Where do the Wild go from here?

[c9777666]

Chuck Fletcher's contract is up- do they make a change at the top?

Boudreau I think might get another year- Suter/Parise getting hurt may mean he gets a free pass for 2019.

Salary cap? We'll see.

Do they move some pieces to change up the roster? Could they move someone with value and get a big return (Staal/Dubnyk)?

Might they actually move one of Suter/Parise and swallow the potential salary hit?

This doesn't seem like they'll just bring everyone back for another kick at the can IMHO.

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[Jtown]

Chuck Fletcher's contract is up- do they make a change at the top?

Boudreau I think might get another year- Suter/Parise getting hurt may mean he gets a free pass for 2019.

Salary cap? We'll see.

Do they move some pieces to change up the roster? Could they move someone with value and get a big return (Staal/Dubnyk)?

Might they actually move one of Suter/Parise and swallow the potential salary hit?

This doesn't seem like they'll just bring everyone back for another kick at the can IMHO.

next 5 years are going to be tough for them. Those contracts are looking brutal right now and no one knows how strick the nhl will be with the cap recapture.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

They're headed in the wrong direction IMO.

Parise, Suter, Koivu, Staal. All aren't getting any younger. Parise in particular is a real big concern with the injuries he's had to deal with and the contract he comes with.


They probably have a couple more years of bubble level play left in them and possibly grind out a couple playoff series victories before things really nose dive. But they're going to need the young kids, Kaprizov, Greenway, and Eriksson Ek to really step up in the next few years if they want to get back to being a legitimate threat I think.

 

[Oilers Propagandist]

Injuries were a big part of them being noncompetitive this series, but since 2014 they have not been that great in the post season. Changes need to happen and hopefully parise carries on in his career injury free starting next season.

I joke about the wild playing the trap still but hope they figure it out.

 

[The Kingslayer]

Golfing

 

[Devils090]

Cap hell

 

[Spender]

Hopefully nowhere

 

[Paul4587]

They need to retool. I would try and move one of Staal/Koivu for younger guys and picks while they still have value before the wheels fall off. They need to find a way to get out of Parises contract whether it’s through LTIR or trying to move him. Suter will probably age pretty well and hasn’t shown signs of slowing down and the rest of the blueline is pretty young so they should be ok there.

 

[TaLoN]

Parise after his back surgery showed he still is very much worth his salary when he's healthy. That back surgery did wonders for his game. The Broken sternum was unfortunate, but could've happened to anyone - it's what happens when you get sandwiched between players like that. I'm less concerned about him than I am many others on the roster.

What concerns me... Zucker, Nino and Coyle all combined for 0g, 0a, 0pts this post season. These are guys who are supposed to be the future.

Nino I have the most faith in turning around, as he's played well in post seasons past, he also showed flashes of brilliance during the season at times. I seriously think he was never 100% after his broken fibula in December and won't get back to his game until he's had a full offseason to recover.

Coyle I have the LEAST faith in turning around, because how he played all season long was exactly how he played from February through the playoffs last year. That means we now have more than a full season of this level of play from him, which shows a clear regression for him as a player.

Zucker is the most frustrating. He has come a long ways as a player and got himself into the Granlund/Staal discussion of level of importance amongst forwards for the team, and then did his complete disappearing act once the post season started. He has been BY FAR the least productive of the 3 I'm mentioning in terms of post season play. Nino and Coyle have at least shown in the past that when the games get bigger, they can still have an impact. Zucker has never had an impact.

The Wild cannot just sit idle and go into next season with the exact same group of players. We know this group doesn't work. They need to make a move that gets players attention, and that may mean putting Zucker and his 33g 64pt season on the trade block for significant return.

 

[Regal]

next 5 years are going to be tough for them. Those contracts are looking brutal right now and no one knows how strick the nhl will be with the cap recapture.

How does the Suter contract look brutal?

 

[Chuck Norris Trophy]

Home.

 

[Future GOAT]

Back to Minnesota.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

Need a quick retool.

They weren't going to be an easy out for WPG if Suter and Parise were healthy. But those guys are aging and it's time to put in a bit of youth around them.

 

[TaLoN]

Need a quick retool.

They weren't going to be an easy out for WPG if Suter and Parise were healthy. But those guys are aging and it's time to put in a bit of youth around them.

There IS a bunch of youth around them... other than Granlund, that youth came up with absolutely nothing.

 

[behemolari]

Minnesota is done, their windows is already closing. Their core is getting old and This team wasn't much more competitive than those were swept by Chicago. Hopefully this time they understand suck enough to get couple of top picks

There IS a bunch of youth around them... other than Granlund, that youth came up with absolutely nothing.

other than Granlund their youth was hugely overrated

 

[TaLoN]

Minnesota is done, their windows is already closing. Their core is getting old and This team wasn't much more competitive than those were swept by Chicago. Hopefully this time they understand suck enough to get couple of top picks



other than Granlund their youth was hugely overrated

Nino, he has performed in the post season in the past... this season though I think he never got back from his broken fibula in December, he needs a full offseason to get back to his game.

Coyle, yes, it appears he was overrated.

Zucker, 33g and 64pt season exceeded his projections, overrated isn't the term I'd use for him. That said, he's a post season enigma, in that he can't carry that success to the bigger stage. Likely needs a change of scenery before he will ever do so.

 

[greasysnapper]

Wow I can't believe the negativity. I think they're in good shape to be a continual playoff team, and potentially contend in the west. Their top 2 dmen were banged up. Take any team's top dman out of the lineup and there would be huge problems on both sides of the ice. Have the 2nd guy play hurt, and things will be even worse.

The youth looks solid right now. Eriksson Ek, Greenway, Kunin have all shown decent skill and look NHL ready. They aren't gamebreakers, but they'll fit nicely on this team. They do however have a gamebreaker in their system with Kaprizov who could be coming over in the next few years. They've got a bunch of guys heading into the prime of their careers (Zucker, Granlund, Dumba, Brodin, NN), 3/4's of their old farts, are still in great shape and playing great hockey, On top of all of that they only have Zucker and Dumba to worry about this year for contracts... from an outsider, this team looks to be in good shape, a helluva lot better than a lot of teams in the league, but by all means, blow it up because they lost a playoff series.

 

[Grub]

Heading where the Canucks were 4 years ago. After losing in the first round playoffs.

 

[WTFMAN99]

I think Coyle is probably one of the most overrated players in the NHL. He's cracked 20 goals once but people talk about him like he's this untouchable piece. IMO, Zucker actually showed flashes in the playoffs but sometimes you do go cold.

I'd trade Coyle and maybe add what I needed to to try to grab a better centre. Staal and Koivu are getting older.

Truly though they should maybe try to strip things down. At best with Parise you hope to god he can come back from this injury and put together a few months of good play and then try to trade him.

 

[Babooch]

Solid D and goaltending going forward. Just need to figure out the right mix up front and keep adding youth like Greenway.

 

[BB88]

Minnesota doesn't have a game changer and their #1C has just 1 more year left, and that Parise contract is something you have to pay( a lot) to get out of.

The core needs a change, it can't get the job done and shouldn't expect anything different next year if things stay the same.

 

[Uncle Bill]

Their top 2 dmen were banged up. Take any team's top dman out of the lineup and there would be huge problems on both sides of the ice. Have the 2nd guy play hurt, and things will be even worse.

You make a good point, but perhaps some perspective is in order. The Jets played the fifth game missing: 1/2 D Morrisey, 3/4D Enstrom, 5/6D Kulikov; Ehlers, Perrault missed the game and Armia left after one period. Plus Myers and Trouba returning from injury.

Every team deals with injuries.

 

[Adrianopolous]

The Parise contract is UGLY

 

[TaLoN]

I think Coyle is probably one of the most overrated players in the NHL. He's cracked 20 goals once but people talk about him like he's this untouchable piece. IMO, Zucker actually showed flashes in the playoffs but sometimes you do go cold.

I'd trade Coyle and maybe add what I needed to to try to grab a better centre. Staal and Koivu are getting older.

Truly though they should maybe try to strip things down. At best with Parise you hope to god he can come back from this injury and put together a few months of good play and then try to trade him.

Haven't spent much time talking to Wild fans, have you? Nobody talks about Coyle as anything remotely close to untouchable! We've all been talking about being fed up with him and wanting to trade him all season long. The problem is, he's carrying less value now than ever, so as a primary trade piece, he's not going to return much. We're better off adding him in a package to up the return if we decide to trade someone like Spurgeon or Zucker instead.

 

[BusQuets]

Defense is stacked for years. Defensively great and 2nd best offensively this season. That's one area of no concern.

Offense could be better but it's still one of the better ones in the league. Granlund,Zucker,Nino,Coyle will make sure Wild should remain as a playoff team even if Staal, Koivu and Parise regress a bit.

Eriksson Ek, Greenway,Kunin,Kaprizov are the x-factor and in order to win the cup one of them most likely needs to be home run.

Though i won't be surprised if Fletcher(or someone else) decides to make some trades this summer. Losing Haula,Scandella and Tuch because of expansion hurt Wild chances this season greatly.

Anyway Wild is poised to be a playoff team for a long time.