Management Fire Billy Big Balls

[AKL]

To comment on this, Russo said he knows for a fact that Guerin tried to trade Dumba, just like Fenton also did. Turns out there's no market for a bad defensive defender with mediocre offensive numbers making 6m a year in a stagnant cap growth league.

There is no market at the price Guerin was asking*

And the rumors all said he was asking for a top six center. You can come down from that ask and still get a good return for that player. Everyone and their mother knew he was asking too much.

 

[Parax]

There is no market at the price Guerin was asking*

And the rumors all said he was asking for a top six center. You can come down from that ask and still get a good return for that player. Everyone and their mother knew he was asking too much.

Well not only did Russo actually address that during his rant in the post game discussion when he said no team would even take his 6 million dollar contract, I really doubt Fenton was holding out for a top 6 center after the trades he made to tear down the core of the team.

 

[AKL]

Well not only did Russo actually address that during his rant in the post game discussion when he said no team would even take his 6 million dollar contract, I really doubt Fenton was holding out for a top 6 center after the trades he made to tear down the core of the team.

Fenton was here for 10 months and Dumba was injured during that time.

 

[Wasted Talent]

Fenton was here for 10 months and Dumba was injured during that time.

Russo also didn't exactly have the inside scoop on Fenton's intentions.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

Guerin hasn't contributed positively to this current roster in any way. When he was hired he inherited Kaprizov, Fiala, Boldy, Suter, Zuccarello, Spurgeon, Eriksson Ek, Foligno, Greenway, Brodin, Hartman and Zucker. He inherited all of those, he didn't acquire any of them himself.

He has since removed a few of those guys without bringing in any suitable replacements. Zucker for Addison and 1st might go down as his least bad move, depending on how Addison keeps progressing and how Lambos turns out.

The rest of his "successes" have been a result of hiring a scout who seems to be good at his job.

The other guys Guerin has brought in via trade during his time here:

Galchenyuk- non-factor, already gone
Bjugstad- non-factor, already gone
Johansson- non-factor, already gone
Nick Bonino- non-factor, already gone
Ian Cole- non-factor, already gone
Nolan Stevens- AHL forward, non-factor, already gone
Brandon Baddock- AHL forward, non-factor
Tyson Jost- non-factor, soon to be gone
Nicolas Deslauriers- non-factor, already gone
Jake Middleton- good bottom pair defenseman
MA Fleury- average starting goaltender (to replace another average starting goaltender)
Filip Gustavsson- let's call him an average backup goaltender (to replace an above average backup goaltender, ultimately)

That's not even getting into the fact that the best player he's signed via free agency is a bottom six player that's been forced into a top six role he clearly isn't good enough for.

He gave Goligoski 2 more years and a NMC, now Goligoski is the 7th D getting healthy scratched every night.
Kulikov was overpaid and then promptly shipped out for nothing.

This is a guy who said "it's about f***ing winning" but then hasn't done anything but strip down what should have been a perennial playoff team to it's most basic components, resulting in a fringe playoff team. He has yet to demonstrate he knows how to acquire NHL talent. He is going on his fourth season as an NHL GM, he no longer gets the benefit of the doubt or the "wait and see" approach.

I'm fully aware that he is not on the hot seat until the buyouts are over and Kaprizov leaves, but it's crystal clear to see that he is not the reason for this teams success, and neither is the coach he extended.

Yeah I think it's fair to look at the actual moves Guerin has made and the impact it's had on the team, and I think it's not done enough by the media. The unfortunate truth is that he will be judged on success relative to expectations, and up until this year the team has largely overperformed, even if not by his doing. I want to say the best move he made was signing Talbot, but everyone and their mother knew that the goaltending was holding the team back. Dubnyk set a record for most goals let in above expected since NST had started tracking that. That being said, I don't think that Guerin was put in a very favorable position team construction wise. Sure, Kaprizov is a game changer, but he inherited an old team that was full of bad contracts. It seems to me based on his accumulation of draft capital and propsects that he would have wanted to do a full rebuild but Kaprizov made that impossible. He's obviously going to be here a while longer. He always says "I know what a good team looks like" and he's going to have 3 more years after this most likely to put the rest of the pieces in place to building one. I think when the buyouts are done, it will be that year, Kaprizov's last year, where we see if he really knows what a good team looks like. If he doesn't he absolutely has to be gone.

 

[AKL]

He always says "I know what a good team looks like" and he's going to have 3 more years after this most likely to put the rest of the pieces in place to building one. I think when the buyouts are done, it will be that year, Kaprizov's last year, where we see if he really knows what a good team looks like. If he doesn't he absolutely has to be gone.

I have a feeling that, in that last year, post-buyouts, with Kaprizov on the final year of his contract, if the team doesn't do well, we're going to hear a lot of excuses about how one year post-buyouts isn't enough for him to build a good team.

I just don't trust him to assemble a Cup contending roster. I have no doubt he knows what a good team looks like. I believe YOU know what a good team looks like. I believe I know what a good team looks like. So that's not my concern. My concern is whether or not he can build a great team that can contend for a Cup. And I don't see that right now. He's cutting right through the middle of "rebuild" and "go for it" just like every GM before him. And so far, just like every GM before him, the results are a bunch of mediocrity.

I think his philosophy of not trying to win a trade, just trying to find a fair deal for both sides, even if just lip service, is pretty much what he's shown. He doesn't win trades. He had the opportunity to win a Dumba trade at some point in the last few years, and he chose to keep him instead, and now Dumba is gonna walk for nothing.

And frankly I think his ego gets in his way at times, like with the Talbot situation, and the Fiala situation.

So all things considered, I would prefer he isn't the guy in charge of building for that one year post-buyouts. Nothing I've seen from him or his plan so far indicate to me that he's capable of building the team he needs to between now and then.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

I have a feeling that, in that last year, post-buyouts, with Kaprizov on the final year of his contract, if the team doesn't do well, we're going to hear a lot of excuses about how one year post-buyouts isn't enough for him to build a good team.

I just don't trust him to assemble a Cup contending roster. I have no doubt he knows what a good team looks like. I believe YOU know what a good team looks like. I believe I know what a good team looks like. So that's not my concern. My concern is whether or not he can build a great team that can contend for a Cup. And I don't see that right now. He's cutting right through the middle of "rebuild" and "go for it" just like every GM before him. And so far, just like every GM before him, the results are a bunch of mediocrity.

I think his philosophy of not trying to win a trade, just trying to find a fair deal for both sides, even if just lip service, is pretty much what he's shown. He doesn't win trades. He had the opportunity to win a Dumba trade at some point in the last few years, and he chose to keep him instead, and now Dumba is gonna walk for nothing.

And frankly I think his ego gets in his way at times, like with the Talbot situation, and the Fiala situation.

So all things considered, I would prefer he isn't the guy in charge of building for that one year post-buyouts. Nothing I've seen from him or his plan so far indicate to me that he's capable of building the team he needs to between now and then.

I agree with what your saying, and I'm sure there will be excuses made for him years from now when still nothing has been done. I'm just saying the reality is that he's going to be safe for a while.

 

[AKL]

I agree with what your saying, and I'm sure there will be excuses made for him years from now when still nothing has been done. I'm just saying the reality is that he's going to be safe for a while.

Oh for sure, I will fully acknowledge his job isn't in any danger until after that year at least, for better or worse. At this point I'm just hoping he gets lucky and does stumble into another gifted cornerstone player. If we did happen to draft a Bedard or Fantilli and they ended up being like a Matthews, McDavid, MacKinnon quality center, that would mask a lot of his deficiencies.

Similar to how stumbling into a team with Kaprizov, Boldy, Fiala already in the system masked a lot of his deficiencies up through last season.

 

[57special]

Guerin will get a pass from Leipold until the buyouts are over, at the very least. I think that Leipold understands that Guerin had nothing to do with the contracts, and that they were always going to be problematic towards the end of the term, especially once the NHL ruled on them.

Evason... let's just say that the seat is going to be warm around Christmas time if the team doesn't improve.

 

[Minnesota]

Before Billy gets fired, tell me who he’s getting replaced with. I suspect things could be worse.

 

[GordieGallant]

November 16th and the pitchforks and torches are out. It’s Big Balls Billy.

 

[GordieGallant]

Before Billy gets fired, tell me who he’s getting replaced with. I suspect things could be worse.

AKL. We would have Stanley Cup in Minnesota.

 

[AKL]

AKL. We would have Stanley Cup in Minnesota.

I'm flattered that you think so highly of me. Thanks.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Before Billy gets fired, tell me who he’s getting replaced with. I suspect things could be worse.

Hnat Domenichelli

 

[Minnewildsota]

Hnat Domenichelli

Gesundheit!

 

[Digitalbooya]

November 16th and the pitchforks and torches are out. It’s Big Balls Billy.

I like my version better.

 

[chchelseII]

Billy’s screwed this up so badly I think it’s time to seriously considering trading Kap. He’ll be 28 the year we emerge from self imposed cap hell. There will be little to no offensive talent around him and our prospects will be extremely early in their NHL careers (think Rossi). By the time they’ve matured, he’ll be on the downside of his career. There is little to no benefit of having him on the roster at this point.

 

[Minnewildsota]

Billy’s screwed this up so badly I think it’s time to seriously considering trading Kap. He’ll be 28 the year we emerge from self imposed cap hell. There will be little to no offensive talent around him and our prospects will be extremely early in their NHL careers (think Rossi). By the time they’ve matured, he’ll be on the downside of his career. There is little to no benefit of having him on the roster at this point.

Not that I disagree entirely but I don’t really blame Guerin for that. It would have been hard to ice a competitive lineup regardless with the Suter and Parise contracts in regards to their on ice performances due to age.

 

[fredrikstad]

Not that I disagree entirely but I don’t really blame Guerin for that. It would have been hard to ice a competitive lineup regardless with the Suter and Parise contracts in regards to their on ice performances due to age.

I would blame it on Bettman, NHLPA and the CBA for this issue. Allowing a new rule of cap penalties for buyouts, to include dumb decisions made several years ago is wrong.
And it robs Kaprizov, The Wild and the entire leauge from surrounding him with a decent 1C, and secondary scoring, to prevent opponents to only have to shut him down. And it's for three years of his prime. Very sad for the hockey community in general, and for Kap especially.

 

[Wabit]

Not that I disagree entirely but I don’t really blame Guerin for that. It would have been hard to ice a competitive lineup regardless with the Suter and Parise contracts in regards to their on ice performances due to age.

Parise (5g/8p) would be 5th on Wild in points and goals so far this year.

Maybe it's just me but I'd rather have Parise playing the 12/13 FWD for $7.54m rather than the $8.37m spent on the buyout + Jost to be the 12/13 FWD. The same goes for Suter and Goli as the 7 d-man. That's an extra $1.7m in cap space this year. The next 2 years the buyout only "saves" the team $167K (each). Then there is the $1.67m dead cap hit for 4 more years due to the buyouts.

 

[Arturia Pendragon]

I would blame it on Bettman, NHLPA and the CBA for this issue. Allowing a new rule of cap penalties for buyouts, to include dumb decisions made several years ago is wrong.
And it robs Kaprizov, The Wild and the entire leauge from surrounding him with a decent 1C, and secondary scoring, to prevent opponents to only have to shut him down. And it's for three years of his prime. Very sad for the hockey community in general, and for Kap especially.

This. So this.

 

[63firebird]

Someone was mentioning not to be negative but I’m trying to find the positives. What are they exactly?

 

[TaLoN]

Someone was mentioning not to be negative but I’m trying to find the positives. What are they exactly?

Here are some positive things...

The 2022-23 Wild Positivity Thread

No complaining, no sarcasm. Just say something positive about our team. I'll start. 1- Boldy looks great. Stronger than last year. 2- JEE looks really good. Same as always, really, except a little bit more. His contract is going to look like a steal in a couple of years.

forums.hfboards.com

 

[Digitalbooya]

Someone was mentioning not to be negative but I’m trying to find the positives. What are they exactly?

We are gonna have a top 15 pick?