurgeon were all also playing. More is also expected of Goligoski, compared to Kulikov, due to who they are replacing and the money they are making, respectively.

 

[57special]

I didn't think that Kulikov looked all that good last night, though he might've been infected with whatever Benn and Merrill have.

Seattle is overloaded with 3rd line Dmen. I wonder if they would trade one for Rask?

 

[Mnwildzack]

Is Gaudreau a lock for making the team? I feel like everybody assumes he will be there, but has he shown he should be?

 

[Webster]

Leipold interview (Russo), he thinks the new Wild is the best team ever. Is this true?

 

[AKL]

Is Gaudreau a lock for making the team? I feel like everybody assumes he will be there, but has he shown he should be?

He's signed for two years on a one-way contract, Guerin went out and got him relatively early, and he'd have to go through waivers to get to Iowa, so I think it's very safe to say he's a lock for the NHL roster. The question on him is whether he'll be on Fiala's second line, the fourth line, or in the press box most nights.

Leipold interview (Russo), he thinks the new Wild is the best team ever. Is this true?

Why are you asking us if Leipold's opinion is his opinion?

 

[Bazeek]

Leipold interview (Russo), he thinks the new Wild is the best team ever. Is this true?

Is it objectively true? Probably not.
Is it true that Leipold thinks this? Possibly, but I doubt it.
Is Leipold likely to say anything else when the team is struggling to sell tickets? No.

 

[guitarhunterdude]

Fair to middling. 16th pick, here we come.

Kap-Ek-Zucc
Pitlick-Gaudreau-Fiala
Greenway-Hartman-Foligno
Rask-Bjugstad-Sturm
Duhaime

Dumba-Brodin
Goligoski-Spurgeon
Kulikov-Merrill
Benn

Talbot
Kahkonnen

 

[guitarhunterdude]

I didn't think that Kulikov looked all that good last night, though he might've been infected with whatever Benn and Merrill have.

Seattle is overloaded with 3rd line Dmen. I wonder if they would trade one for Rask?

What else are we giving them to dump Rask's contract?

 

[Mnwildzack]

He's signed for two years on a one-way contract, Guerin went out and got him relatively early, and he'd have to go through waivers to get to Iowa, so I think it's very safe to say he's a lock for the NHL roster. The question on him is whether he'll be on Fiala's second line, the fourth line, or in the press box most nights.

Are there really any other teams that would pick up Freddy off of waivers? He's 28 with 13 points in the league. He isn't going to get any better.

 

[AKL]

Are there really any other teams that would pick up Freddy off of waivers?

Probably. I don't think Guerin is interested in finding out. And there's really no reason to. That would require all of Rossi, Boldy and Beckman to be knocking down the door, and so far none of them are.

 

[Webster]

Is it objectively true? Probably not.
Is it true that Leipold thinks this? Possibly, but I doubt it.
Is Leipold likely to say anything else when the team is struggling to sell tickets? No.

That's why I'm asking, perhaps he says the team is better than it really is. On the other hand, I've no idea how good the Wild have been in the past, except there's no Cup yet.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Fair to middling. 16th pick, here we come.

Make the playoffs, get blown out, Bargain Billy says that they are close and just need a few tweaks, no centers are signed, Fiala is traded with no replacement...

 

[Bazeek]

That's why I'm asking, perhaps he says the team is better than it really is. On the other hand, I've no idea how good the Wild have been in the past, except there's no Cup yet.

2006-07, 2007-08 and 2016-17 were some very strong teams, though they all had pretty much the same issue at center that the current roster does. A lot would have to go right this year for the team to hit that high water mark, modest as it is.

 

[guitarhunterdude]

Make the playoffs, get blown out, Bargain Billy says that they are close and just need a few tweaks, no centers are signed, Fiala is traded with no replacement...

If the return is good I'm not against this. But weve put ourselves into a corner in terms of getting a decent return. Can't see us having much leverage with the upcoming cap crunch.

 

[GuerinUp]

zucc- eichel- kap
duhaime-ek-foligno
beckman-pitlick-boldy
hartman-gaudreau-bjugstad/sturm