Player Discussion Kevin Fiala

[Dr Jan Itor]

Pretty clear that BBB isn't a Fiala fan. Amazing skill set but Fiala is as dumb as a rock. Constantly trying to make something out of nothing. Sometimes he creates, most times he turns the puck over at the offensive blue line.

Yeah. We should go back to full dump-and-chase mode. That was fun.

 

[IAHockey25]

Yeah. We should go back to full dump-and-chase mode. That was fun.

Won't have hurt them in game 4 to do that

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Won't have hurt them in game 4 to do that

I know they’ve been few and far between in our history, but we really don’t need to be afraid of offensive-minded players.

 

[IAHockey25]

I know they’ve been few and far between in our history, but we really don’t need to be afraid of offensive-minded players.

The farthest the Wild have ever been in the playoffs was with basically zero offensive players...

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

The farthest the Wild have ever been in the playoffs was with basically zero offensive players...

Let’s do that again then, see what happens.

 

[AKL]

The farthest the Wild have ever been in the playoffs was with basically zero offensive players...

That doesn't mean it's something we should strive for...

 

[north21]

The farthest the Wild have ever been in the playoffs was with basically zero offensive players...

Lets not depend on anomalies, great teams loaded with talent win the cup.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Everyone is thinking Guerin is going to ask for futures, but that doesn't make a lot of sense. The sense I get is that Guerin still thinks this team is competitive even without Fiala. So why take a flyer on a guy like Holtz? My gut says he's going to trade Fiala for a cheap roster player similar to Hartman and hope it works out.

 

[57special]

Everyone is thinking Guerin is going to ask for futures, but that doesn't make a lot of sense. The sense I get is that Guerin still thinks this team is competitive even without Fiala. So why take a flyer on a guy like Holtz? My gut says he's going to trade Fiala for a cheap roster player similar to Hartman and hope it works out.

Drafted higher than Rossi, but had none of his injury downtime. PPG in the AHL, and had a bit of NHL TOI last year. Slots in perfectly with Boldy(passer), Gaudreau(two way C), as a shoot first sniper. He's on an ELC- you can't find cheaper.

If you have a better suggestion, I'm all ears. I'm thinking that Holtz is a pretty sure thing to be a cost controlled top 9 NHL'er(with upside) next year.

 

[Spurgeon]

Everyone is thinking Guerin is going to ask for futures, but that doesn't make a lot of sense. The sense I get is that Guerin still thinks this team is competitive even without Fiala. So why take a flyer on a guy like Holtz? My gut says he's going to trade Fiala for a cheap roster player similar to Hartman and hope it works out.

It’s not really a flyer. He’s an NHL ready blue chip prospect that is on an ELC for 3 years. He fits in exactly with the premise of your post (i.e. a cheap roster player). That is exactly who Guerin should be targeting.

The other route that Guerin could go is getting a third party to retain 50% of an established player’s contract in a trade for Fiala. No clue what I’d target there, but that’s the other way to limit the impact of the buyout penalties.

 

[IAHockey25]

Lets not depend on anomalies, great teams loaded with talent win the cup.

Correction. Teams that are filled with team first players who have talent win the cup.

That doesn't mean it's something we should strive for...

Correct, but what are you striving for?

 

[TaLoN]

Correction. Teams that are filled with team first players who have talent win the cup.



Correct, but what are you striving for?

That team had a HoF coach, with one hell of a young offensive player in Gaborik who had an amazing playoff run, and a pair of streaky goaltenders the team was able to switch back and forth to get great postseason goaltending to advance.

It STILL needed all the luck in the world for that single playoff run, because they played WAY over their heads. The next season, virtually the same roster came crashing back to reality and failed to even sniff the playoffs.

So, no. It was not a roster of team first players with the talent to win a cup. It was an anomaly that had everything happen JUST RIGHT at JUST THE RIGHT TIME to make a fluke run only to get stopped by another team on a fluke run of their own because of their insane level of goaltending from Giguere.

I believe we have a roster FAR better than that one now, but FAR WORSE coaching, and not sure if the goaltending is near as good either.

 

[IAHockey25]

That team had a HoF coach, with one hell of a young offensive player in Gaborik who had an amazing playoff run, and a pair of streaky goaltenders the team was able to switch back and forth to get great postseason goaltending to advance.

It STILL needed all the luck in the world for that single playoff run, because they played WAY over their heads. The next season, virtually the same roster came crashing back to reality and failed to even sniff the playoffs.

So, no. It was not a roster of team first players with the talent to win a cup. It was an anomaly that had everything happen JUST RIGHT at JUST THE RIGHT TIME to make a fluke run only to get stopped by another team on a fluke run of their own because of their insane level of goaltending from Giguere.

I believe we have a roster FAR better than that one now, but FAR WORSE coaching, and not sure if the goaltending is near as good either.

Ok, but that's not what I was even replying. I know that team wasn't a roster full off talented players. I was replying and saying you need a need a roster of talented players who play the right way to win the cup. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don't play the right way who cares. At that point, you might as well have a less talented team like the Wild did who played the right way and got farther in the playoffs.

 

[TaLoN]

Ok, but that's not what I was even replying. I know that team wasn't a roster full off talented players. I was replying and saying you need a need a roster of talented players who play the right way to win the cup. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don't play the right way who cares. At that point, you might as well have a less talented team like the Wild did who played the right way and got farther in the playoffs.

A lot of that has to do with coaching. Even despite a HoF head coach, that team couldn't remotely catch that lightning in the bottle twice... so no, going for that less talented team is still not an option.

That isn't a real path to success. You want BOTH the talent AND the coaching to get them playing the best they can.

 

[north21]

Ok, but that's not what I was even replying. I know that team wasn't a roster full off talented players. I was replying and saying you need a need a roster of talented players who play the right way to win the cup. You can have all the talent in the world but if you don't play the right way who cares. At that point, you might as well have a less talented team like the Wild did who played the right way and got farther in the playoffs.

Its the cup, you really need to be really good and catch lighting in a bottle. 5-10 very talented teams get sent packing every year, but a huge majority of the time the team knocking at the door or reaching the cup finals are not big underdogs on miracle runs but obviously this does happen from time to time. I just think we are better off being among the contenders then hoping for miracles.

 

[IAHockey25]

Its the cup, you really need to be really good and catch lighting in a bottle. 5-10 very talented teams get sent packing every year, but a huge majority of the time the team knocking at the door or reaching the cup finals are not big underdogs on miracle runs but obviously this does happen from time to time. I just think we are better off being among the contenders then hoping for miracles.

Maybe I am not saying this right. Let me be very black and white. You are no better having a talented team who doesn't play the right way as having a subpar team who plays the right waybin the playoffs.


The question is, does Kevin have that in him to make the right plays? If not, his value isn't as high as we think. If he does, he should fetch a kings ransom

 

[TaLoN]

Maybe I am not saying this right. Let me be very black and white. You are no better having a talented team who doesn't play the right way as having a subpar team who plays the right waybin the playoffs.


The question is, does Kevin have that in him to make the right plays? If not, his value isn't as high as we think. If he does, he should fetch a kings ransom

You first have to at least make the playoffs... he absolutely helps with that, and that is why he's going to carry value more than anything else.

 

[Uberdachen]

Not gonna have any value until he trims those sideburns.

 

[Webster]

Maybe I am not saying this right. Let me be very black and white. You are no better having a talented team who doesn't play the right way as having a subpar team who plays the right waybin the playoffs.


The question is, does Kevin have that in him to make the right plays? If not, his value isn't as high as we think. If he does, he should fetch a kings ransom

Fiala is overrated imo. He only had 30 points by the end of Jan, then he took off. As Guerin said..."3 good months". Then in the playoffs...omg how he hurt the team with his penalties and turnovers.

GM's aren't dumb, I'm not even sure if there is one out there who wants to give up a 1st for him, but we'll see.

 

[Bazeek]

Fiala is overrated imo. He only had 30 points by the end of Jan, then he took off. As Guerin said..."3 good months". Then in the playoffs...omg how he hurt the team with his penalties and turnovers.

GM's aren't dumb, I'm not even sure if there is one out there who wants to give up a 1st for him, but we'll see.

Not dumb, but I'd bet most of them could count to 6 without thinking they'd counted to 8.

 

[Webster]

Not dumb, but I'd bet most of them could count to 6 without thinking they'd counted to 8.

Yeah and I'm sure they know that 2 x 6 isn't 16

 

[Bazeek]

Yeah and I'm sure they know that 2 x 6 isn't 16

My point is that you seem to have a poor grasp of what actually happened in those games, for reasons that don't take a lot of deduction.

Fiala didn't perform great, along with about 18-20 other Wild players and the coaching staff. None of that is why he's going to be traded, and while I kind of respect Guerin for trying to provide air support for Dumba (who's been dragged into the discussion for reasons that don't really have anything to do with his play), the "three good months" talk is such bald-faced, ass-covering revisionism that I don't know how anyone that watches this team could take it seriously.

The actual problem is this: Guerin decided last summer to trade a player that most of the fanbase is going to be pissed to see traded. They're not riled up about 3 good months, they're riled up because they recognize that Fiala isn't the sort of player we've seen a lot of in Minnesota over the last 20 years.

Maybe the media taking the kid gloves off a little has him testier than usual, but it's a far sight better than it'll be if he botches this trade.

 

[ProfessorMcFatty]

I don't post a lot, but it seems like Fiala is the scapegoat for the Wild's Playoff failure, which I don't understand. I don't think he played great, but outside of Kaprizov and Ek, who did?

Hartman had 5 apples riding shotgun on the Wild's best line. Zuc had 1 more point than Fiala. That's about it for the team's offense. Again, I'm disappointed, but I'm blown away that everyone is so eager to trade away a 25 yo 85 point player for magic beans. How often does a draft pick ever turn into anything close to Fiala? In the history of wild, twice? At 25, I think there's still time to work on how to succeed in the playoffs. If we get, say Ottawa's 7th OA pick in a weak draft, statistically, isn't that like a 50/50 shot of turning into a decent 1st liner?

I get that budget might force Fiala to be traded, but I don't love it. At least he was fun to watch in the regular season, and helped get us to the playoffs. Didn't feel like Fiala performing would have been enough to even get to the 2nd round.

Am I missing something?

 

[Wild11MN]

I don't post a lot, but it seems like Fiala is the scapegoat for the Wild's Playoff failure, which I don't understand. I don't think he played great, but outside of Kaprizov and Ek, who did?

Hartman had 5 apples riding shotgun on the Wild's best line. Zuc had 1 more point than Fiala. That's about it for the team's offense. Again, I'm disappointed, but I'm blown away that everyone is so eager to trade away a 25 yo 85 point player for magic beans. How often does a draft pick ever turn into anything close to Fiala? In the history of wild, twice? At 25, I think there's still time to work on how to succeed in the playoffs. If we get, say Ottawa's 7th OA pick in a weak draft, statistically, isn't that like a 50/50 shot of turning into a decent 1st liner?

I get that budget might force Fiala to be traded, but I don't love it. At least he was fun to watch in the regular season, and helped get us to the playoffs. Didn't feel like Fiala performing would have been enough to even get to the 2nd round.

Am I missing something?

Not really missing anything. It's just natural for your best player (other than Kirill) to be the scapegoat after not producing in the playoffs two consecutive years. I think most people are well-aware the team will get worse when he's gone, and few actually want him out of here. It's just the reality, and they should get a haul for him. Making him the scapegoat probably alleviates the pain of trading him in some peoples' eyes.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

I don't post a lot, but it seems like Fiala is the scapegoat for the Wild's Playoff failure, which I don't understand. I don't think he played great, but outside of Kaprizov and Ek, who did?

Hartman had 5 apples riding shotgun on the Wild's best line. Zuc had 1 more point than Fiala. That's about it for the team's offense. Again, I'm disappointed, but I'm blown away that everyone is so eager to trade away a 25 yo 85 point player for magic beans. How often does a draft pick ever turn into anything close to Fiala? In the history of wild, twice? At 25, I think there's still time to work on how to succeed in the playoffs. If we get, say Ottawa's 7th OA pick in a weak draft, statistically, isn't that like a 50/50 shot of turning into a decent 1st liner?

I get that budget might force Fiala to be traded, but I don't love it. At least he was fun to watch in the regular season, and helped get us to the playoffs. Didn't feel like Fiala performing would have been enough to even get to the 2nd round.

Am I missing something?

I don’t think many really want to trade him, most here just understand it’s almost 100% going to happen based of bgs comments and the cap issues.