Speculation: If you were GM of Minnesota what direction would you take?

[Digitalbooya]

Current Lineup:

Zucker-Staal-Fiala
Parise-Koivu-Kunin
Donato-Eriksson Ek-Greenway
Foligno-Rask-Brown
Sturm

Suter-Dumba
Brodin-Spurgeon
Seeler-Pateryn

Dubnyk​

Stalock

Top Prospects:
Kirill Kaprizov
Louis Belpedio
Kaapo Kahkonen
Filip Johansson
Brennan Menell
Jack McBain
Alex Khovanov

Cap Space: $21.5m
RFAs to re-sign: Fiala, Donato, Eriksson Ek, Sturm
Roster Spots After: 21/23

Bad Contracts: Rask, Parise(NMC), Suter(NMC)

NTC: Zucker (10 team no-trade starting July 1st), Spurgeon (10 team no-trade), Dubnyk (19 teams he will accept a trade to), Dumba (10 team no-trade starting July 1st 2021)

NMC: Suter, Parise, Koivu

Top Organization Needs:
1. Young top 6 centers
2. Right wingers (right handed forwards)
3. Better backup goaltender

Top Organizational Strengths:
1. Left wingers
2. Right handed defenseman
3. Cap space


What would you do as general manager of the Minnesota Wild?

Click to read more...

 

[TruePowerSlave]

Rebuild

They are not going to compete with that roster and it will only get uglier once the old dudes get worse

 

[TorontoTrades]

Build a time machine and not sign Parise.. crazy he still has 5 years left on that deal. 7.5 isnt the end of the world though.

I think they need to retool and rebuild. They're just maintaining bubble team.. they'll either just make it, just miss. Play a round maybe two then are done.

 

[AKL]

This is predictable. Most will come in and say "rebuild" without providing an actual plan and completely disregarding that a rebuild isn't feasible at this point.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

Trade whatever vets have value and rebuild

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

reminds me of the leafs with Burke. Not enough talent to compete in the playoffs, too much talent to draft high end talent. It’s a tough spot to be in, I think a rebuild is the right way to go, but it would be difficult to sell the fans and veterans on the decision

 

[Goulet17]

This is predictable. Most will come in and say "rebuild" without providing an actual plan and completely disregarding that a rebuild isn't feasible at this point.

If that is the case, what is the feasible alternative to building a contender with the current roster? Taking into account that some of the Wild's key players are at critical points in their career due to their ages (Parise, Koivu, Staal, Suter), so building a contender likely needs to be done rapidly for next season or the following IMO. Otherwise, the Wild and Feaster are simply left in no man's land so to speak.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

Build a time machine and not sign Parise.. crazy he still has 5 years left on that deal. 7.5 isnt the end of the world though.

I think they need to retool and rebuild. They're just maintaining bubble team.. they'll either just make it, just miss. Play a round maybe two then are done.

6 years left, actually

 

[returnofthemack29]

Is going back in time before you even hired him in the first place an option? Reverse is a direction...

 

[CupInSIX]

Just simply retool with Kaprizov, Fiala, Donato etc.

Their biggest need is an upgrade on their top 2 Cs IMO.

 

[RationalExpectations]

I believe Minesota should go for a rebuild, but they have to get the maximum value of some key players:

- Parise : 34y old 50-60 point player with a 7.5m cap, I believe he would maybe fetch a low 1st and a prospect in a team willing to contend, especially if Minnesota retains salary
- Zucker : key offensive value, would most likely get a huge overpayment at trade deadline
- Staal: 34y old 50-60 point player with a 3.5m cap, same as Parise without retention and with more impact on the game
- Suter: 34y old still efficient LHD, if Minesota is willing to retain salary here, they would also get high picks/prospects
- Spurgeon: top D man, UFA by the end of the year, a lot of teams are looking for D men so he should also fetch high value picks/prospects
-Dubnyk: trade as long as he has value

I believe that by trading this players, Minnesota should get some key prospects and high picks, allowing them to contend in three years time. I know this is a lot of time for fans but I do not see a better way to do it as MIN. The other possibility is to go full CBJ using picks for rentals but I feel like MIN‘s backbone does not allow for this yet.

 

[KingsFan7824]

If you assume Parise and Suter will be LTIRetiring in 3 years, when their back diving contracts finally dive, you might as well do what you can to try to win now. If they suck, they suck, they get the higher picks, and you keep moving forwards. If there are no compliance buyouts soon, and if those two do say goodbye after 2022, that's going to be $15m in dead cap during the summer where you can't really improve the team. That's probably when you start to willingly rebuild, because those cap hits will be gone by the time the next crop starts getting their 2nd contracts.

I would say it's a year to year thing. You put the best team you can out there in October, see where the team is at the deadline, and then act accordingly.

A lot will just depend on what happens in the next CBA.

 

[Henkka]

- Sell the in-prime aged players at 26-27 range, which will force the team towards a rebuild.
- Get prospects, young players and picks.
- Save the vets for mentoring the next kid core.

Oh, that's what Fenton is already completing.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

I would sell off Zucker and Spurgeon for draft picks. Let’s assume Philadelphia would do Spurgeon for 11OA, because I have seen some fans who would do that, and Zucker for 16 OA(most of Colorado was interested in that.
Draft:
11:Caufield
12:Newhook
16:Tomasino

At this point our lines look like this:

Parise-Staal-Fiala
Donato-Koivu-Kunin
Greenway-Ek-Mayhew
Foligno-Rask-O’rielly

Suter-Dumba
Brodin-Pateryn
Seeler-Mennel/Belpedio

Dubnyk and Stalock

I think we can all agree that that team looks real actively horrible and is capable of picking top 5. So let’s say we draft one of Lafrienere/Byfield/Holtz/Raymond/Lundell in 2020. Any of those players we could use, but I’ll take Raymond as I currently have him 5th out of those 5. 3 years from now, after the expansion draft, our lines will look like this:

Kaprizov-Newhook-Raymond
Fiala-Tomasino-Caufield
Greenway-Ek-Kunin
Parise-Koivu-Donato

Suter-Dumba
Brodin-Belpedio
Xxxx-xxxxx

Kahkonen
Robson

There’s always the likely chance that our picks don’t work out as planned, and our goaltending will be a question mark, but we have more than enough young forwards that a fair amount should workout at this point, add that onto a defense that we know is capable. It’s not a sure science but I definitely like the peices we have now to build on better the wild have ever had, and it’s a group of players I’d be really exited about building around as the GM.

 

[AKL]

If that is the case, what is the feasible alternative to building a contender with the current roster? Taking into account that some of the Wild's key players are at critical points in their career due to their ages (Parise, Koivu, Staal, Suter), so building a contender likely needs to be done rapidly for next season or the following IMO. Otherwise, the Wild and Feaster are simply left in no man's land so to speak.

The simple answer is we hope to get lucky.

Not looking at anything in the past and "well they shouldn't have signed Parise" or "they shouldn't have traded Granlund" or "they should have gotten better value in their trades." You're right, they're in a very, very tough spot right now. Rebuilding isn't feasible because you can't waste the rest of the Suter and Parise contracts trying to stock up on futures. For one, we'll never be bad enough with what we have now to get the high picks. Secondly, you can't justify selling everything off and trying to rebuild while still paying those guys what they're owed. And lastly, you can't trade them because they both have full NMC's, and too much term left, and if you found a suitor, the recapture penalty could sink the team. Honestly, the best thing you hope for if you actually want to tear it all down is another lockout and more compliance buyouts.

And sure, you could potentially sell off all your guys like Spurgeon, Dubnyk, Staal, Zucker, Brodin, maybe even Dumba, get a bunch of high picks and under-20 prospects, but at the end of the day, any plan for a rebuild would fly in the face of one of the three points in my first paragraph. And even then, it's no guarantee that we're better off, unless we do get those compliance buyouts.

At this point, given where the team is today, the best option is to stay the course, but do it much better than Fenton has done in his first year. Zucker will be traded, and you hope it's for a young guy in the same 20-24ish age range that guys like Fiala, Kunin, Greenway, Ek and Donato are in. You hope like hell that those four guys, and then Kaprizov when he arrives, actually become the players they have the potential to be.

We absolutely need to address the lack of top 6 centers going forward. Whether you try to do that in free agency or through the draft or through a trade, it needs to be addressed. Personally, I don't see free agency as the answer. Duchene won't sign here, Hayes won't sign here. Maybe you can get a guy like RNH in a trade and extend him, maybe you sign him as a UFA next summer. Maybe you draft Newhook/Krebs/Dach/Cozens/whoever falls to 12. Maybe you make a trade for a guy like Roslovic and hope he becomes a top 6 center.

Keep the defense as much as you can. We have a good top four right now, Spurgeon should be re-signed. Maybe, if in a few years, Johansson or Belpedio or Mennell or someone else entirely is ready to step into the top 4, you can trade him, but we simply can't right now.

If I'm making a plan for the 2020-21 season right now, in regards to what my goal is to have the lineup looking like, it's this:

Fiala-RNH-Kaprizov
Donato-Roslovic-Kunin
Parise-Eriksson Ek-Greenway

Suter-Dumba
Brodin-Spurgeon
?-Johansson

And I didn't include the 12oa because I have no idea what it'll be. I hope it's Newhook, Dach, Cozens or Krebs, but it could be Broberg, Soderstrom, Seider or Knight. Can fine tune the plan as you go, but right now, that's my goal. And it's still not enough to say, "yeah that team is a cup contender," but it's better than what we have now and realistically, it can't be much better than that.

 

[General Disarray]

Everytime someone asks who the most average or mediocre teams are, them and Calgary get the most votes. Calgary took a huge step into contender status last season. I wonder if Wild can do the same with just a retool (key trades like Calgary)

 

[KingsFan7824]

- Parise : 34y old 50-60 point player with a 7.5m cap, I believe he would maybe fetch a low 1st and a prospect in a team willing to contend, especially if Minnesota retains salary
- Suter: 34y old still efficient LHD, if Minesota is willing to retain salary here, they would also get high picks/prospects

I think that would be an extremely tough sell. They're too old, and the contracts are too long, to be retaining enough to make them attractive alternatives. Not to mention the full NMC's each of them have, and both going to the Wild specifically because it's Minnesota. Toronto retained 15% on Kessel for 7 years, but he was also 27/28 years old when he got traded. Parise will be 35 in July, and Suter 35 during next season. A gigantic difference.

There's almost no chance(never want to say never, but it's really never) of the Wild being able to trade them, much less get something for them. They're not a 28 year old Kessel. The best they could do, is probably take back a contract or two that end up equaling out. Even then, the Wild would probably have to add because the remaining term is just so much(although I guess you could call the Flyers these days, who knows). Nobody needs old dudes with big contracts. Those guys depreciate by the second.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

If I'm Minnesota's GM, I try to learn that if you're trading away a player of lesser value than the one you're acquiring, you can get back some draft picks or something.

 

[RationalExpectations]

I think that would be an extremely tough sell. They're too old, and the contracts are too long, to be retaining enough to make them attractive alternatives. Not to mention the full NMC's each of them have, and both going to the Wild specifically because it's Minnesota. Toronto retained 15% on Kessel for 7 years, but he was also 27/28 years old when he got traded. Parise will be 35 in July, and Suter 35 during next season. A gigantic difference.

There's almost no chance(never want to say never, but it's really never) of the Wild being able to trade them, much less get something for them. They're not a 28 year old Kessel. The best they could do, is probably take back a contract or two that end up equaling out. Even then, the Wild would probably have to add because the remaining term is just so much(although I guess you could call the Flyers these days, who knows). Nobody needs old dudes with big contracts. Those guys depreciate by the second.

If I were Minnesota s GM I would accept to retain as much as it takes on Parise‘s salary, same on Suter, they have no cap issue and with the increasing cap even wasting 5m on rentention won t be that much of a big deal in 3 years if you get the right assets right now ! I agree the NMC is an issue but if a contender is willing to get them, that may entice them to waive to have a last shot at a Stanley Cup

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

This has been talked to death. Feels like every couple months another thread pops up.

First of all, the Wild's veteran core (Suter, Parise, Koivu) will probably be there for the next 3 years. Parise and Suter for sure (they have 3 years left before salary drops dramatically) and i'd imagine Koivu will want to be a lifetime Wild, so as long as he can play they'll probably give their captain short term deals. Staal and Dubnyk also have 2 years left.

There's tremendous respect between this group and the organization, and they want to win.

Rebuild is obviously inevitable, but if other comparable contracts are any indication Parise and Suter will go down with some "injury" possibly in 22-23. That's also when Koivu is turning 39 years old and might just retire.

So in other words, there's a ~3 year window remaining for the Wild to compete for a playoff spot. Kaprizov will presumably join the team for the last 2 and it'll be good for him to see the veteran group in action and guide him before torches start getting passed around.

Then you look at the best assets the Wild has to sell - and there's not many. Spurgeon is an UFA after next season, and will probably be traded if they aren't in a playoff spot by the TDL.

Jason Zucker has 4 years left. His trade value might not change much at all from this point to when he has 2 years left - completely dependant on how he performs. It's one of those things i feel like the Wild don't HAVE to trade him right now. He's only 27 and will for sure have some good years during this contract.

The rest - Fiala, Dumba, Brodin, Greenway etc. are in their early/mid 20's and there's not much of a reason to trade them just for the sake of trading. They'll eventually be the veteran group on this team down the line.

So to recap: If the Wild chose to sell right now there's really not THAT much to sell. Nothing compared to the New York Rangers for example who could easily trade McDonagh, Hayes, Zuccarello, Miller, Nash in like one calendar year and get a bunch of stuff back.

If there was a trade to be made for Suter/Parise that worked out then sure, going full firesale right now would be the best option, but assuming that's not the case i think the Wild should try and have a competitive mindset without doing anything too ridiculous for the next couple years. Let the team decide how quickly this rebuilding process is going to take place. If the vets want to pour their heart and soul into 1-2 more good years and guys step up then support them. Maybe the team surprises and wins a couple playoff rounds. Their back-end is still pretty solid and if the vets can still play at a good level with some young guys taking timely steps this isn't too bad of a team to be honest.

But if it looks like it's not happening then do what's necessary and trade everyone you possibly can and ice Rask as your #1C for all i care.

 

[AKL]

First of all, the Wild's veteran core (Suter, Parise, Koivu) will probably be there for the next 3 years. Parise and Suter for sure (they have 3 years left before salary drops dramatically) and i'd imagine Koivu will want to be a lifetime Wild, so as long as he can play they'll probably give their captain short term deals. Staal and Dubnyk also have 2 years left.

Koivu's contract ends after this season and honestly it's 50/50 whether he comes back or not. If we address the center issue this year I don't see him coming back. He had a pretty serious injury this year, and I really don't even know how much longer he wants to play. I would say he'd probably even get traded at the deadline this year if we're out of a playoff spot, but then, rumor has it there was a 1st on the table for Staal and Fenton declined it because Staal didn't want to go. So if Koivu wants to stay through the season, who knows, he probably will, unfortunately.

Then you look at the best assets the Wild has to sell - and there's not many. Spurgeon is an UFA after next season, and will probably be traded if they aren't in a playoff spot by the TDL.

All signs point towards Spurgeon re-signing, and until they don't, we'll assume he will.

Jason Zucker has 4 years left. His trade value might not change much at all from this point to when he has 2 years left - completely dependant on how he performs. It's one of those things i feel like the Wild don't HAVE to trade him right now. He's only 27 and will for sure have some good years during this contract.

Zucker is gone before training camp, you can book it.

So to recap: If the Wild chose to sell right now there's really not THAT much to sell. Nothing compared to the New York Rangers for example who could easily trade McDonagh, Hayes, Zuccarello, Miller, Nash in like one calendar year and get a bunch of stuff back.

That's because we already did that with Granlund, Coyle, Nino and soon to be Zucker. Spurgeon would be our McDonagh, and as I said, he's likely to re-sign.
And I don't want to get into a discussion of the value we got back, it's not relevant, but I will say the reason we didn't get "a bunch of stuff back" is because we weren't looking for futures, we were looking for young players who can play now.

If there was a trade to be made for Suter/Parise that worked out then sure, going full firesale right now would be the best option, but assuming that's not the case i think the Wild should try and have a competitive mindset without doing anything too ridiculous for the next couple years. Let the team decide how quickly this rebuilding process is going to take place. If the vets want to pour their heart and soul into 1-2 more good years and guys step up then support them. Maybe the team surprises and wins a couple playoff rounds. Their back-end is still pretty solid and if the vets can still play at a good level with some young guys taking timely steps this isn't too bad of a team to be honest.

Going full firesale is not the best option after already trading Granlund, Coyle and Nino. If we were going to go full firesale it should have been before we traded them, and it would have affected the types of pieces we got in return. At this point it's far better to build around the 22ish year olds.

 

[CraigsList]

Well, you obviously take the rebuild route, but it’s not as easy as people think. This requires a lot of time and process, not just NHL19 GM mode.

 

[Bazeek]

If I were Minnesota s GM I would accept to retain as much as it takes on Parise‘s salary, same on Suter, they have no cap issue and with the increasing cap even wasting 5m on rentention won t be that much of a big deal in 3 years if you get the right assets right now ! I agree the NMC is an issue but if a contender is willing to get them, that may entice them to waive to have a last shot at a Stanley Cup

You're going to retain $5m for 6 years on those guys? How long is this rebuild going to last?

 

[AKL]

You're going to retain $5m for 6 years on those guys? How long is this rebuild going to last?

#WhateverItTakes to dump the almost 30 goal LW and the 1D

 

[returnofthemack29]

You're going to retain $5m for 6 years on those guys? How long is this rebuild going to last?

Sounds like 7