Minnesota Wild General Discussion - 2023-24

[keppel146]

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Just looked at what's left for teams the Wild could move ahead/below of in draft slot. If they somehow manage to lose all four remaining I could see them maybe drafting as low as #10 but i bet they stay at #13.

EDIT: actually #10 and #11 just seem really unlikely. think the range is realistically like #12 to #15.

Just a few slots out from where we need to be

 

[AKL]

Hear me out, what if we pay someone to take Spurgeon and then offer Guentzel a contract.

Kaprizov-Eriksson Ek-Guentzel
Boldy-Rossi-Yurov
Zucc-Khusnutdinov-Hartman
Foligno-Gaudreau-Lettieri

Middleton-Faber
Brodin-Chisholm
Hunt-Bogosian

Hasn't it been your big narrative for a while that our defense sucks and we don't need any more high dollar wingers? Isn't that why you didn't want to talk about Konecny?

 

[Digitalbooya]

Hasn't it been your big narrative for a while that our defense sucks and we don't need any more high dollar wingers? Isn't that why you didn't want to talk about Konecny?

f*** it bro, let’s do both. Who needs defense anyways. BOOOOOORRRRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG

 

[MNRube]

Hear me out, what if we pay someone to take Spurgeon and then offer Guentzel a contract.

Kaprizov-Eriksson Ek-Guentzel
Boldy-Rossi-Yurov
Zucc-Khusnutdinov-Hartman
Foligno-Gaudreau-Lettieri

Middleton-Faber
Brodin-Chisholm
Hunt-Bogosian

Blueline is one injury to Brodin or Faber from the abyss. But the forwards do look good.

 

[Spurgeon]

Hear me out, what if we pay someone to take Spurgeon and then offer Guentzel a contract.

Kaprizov-Eriksson Ek-Guentzel
Boldy-Rossi-Yurov
Zucc-Khusnutdinov-Hartman
Foligno-Gaudreau-Lettieri

Middleton-Faber
Brodin-Chisholm
Hunt-Bogosian

We do not need to get weaker on defense to improve the offense.

 

[Digitalbooya]

We do not need to get weaker on defense to improve the offense.

We are not really getting weaker. Spurgeon barely played this year.

 

[DANOZ28]

MSN

 

[thestonedkoala]

Blueline is one injury to Brodin or Faber from the abyss. But the forwards do look good.

It's objectively funny that their defense is now an issue, especially given they just used 4 high draft picks (Lambos, O'Rourke, Peart and Hunt) on one specific position and handiness and none of them look any better than maybe a Seeler/Soucy type of replacement. Fire whoever is handling their defense scouting.

 

[57special]

John Hynes 32-21-6

Dean Evason 139-73-27

Bruce Boudreau 94-51-19

Hynes is a competent NHL coach, but nothing special. IMO, the problem with this club is not on the coaching, but the personnel, which points the finger squarely at BG.

 

[MuckOG]

It's objectively funny that their defense is now an issue, especially given they just used 4 high draft picks (Lambos, O'Rourke, Peart and Hunt) on one specific position and handiness and none of them look any better than maybe a Seeler/Soucy type of replacement. Fire whoever is handling their defense scouting.

I'm still holding out hope that 2, maybe 3 of these prospects will become NHL regulars.

 

[57special]

It's objectively funny that their defense is now an issue, especially given they just used 4 high draft picks (Lambos, O'Rourke, Peart and Hunt) on one specific position and handiness and none of them look any better than maybe a Seeler/Soucy type of replacement. Fire whoever is handling their defense scouting.

Again, you keep going on about that, while ignoring that they are still young, in prospect terms. Seeler and Soucy didn't play full NHL seasons till they were 25 yo. Those you mentioned are 4 years younger than that.

 

[DANOZ28]

I'm still holding out hope that 2, maybe 3 of these prospects will become NHL regulars.

is it wise to use 1st & 2nds on 3rd pair D? scouting dept whiffed or failed imo.

 

[MNRube]

We are not really getting weaker. Spurgeon barely played this year.

I don’t think this year’s blueline is even close to good enough. Spurgeon’s value is at an all-time low too so we don’t get anything for him. I’d rather roll the dice on a bounceback season from 46, personally.

is it wise to use 1st & 2nds on 3rd pair D? scouting dept whiffed or failed imo.

Too early to say. D take longer to develop.

 

[MuckOG]

is it wise to use 1st & 2nds on 3rd pair D? scouting dept whiffed or failed imo.

I think there's a chance 1 or 2 of the def prospects could be a 2nd pairing. If i had to guess at this point in their development process, Lambos, Peart and Hunt have the best chances to achieve that.

 

[Digitalbooya]

I don’t think this year’s blueline is even close to good enough. Spurgeon’s value is at an all-time low too so we don’t get anything for him. I’d rather roll the dice on a bounceback season from 46, personally.

I don’t either. I’ve been a big proponent of taking a dman in the 1st round.

 

[keppel146]

I don’t either. I’ve been a big proponent of taking a dman in the 1st round.

We’re definitely weakest in that dept. I hope they trade up and grab one.

 

[Spurgeon]

We are not really getting weaker. Spurgeon barely played this year.

And they missed the playoffs. We’ve got enough forward prospects that look like they’ll be able to provide depth to our offense over the next couple years, but the same can’t be said for our defense.

I’d rather they either sign another Top 4 defenseman to bump Middleton down to the 3rd pairing or wait until next offseason when they’ve had a chance to see how Spurgeon recovers.

 

[57special]

is it wise to use 1st & 2nds on 3rd pair D? scouting dept whiffed or failed imo.

Let's revisit this in 2-3 years, in order to get a more balanced view of how good the drafting of these players was.

If we do take a Dman in the 1st, then I would be fine with an offensively inclined guy. Faber is vg defensively, Brodin is still studly, Spurgeon at least above average, and i think Middleton has also been improving so he is now well above average defensively. What we don't have is a top point producing Offenceman. Chisholm looks to be decent, but nothing special. Faber is something special, but more because of his two way skills. Neither Peart, hunt, ROR, or Lambos are expected to be special offensive players the way Parekh, Buium, and Levshunov project to be.

Having said that, i'm a sucker for rock solid defenders who can move the puck a bit. If Silayev or Dickinson are available I'm all over them... Yakemchuk i'm less sure of. I do like his size and physicality, though.

 

[AKL]

Hindsight is 20/20, but at the time of drafting them, I really liked Lambos, and didn't have an issue with Hunt or O'Rourke. Only issue I had was taking Peart after already getting the other three, because I wanted Knies instead. Need at least one of them to become a 2nd pair guy though or else scouting doesn't come out looking good.

 

[57special]

Hindsight is 20/20, but at the time of drafting them, I really liked Lambos, and didn't have an issue with Hunt or O'Rourke. Only issue I had was taking Peart after already getting the other three, because I wanted Knies instead. Need at least one of them to become a 2nd pair guy though or else scouting doesn't come out looking good.

Yeah, Knies would fit in here nicely. I actually like Peart, but agree that having yet another modestly sized, two way, LHD after picking the other three was less than ideal. Remember, we had Warren at that time, also, who was a reasonably well regarded LHD who played on a strong NDP team.

 

[roon]

Hear me out, what if we pay someone to take Spurgeon and then offer Guentzel a contract.

Kaprizov-Eriksson Ek-Guentzel
Boldy-Rossi-Yurov
Zucc-Khusnutdinov-Hartman
Foligno-Gaudreau-Lettieri

Middleton-Faber
Brodin-Chisholm
Hunt-Bogosian

Chisholm just doesn't belong in an NHL top 4. Middleton is barely serviceable in that role.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Again, you keep going on about that, while ignoring that they are still young, in prospect terms. Seeler and Soucy didn't play full NHL seasons till they were 25 yo. Those you mentioned are 4 years younger than that.

Lambos is still having the issues he was having in the CHL. He has good tools, no toolbox. O'Rourke and Hunt seem really limited and they both have had some seasons in the AHL already. It's not age, but how many seasons in the AHL. O'Rourke is making some strides, but I see and feel like he's pretty limited. At best, they can end up as a Scandella type.

 

[DANOZ28]

my point is if they aren't shining in the ahl , why would they shine in the nhl?

 

[MuckOG]

my point is if they aren't shining in the ahl , why would they shine in the nhl?

Some guys play better when they play with better guys

 

[Minnewildsota]

Some guys play better when they play with better guys

There have been players that light up the AHL but can’t make it in the NHL. And there are players that play “poorly” in the AHL and “Light up” the NHL.

(Parenthesis because relativity)