Line Combos: Line predictions next 2 seasons

[Beastieboi]

what are everyone's line predictions for the next two seasons?

I predict Guerin imbraces the suck next season and rolls the dice with these lines

Donato - EEK - Fiala
Kaprizov - MOJO - Zuccarello
Greenway -Bjugstad- Kunin
Foligno - Sturm - Hartman

Suter - Spurgeon
Brodin - Dumba
Soucy - Pateryn

Kahkonen
Stalock

PP1 F- Kap- Bju- Fiala D - Brodin- Dumba
PP2 F - Donato - Ek - Zuccarello
Parise waives and gets traded to any team for basically nothing, minnesota takes 1 year only cap dumps back in return

Dumba stays and increases his trade value, Wild protect 4 and 4, Dumba traded after expansion draft, i predict either Greenway/ donato or Soucy are taken, F protected Kunin, Fiala, Ek, Zucc

The next season

Boldy - Eichel - Fiala
Kaprizov - EK/lundell - Zuccarello
Beckman - EK/lundell - Kunin
Foligno - Sturm- Hartman

Suter - Spurgeon
Brodin -Addison
Soucy/ F.Johansson - Mennell

Kahkonen
Stalock

Dumba had a good season the year before, wild wins lottery twice with picks 1 & 3 packages them with dumba for Eichel 50% retained

Click to read more...

 

[Beastieboi]

Actually after doing my cap calculations buffalo doesn't need to retain

 

[2Pair]

Actually after doing my cap calculations buffalo doesn't need to retain

Well, now it's much more reasonable

 

[Bazeek]

Not sure how I feel about drinking on a Sunday night, but... ah hell, pour me one, too.

 

[Beastieboi]

Well, now it's much more reasonable

Lol, maybe they're more like dreams then predictions, but if i believe it hard enough it will happen

 

[Beastieboi]

Feel free to post your predictions guys

That was why I started this thread

 

[2Pair]

Lol, maybe they're more like dreams then predictions, but if i believe it hard enough it will happen

Speak it into existence

 

[Bazeek]

Feel free to post your predictions guys

That was why I started this thread

Fair enough. Assuming that Parise's off to the Island, in my head the current baseline looks something like this:

Donato - X - Fiala
Kaprizov - Johansson - Zuccarello
Greenway - Eriksson-Ek - Kunin
Foligno - Sturm - Hartman

While the entire forward line-up is still questionable at this point, I have a hard time penciling any of our current players into that 1C spot. If you had to do it I guess I'd just say "screw it" and put Ek up there, Sturm at 3C and Rask at 4C, but just typing that out gave me a blinding headache.

Donato starting on the first like is questionable, but I'll call it karma for a year spent getting the short end of the stick. Whether or not he keeps that spot will be up to him, but it's bound to be a year of experimentation anyway. Give him a shot.

Edit: Oh crap, Bjugstad... yeah, this is why it's so hard to even think about this right now. I guess you can put him at center for now? The more I think about it the crazier it seems to even ask this question yet.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Fair enough. Assuming that Parise's off to the Island, in my head the current baseline looks something like this:

Kunin - Ek - Fiala
Kaprizov - Johansson - Zuccarello
Greenway - Bjugstad - Donato
Foligno - Rask - Hartman

While the entire forward line-up is still questionable at this point, I have a hard time penciling any of our current players into that 1C spot. If you had to do it I guess I'd just say "screw it" and put Ek up there, Sturm at 3C and Rask at 4C, but just typing that out gave me a blinding headache.

Donato starting on the first like is questionable, but I'll call it karma for a year spent getting the short end of the stick. Whether or not he keeps that spot will be up to him, but it's bound to be a year of experimentation anyway. Give him a shot.

Edit: Oh crap, Bjugstad... yeah, this is why it's so hard to even think about this right now. I guess you can put him at center for now? The more I think about it the crazier it seems to even ask this question yet.

i updated your lineup. with dumba not being traded this is how i see us going into next year. i like sturm but i see them puting him back in the ahl for the year.

 

[2Pair]

i updated your lineup. with dumba not being traded this is how i see us going into next year. i like sturm but i see them puting him back in the ahl for the year.

Fiala demands a trade after about 20 games. If you're going to force Ek into the top 6, he needs to be flanked by 2 skill guys.

 

[Bazeek]

i updated your lineup. with dumba not being traded this is how i see us going into next year. i like sturm but i see them puting him back in the ahl for the year.

I think Sturm's ready to rock.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Fiala demands a trade after about 20 games. If you're going to force Ek into the top 6, he needs to be flanked by 2 skill guys.

kunin doesnt have skill?

I think Sturm's ready to rock.

i agree sturm looks ready to rock but with geurin speaking on rasks center playing ability i can just see that as the way they start the year. may not finish with rask in the lineup but opening night i could see sturm in the press box or on lw instead of at c.

 

[2Pair]

kunin doesnt have skill?

i agree sturm looks ready to rock but with geurin speaking on rasks center playing ability i can just see that as the way they start the year. may not finish with rask in the lineup but opening night i could see sturm in the press box or on lw instead of at c.

Nope. Certainly not 1st line skill. A line of Kunin Ek Fiala line would be easy to defend. You overplay Fiala in the nuetral zone forcing him to move the puck to either Kunin or Ek. That results in a dump in. Pretty much neutering Fiala's greatest asset in transition. Fiala would still be able to create some offense on his own, which would result in countless passes into the slot that go through,over, or around Kunin and Ek because both are terrible there. Not to mention that Fiala is still the best shooter on your team and you have him playing with two below average at best playmakers.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Nope. Certainly not 1st line skill. A line of Kunin Ek Fiala line would be easy to defend. You overplay Fiala in the nuetral zone forcing him to move the puck to either Kunin or Ek. That results in a dump in. Pretty much neutering Fiala's greatest asset in transition. Fiala would still be able to create some offense on his own, which would result in countless passes into the slot that go through,over, or around Kunin and Ek because both are terrible there. Not to mention that Fiala is still the best shooter on your team and you have him playing with two below average at best playmakers.

agree to disagree on Eks playmaking ability. i was more so using kunin as a right hand shot finisher to help with fialas playmaking ability.

 

[Legegendsofthenorth]

Fiala demands a trade after about 20 games. If you're going to force Ek into the top 6, he needs to be flanked by 2 skill guys.

I agree with you. This is why I don't understand why we dont trade for Ryan Srome if we can. He has speed and plays a distributor game. Put him with top talent like Fiala and see his numbers similar to last years. 15/20 goals and 30/40 assists.

 

[2Pair]

I agree with you. This is why I don't understand why we dont trade for Ryan Srome if we can. He has speed and plays a distributor game. Put him with top talent like Fiala and see his numbers similar to last years. 15/20 goals and 30/40 assists.

20 goal 40 assist Ryan Strome would be just about perfect for the Wild. The chances that he can be that guy in Minnesota is what Guerin and company would have to figure out. Personally, I don't love his chances of doing that here

 

[57special]

I can't bring myself to care till Guerin does something good, as opposed to something, which seems to be his MO right now. As of now we are going to be bed next year.

 

[TaLoN]

As of now we are going to be bed next year.

As opposed to say... couch?

 

[DeagleJenkins]

As opposed to say... couch?

Or better yet, floor?

 

[MNRube]

A full tank is easier said than done when you Suter, Brodin & Spurgeon. I think the plan is to take a C in the draft, and then acquire another one using Dumba. Team probably remains a bubble team as constructed, I just can’t see them tanking or being terrible. It will be hard for us to have league worst goaltending again and we have a lot more youth than most realize.

In a few years you have #9, JEE, Dumba trade return, Khovanov as possible Top 6 Cs.

 

[P10p]

I don't see how we can be worse than last year as is. We had league worst goaltending so that either is the same or gets better. "Can't get worse". Defense should be the same if not better with all the recovery time for Suter and Dumba. At forward Staal, Gally, and Koivu as they are now are a much worse group than Kaprizov, Bjustad, and MoJo, imo of course...

 

[guitarhunterdude]

I don't see how we can be worse than last year as is. We had league worst goaltending so that either is the same or gets better. "Can't get worse". Defense should be the same if not better with all the recovery time for Suter and Dumba. At forward Staal, Gally, and Koivu as they are now are a much worse group than Kaprizov, Bjustad, and MoJo, imo of course...

By having the same goaltending and running Marcus *Johansson or Ek out as a first-line center. Fiala had an awesome half-season but there's no guarantee that's more than a blip on the radar. Maybe Suter hits the wall. We'll miss Koivu in the bottom-six some as well if we're stuck with Sturm on a checking line I think.

And that's without any injuries. Now obviously I don't expect all of that (or even most), but it'd be pretty easy for us to be really bad this season.

Edit: Marcus Johansson... not Marcus Foligno.

 

[2Pair]

By having the same goaltending and running Marcus Foligno or Ek out as a first-line center. Fiala had an awesome half-season but there's no guarantee that's more than a blip on the radar. Maybe Suter hits the wall. We'll miss Koivu in the bottom-six some as well if we're stuck with Sturm on a checking line I think.

And that's without any injuries. Now obviously I don't expect all of that (or even most), but it'd be pretty easy for us to be really bad this season.

I love Koivu, but the Wild will not miss the player that he was last year.

 

[thestonedkoala]

As it stands right now?

Parise - Johansson - Fiala
Kaprizov -Eriksson-Ek - Kunin
Greenway - Rask - Zuccarrello
Foligno - Sturm - Hartman

Extras: Donato, Bjugstad

Right now, Johansson is the Wild's best center for better or worse. After that JEE is going to see some time in the top 6 as he's the second best center. And then Sturm, Rask and Donato will fight for minutes after that. Rask is only slotted 3rd as I expect him to be elevated a bit given Guerin's comments. Sturm should overtake him, but right now Sturm is still a bit of a rookie and will need more time to acclimate. Donato will probably relieve them for a spell.

Left wing is deep, but we want to split up Kaprizov and Fiala to balance out the lines. Parise is the next best left winger as Greenway has shown zip and Foligno is a good depth player. Donato may also see some time.

Right wing has Fiala on top and then Kunin above Zuccs as Kunin is younger and right now more potential. Plus he has worked well with Eriksson-Ek in the past. Zuccarrello is the next best and then Hartman. Donato and Bjugstad are the extras.

At the end of the season, I hope:

Kaprizov - Top Line Center - Fiala
Johansson - Eriksson -Ek - Kunin
Donato - Sturm - Bjugstad
Foligno - Rask - Hartman

Trade: Parise, Zuccarrello, Greenway.

Defense:

Suter - Dumba
Brodin - Spurgeon
Soucy - Pateryn
Hunt

Pretty straight forward.

At the end of the season, I hope:

Brodin - Spurgeon
Suter - Addison
Soucy - Belpedio
Hunt

Trade: Dumba, Pateryn

Goalies:
Kahkonen
Stalock

At the end of the season, I hope:

Kahkonen
Veteran

Stalock in the minors

 

[Webster]

Kunin better than Zuccarello?

Evason told Russo he hopes Bjugstad works out as a 2nd line center.

They may also try Zuccarello on the left with Fiala, and Johansson in the middle as the top line.

But I don't think Guerin is done trading, he'll probably also pick up a UFA goalie.