Are we sleeping on the Minnesota Wild?

[VivaLasVegas]

And you know, they missed the playoffs

Probably dims their chances of being in the conference final.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Going back to the Gaborik days, why does this franchise still continue to try to build around a winger? It never works.

 

[MuckOG]

Going back to the Gaborik days, why does this franchise still continue to try to build around a winger? It never works.

Because they've never had the opportunity to draft a legitimate 1C. This is what happens when you have coaches like Jacques Lemaire, who coach-up a team of scrubs enough to make the playoffs, but not do much damage once they get there. As a result, they have historically drafted somewhere in the mid 1st round. Usually not high enough to select a good center prospect.

 

[Voight]

Going back to the Gaborik days, why does this franchise still continue to try to build around a winger? It never works.

Because franchise centres are so easy to come by right?

 

[StumpyTown]

I have never been a Minnesota fan, but that Calder trophy 100+ point getter likely to get his second 100+ point total in his 4th year... Kirill Kaprizov... needs his flowers....

A small market team with little hype but winning ... could be a surprise conference finalist. ... we just never hear about this team. I watch games 3-4 times a week and somehow never saw a Wild game this season.

"small market team"? With a metro area of 3.7 million I don't think Minneapolis/St. Paul ranks as a small market. I'd say teams with under 1.5 million metro area are the only ones that should be considered small market, which includes Carolina, Buffalo, Calgary, Ottawa, Edmonton, and Winnipeg.

 

[BagHead]

Going back to the Gaborik days, why does this franchise still continue to try to build around a winger? It never works.

Why don't the Wild build around a center when they draft 12-19th each year?
Why don't most people just choose to become millionaires?
Why aren't moths butterflies instead?

Opportunity, opportunity, opportunity.


If your team has been lucky enough to have gotten a true franchise center, you have my congratulations, and I hope you continue to get to watch your team play competitive hockey. If they haven't, I find myself wondering how you don't understand already why the Wild have done this.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Kaprizov’ numbers are ridiculously good.

That said; latest playoff succes story I remember from Minnesota was Andre Brunette’s OT goal against Patrick Roy.

League filling team.

Among many.

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

The Wild would be the most surprising conference finalist in the history of the NHL.
From not making the playoffs to the conference finals is a hell of a run.

I'm picturing the VGK wait until the anthem is sung and the puck is about to drop before they add the entire Wild roster to the bench. And become the first team in league history with a 180 millions cap hit.

 

[HawksDub89]

What has this franchise ever accomplished in their existence?

MIDesota Wild.

In all seriousness they have some interesting young players, but nobody that I see as a true star outside of Kirill. And he seems destined to leave via free agency.

This team has been middling for a decade plus. They’re too talented to “tank” the right way, but not good enough to win a cup.

Complete hockey hell. And it’s a shame because I know they have good fans (for the most part) and a great city/arena for hockey.

 

[tsujimoto74]

Because they've never had the opportunity to draft a legitimate 1C. This is what happens when you have coaches like Jacques Lemaire, who coach-up a team of scrubs enough to make the playoffs, but not do much damage once they get there. As a result, they have historically drafted somewhere in the mid 1st round. Usually not high enough to select a good center prospect.

I mean, 1Cs certainly come from the mid-late 1st and beyond (Giroux, Bergeron, O’Reilly, Aho, etc.); it’s just that, at that point in the draft, you’re not getting any gimmes. You have to get a bit lucky.