Speculation: 2013 Off-Season Thread III

[Caior89]

The people that are angry are just a bunch of angry soccer moms with no knowledge of what actually happened. This **** happens all the time, and people have been trophy hunting for a few hundred years. It's life, get over it and grow up. We don't live in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, and life will never be as pretty as some people want it to be.

I don't care at all about what Stoner did to be quite honest. Reality here.

^ Cary Price.. people got pissed at him too for killing some deer. Are you serious? Where do people think most of their food comes from? Where their meat comes from? Animals have always been killed for our consumption. Welcome to the food chain.

I understand it's a grizzly, but from the picture it doesn't seem like it was wasted. People can be so stupid.

It's definitely not from hunting. Nowadays hunting is either a hobby or an illegal action of economic purposes for the black market of rare spices.

I particularly dont see any problem with it as long as it is legal and isn't a threatened species. IMO hunting trophies are stupid, another thing mans need to show to inflate their egos.

 

[mezcal]

It's definitely not from hunting. Nowadays hunting is either a hobby or an illegal action of economic purposes for the black market of rare spices.

I particularly dont see any problem with it as long as it is legal and isn't a threatened species. IMO hunting trophies are stupid, another thing mans need to show to inflate their egos.

I totally agree with you. Idk why I called that a deer yesterday, its a coyote! Lol

 

[MuckOG]

While black bear meat is pretty greasy, it is pretty good overall. I've had it a couple dozen times.

While not personally having tried it, all I've ever heard about Grizzly meat and Kodiak meat on the other hand, is that it is not good at all.

Also the number of bears in the providence that Stoner shot the bear in was quoted as over 150,000 bears, so there are PLENTY of bears left for all of you tree huggers to go out and handfeed and pet, and name sally and bubba, and then be eaten by.

I also find it funny to read some of the posts from you Urban dwelling folks, who complain about hunting, while you eat your steak, while wearing leather shoes and sleep under a down comforter.

And to MNWILDFAN001, if you really think hunting is that easy, then I've got a bunch of ocean front property to sell you in Iowa.

Let me first qualify my answer by saying that I hunt and fish. Since childhood, I've shot plenty of deer, pheasant, grouse, and ducks. Never shot a bear because that's not my thing, although I don't begrudge those that do. I've eaten plenty of black bear meat, but have never had the opportunity to try grizzly meat...although I would try anything at least once.

I'll take your word for it when you say that grizzly meat doesn't taste all that good, but that's no excuse for the leaving the animal to waste. While I enjoy duck hunting, I don't particularly care for the taste of duck meat, so I make it all into jerky and it tastes fantastic.

You can make anything taste good when you smoke it or turn it into jerky. And I'm sure that most hunters and outdoorsmen would agree with me that it's not cool to shoot an animal, cut off it's head and paws and leave the rest of the carcass to rot.

 

[TZM]

When will the preliminary games start? Is there a schedule out yet?

 

[StealthClobber]

When will the preliminary games start? Is there a schedule out yet?

You mean the pre-season?

http://wild.nhl.com/club/schedule.htm?season=20132014&gameType=1

 

[Sharppi]

Chad Graff
@ChadGraff
Can confirm center David Steckel is going to sign a pro tryout with the #MNwild. Was with the Leafs and Ducks last year.

Translate Tweet
5:57pm · 9 Sep 13 · Twitter for iPhone

 

[Uberdachen]

And I'm sure that most hunters and outdoorsmen would agree with me that it's not cool to shoot an animal, cut off it's head and paws and leave the rest of the carcass to rot.

Why's that not cool? It's not going to rot. It's going to be immediately eaten by coyotes and the other 150,000 bears supposedly in the area, which has got to be better for them than it going to people who think it tastes gross and throw everything after the first bite in the garbage.

 

[Wild33]

Chad Graff
@ChadGraff
Can confirm center David Steckel is going to sign a pro tryout with the #MNwild. Was with the Leafs and Ducks last year.

Translate Tweet
5:57pm · 9 Sep 13 · Twitter for iPhone

Hopefully he can take over the 4th line center spot. Would be a nice upgrade over Konopka/Dowell that's for sure. I know Russo stated multiple times this summer Fletcher has tried to move Konopka as well. Rupp-Steckel-Mitchell would be a much improved 4th line.

 

[Billy Mays Here*]

For the last couple months Fletcher has said non-stop that he isn't going to bring in anyone on a contract/tryout as he wants to see where the kids are at before deciding on whether bringing in a veteran player is needed. Then he goes and does this before camp even starts? I don't get it.

 

[MuckOG]

For the last couple months Fletcher has said non-stop that he isn't going to bring in anyone on a contract/tryout as he wants to see where the kids are at before deciding on whether bringing in a veteran player is needed. Then he goes and does this before camp even starts? I don't get it.

Steckel isn't coming in to compete with a kid....as there will be no kids on the 4th line. It could be that Steckel is brought in as 4th line insurance in case Rupp isn't healthy to start the season.

 

[Caior89]

Chad Graff
@ChadGraff
Can confirm center David Steckel is going to sign a pro tryout with the #MNwild. Was with the Leafs and Ducks last year.

Translate Tweet
5:57pm · 9 Sep 13 · Twitter for iPhone

That's great! He is a solid 4 line center and face-off beast, hands down way better than Konopka

 

[InjuredChoker]

RMNB ‏@russianmachine 1 h
Steckel: "without question one of the league's most undervalued players." - @robvollmanNHL, Hockey Abstract #MNwild http://www.hockeyabstract.com/book

https://twitter.com/russianmachine/status/377081021533286400

 

[Minnesota]

Rupp replacement.

 

[Northland Wild Man]

He's a good 4th liner. I wouldn't have a problem with him signing here.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Rupp replacement.

So what was the point for trading for Rupp?

 

[tyratoku]

So what was the point for trading for Rupp?

Trading a redundant player (Powe) and a problem player (Palmieri) for something different.

I personally really like Rupp's game. I'd love to have him on our 4th line this season.

 

[MuckOG]

So what was the point for trading for Rupp?

Rupp is hurt.

 

[melinko]

So what was the point for trading for Rupp?

Fletcher has a fetish of trading for 4th liners to shake the team up.

 

[tyratoku]

Wild brings in veteran center Steckel for training camp tryout

Steckel, who led the NHL in 2010-11 by winning 62.3 percent of his faceoffs for Washington and New Jersey and has the second-best career faceoff winning percentage among active NHLers (.583 since 2005-06), has a strong identity as a player, coach Mike Yeo said.

Knowing that he is not a scorer (79 career points), Steckel is a big body at 6-6 who is responsible defensively and a solid penalty killer.

The pro tryout doesn’t bind Steckel to the Wild. He’ll remain an unrestricted free agent throughout camp, meaning he could sign with any team at any time. If he doesn’t make the team, General Manager Chuck Fletcher said Steckel might play in Des Moines of the AHL to “wait for an opportunity with us or somebody else.”

“He’s a proven NHL player, and we know he can play in the league,” Fletcher said. “It’s just a numbers game, so we’ll see how things sort out in camp.”

The Wild is working toward signing veteran forward Jason Pominville to a contract extension. The former Sabres captain scored four goals and nine points in 10 games after his April 3 acquisition last season.

“They’ve talked a few times for sure and are going back and forth about what the plans are,” Pominville said last week. “We’ll just go day by day and see if both sides can make progress and go from there.

“They committed to getting me, so just that means a lot to me and being part of a group that is committed to having success and being in a city that loves hockey, that makes it even better.”

Left winger Mike Rupp, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery after last season to repair a torn meniscus, might not be ready for the start of camp. Rupp has been skating on his own but not yet in full drills.

“He’s feeling better and working hard and after talking to him [Monday], I’m a little more optimistic, but it’s a question mark,” Yeo said.

Good stuff. I'd really like if we got Steckel and dumped Konopka. I like Z as a person and everything, but he just makes some unreal boneheaded plays sometimes. He's not the greatest defensively, and one of the big selling points for him was his faceoff ability, which wasn't even that great last season.

Getting Steckel would be pretty darn good, IMO. I've been for putting Mitchell on the 3rd line for a long time and don't really think any of the younger players should be in that position. My dream lineup:

Parise - Koivu - Pominville
Zucker/Nino - Coyle - Heatley
Cooke - Brodziak - Mitchell
Rupp - Steckel - Dowell/Viellieux

Thoughts?

 

[Jarick]

Let's cool it with the name throwing.

 

[Minnesota]

I've never heard anyone even bring up Steckel's ability to play solid defense until this post, which makes me question the claim's legitimacy.

I'm guessing (if we sign him), he'll be larger version of Konopka who takes the faceoff, then becomes a liability on the ice.

 

[Jarick]

Put me in the camp that wouldn't mind seeing Steckel over Konopka. He's bigger, great at faceoffs, has a lot more talent, quite experienced, and still at a decent age (31).

 

[Jarick]

Steckel:

Assets:
Excels in the face-off dot, can kill penalties and even score in the clutch. Has a very imposing frame. Is versatile enough to play both center and wing.

Flaws:
Mainly because of a lack of skating speed and coordination, he doesn't score a lot at the highest level. Also doesn't use his big body effectively often enough.

Career Potential:
Decent defensive depth forward with good face-off skills.

2010-11 75gp 6-6=12 26pim
2011-12 76gp 8-5=13 10pim
2012-13 34gp 1-6=7 4pim


Konopka:

Assets: Comes to play every night and isn't afraid of dishing out punishment. Possesses some defensive acumen and plays with energy. Can drop the gloves and is also very good on face-offs.

Flaws: Is a limited talent in the offensive zone and only suited for a fourth-line role. Must avoid taking too many bad penalties that place his team in a tough spot.

Career Potential: Versatile, tough depth forward.

2010-11 82gp 2-7=9 307pim
2011-12 55gp 3-2=5 193pim
2012-13 37gp 0-0=0 117pim


The players are VERY different. Steckel is very disciplined, more of a defensive/PK guy, although those types of players aren't usually as good as advertised as they might be gritty and play good defense but can't transition out of the defensive zone (think Schultz vs Brodin). But Schultz has a little bit of offensive pop to his game. Konopka we saw has no offensive ability and is very willing to drop the gloves and play tough, but he takes stupid penalties and is a liability on the ice a lot of times.

I don't think either are more than a depth fourth liner type, but I think Steckel could be a slight upgrade.

Then again, we have Dowell, Veilleux, Konopka, and Rupp already fighting for fourth line duty and the later two likely to make the team. I'd like to see Veilleux's speed and experience in the lineup in that role. Some guys are going to get sent down.

Interesting, anyway.

 

[Fallenity]

Really liked Steckel in the Ducks, too bad we couldn't fit him on the team this year.

 

[bozak911]

I've been for putting Mitchell on the 3rd line for a long time and don't really think any of the younger players should be in that position. My dream lineup:

Parise - Koivu - Pominville
Zucker/Nino - Coyle - Heatley
Cooke - Brodziak - Mitchell
Rupp - Steckel - Dowell/Viellieux

Thoughts?

I am of the mind that I do not want to see Mitchell on the team come October 3rd. /shrug

I'd like to see this tried in the pre-season;
Parise - Coyle - Pominville
Granlund - Koivu - Heatley
Cooke - Brodziak - Nino
any mix of: Rupp, Steckel, Dowell, Veilleux, Konopka, Mitchell for the fourth line.