Prospect Info: Brennan Menell

[2Pair]

A big part of the speculation was that he didn't want to play in the AHL/Iowa and was mad about his usage down the stretch in the bubble so that is why he went over, hence why the Wild were so upset with him. The talk was tongue and cheek about Iowa vs Russia, but he was mad he wasn't getting a shot, and probably deserved one.

He wouldn't have been in Iowa last year either.

 

[StateofCelly]

Or you could just hear his motivations straight from Mennell himself instead of speculating.



He was worried the merry go round of the pandemic offseason was going to leave him without a place to play. And he's probably not wrong. Had he signed here, he was likely playing a handful of the 8 games played between Mermis/Addison/Bartowski/Belpedio and sitting on the taxi squad the rest of the time (or picked up on waivers and shuffled around the league similiar to what happened to a handful of other taxi squad players).

I am not the one who speculated or broadcasted that just stating what was out there, and remember the article that Russo released putting this out there. People will retract real quick once they know they are in the wrong, could very well be saying the right things to get back in good graces after messing up. Ultimately I agree with you that he was not in the wrong for his thinking, but him saying all the right things is no different than Theofanous putting word out there through Weekes. Menell took things into his own hands, where lots of players follow the lead of the organization.. not to say he was in the wrong because like I said I agree he had to do what was right for him, but still doesn't justify the way the Wild felt about how he handled it and that was my main point.

If I go tell my boss right now I want a different position or I am going to quit, and then go to a different institution and decide I want to come back.. of course I will say I wanted an opportunity becuase I wasn't sure of availability here. His motivations are his, but doesn't mean the facts are... so it is ultimately speculation unless the Wild came to the table with the same story.. which they wont/nor have to.

 

[57special]

Or you could just hear his motivations straight from Mennell himself instead of speculating.



He was worried the merry go round of the pandemic offseason was going to leave him without a place to play. And he's probably not wrong. Had he signed here, he was likely playing a handful of the 8 games played between Mermis/Addison/Bartowski/Belpedio and sitting on the taxi squad the rest of the time (or picked up on waivers and shuffled around the league similiar to what happened to a handful of other taxi squad players).

I am not the one who speculated or broadcasted that just stating what was out there, and remember the article that Russo released putting this out there. People will retract real quick once they know they are in the wrong, could very well be saying the right things to get back in good graces after messing up. Ultimately I agree with you that he was not in the wrong for his thinking, but him saying all the right things is no different than Theofanous putting word out there through Weekes. Menell took things into his own hands, where lots of players follow the lead of the organization.. not to say he was in the wrong because like I said I agree he had to do what was right for him, but still doesn't justify the way the Wild felt about how he handled it and that was my main point.

If I go tell my boss right now I want a different position or I am going to quit, and then go to a different institution and decide I want to come back.. of course I will say I wanted an opportunity becuase I wasn't sure of availability here. His motivations are his, but doesn't mean the facts are... so it is ultimately speculation unless the Wild came to the table with the same story.. which they wont/nor have to.

I think that you are forgetting just how up in the air the AHL season was due to Covid. Even the NHL season was. It was thought that the AHL might not even have a season (just like the OHL), so he decided to go the KHL route, and got in a more or less full season. Playing a shortened, Covid diluted AHL season or sitting on his ass on a taxi squad was obviously a worse option for him. No mystery here.

 

[ThatGuy22]

I am not the one who speculated or broadcasted that just stating what was out there, and remember the article that Russo released putting this out there. People will retract real quick once they know they are in the wrong, could very well be saying the right things to get back in good graces after messing up. Ultimately I agree with you that he was not in the wrong for his thinking, but him saying all the right things is no different than Theofanous putting word out there through Weekes. Menell took things into his own hands, where lots of players follow the lead of the organization.. not to say he was in the wrong because like I said I agree he had to do what was right for him, but still doesn't justify the way the Wild felt about how he handled it and that was my main point.

If I go tell my boss right now I want a different position or I am going to quit, and then go to a different institution and decide I want to come back.. of course I will say I wanted an opportunity becuase I wasn't sure of availability here. His motivations are his, but doesn't mean the facts are... so it is ultimately speculation unless the Wild came to the table with the same story.. which they wont/nor have to.

It's not revisitionist history when it's also occums razor. When he signed all the comments around here were along the lines of "that makes sense, who knows what's happening in the AHL this year".

 

[StateofCelly]

I think that you are forgetting just how up in the air the AHL season was due to Covid. Even the NHL season was. It was thought that the AHL might not even have a season (just like the OHL), so he decided to go the KHL route, and got in a more or less full season. Playing a shortened, Covid diluted AHL season or sitting on his ass on a taxi squad was obviously a worse option for him. No mystery here.

I am not forgetting it or really even over looking it, and if that were the true motive I can agree. I just feel like there is more to the story, but then again that could have been Russo projecting things like that for the Wild no different than Weekes did for Theofanous. I like Menell a lot, he gave my son a broken stick at an Iowa Wild game we went to... I was just re-visiting the speculation that there was more to the decision than the face value he is giving. Even still I would lean to his side of support for the reasons you stated.. he didn't deserve to rot on the taxi squad this year and could have been given more of a chance in the bubble as well.

 

[StateofCelly]

It's not revisitionist history when it's also occums razor. When he signed all the comments around here were along the lines of "that makes sense, who knows what's happening in the AHL this year".

I wasn't talking about the comments here. For the most part I agree more with what I read on these threads than I do from journalists because of the discussion. Granted there is a vast rabbit hole you can go down real quick, but the speculation still existed outside of this script. As I stated above I would side with Menell even if the speculation were fact, I am not against him. I was more bringing it up as he bet on himself and forced the team into admitting its wrongs. Cole was a great veteran addition, and Addison could use more time.. I still believe we are losing a defenseman and more thankful I don't have to watch Brad Hunt suit up over a kid like Menell again (hopefully)

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

I know the gripe with him will be that he wants a 1-way deal. And, though I don’t know the ramifications of a deal like others might, I don’t see the issue with signing him to something like a 2 year 700k deal. Best case scenario we get a cheap, serviceable defenseman. Worst case, we have a hunt replacement as 7D.

 

[57special]

I think he'll be getting a 2 year, one way deal at more than 1M per.