Minnesota Wild General Discussion - 2023-24

[Wabit]

I don't think a 1 year deal makes much of a difference at all in that regard.

I think it just makes it clear that they aren't going to go shopping in UFA for anything but maybe a $2-$3 million player for the bottom 6/4th line.

Defense is set once Chisholm is re-signed.

Kap - Ek - Boldy
Mojo - Rossi - Zucc
Foligno - Khus - Hartman
Shaw - UFA - Gaudreau

Maybe trade Mojo and plug Ohgren in that spot.

MarJo has a full NTC. Heck Kap, Zucc, Hartman, Foligno, and Marjo, and Brodin have full NTC's next year.
Freddy G has a 15 team NTC, and due to his contract term is basically untradeable.
JEE has a 10 team NTC.
Spurgeon has a 10 team NTC
Gus and Boldy (due to their age) and Middleton have no trade protections
The rest of the lineup is $1.2m or less players.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

To me that 2/3C role is in bigger need of an upgrade than the winger spots.

I think we can put together a good top line (Kap/Ek/Boldy) and good 3rd line (Foligno/Khus/Hartman). I agree that the 2nd line is lacking, but am not so sure it's the center making it so. Put 2 legit 2nd line wingers next to Rossi after another offseason, and I think it's fine. Just can't really get those wingers for next year.

MarJo has a full NTC. Heck Kap, Zucc, Hartman, Foligno, and Marjo, and Brodin have full NTC's next year.
Freddy G has a 15 team NTC, and due to his contract term is basically untradeable.
JEE has a 10 team NTC.
Spurgeon has a 10 team NTC
Gus and Boldy (due to their age) and Middleton have no trade protections
The rest of the lineup is $1.2m or less players.

Doesn't mean he wouldn't waive it.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Maybe trade Mojo and plug Ohgren in that spot.

We cannot bring back MoJo. Even if that means buying him out.

 

[MuckOG]

We cannot bring back MoJo. Even if that means buying him out.

Keep him a healthy scratch until he agrees to waive his NTC.

 

[Wabit]

Doesn't mean he wouldn't waive it.

He could, but why would he? No quality team is going to want him for a $2m cap hit. He had 3 good weeks last year and got almost a 100% raise for that.

 

[Wabit]

We cannot bring back MoJo. Even if that means buying him out.

Buyout isn't a smart cap move ($667k x 2). Send him through waivers instead: $850k x 1 if he isn't claimed, $0 if he is claimed. I could see him getting claimed as a low risk move to flip him at the TDL by a bottom feeder with cap space.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

He could, but why would he? No quality team is going to want him for a $2m cap hit. He had 3 good weeks last year and got almost a 100% raise for that.

I don't 100% agree with this. $2 million is not a lot on a 1 year deal.

 

[Wabit]

I don't 100% agree with this. $2 million is not a lot on a 1 year deal.

It is when it's an overpay by ~$1m. His last contract was a $1m x 1 (WSH) and the one before that was a $1.5m x 1 (SEA). He would be an $850k x 1 depth FA signing if he was on the open market this offseason.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

It is when it's an overpay by ~$1m. His last contract was a $1m x 1 (WSH) and the one before that was a $1.5m x 1 (SEA). He would be an $850k x 1 depth FA signing if he was on the open market this offseason.

I think you're overestimating other GMs. We don't have the sole questionable one.

 

[57special]

MarJo will be fine as a 4th liner for one year. Freddy, too, probably. The problem is that there might be pressure on Hynes from BG to play them higher up the lineup to justify those signings.

Marjo is really more of a mediocre 3rd liner at this point. That's what you get for 2M, especially with the cap going up. Not a problem. Even Freddy's deal isn't that bad - it just feels bad. Overpaying a 4th liner by 1M is not a big problem.

Where I get pissed is when I see Marjo, and especially Freddy, on the PP and playing on the 2nd or 3rd lines, when they do nothing but fumble the puck away when they touch it. I'd rather see a young guy out there...even if he's no good, at least there is a chance that he will improve. With these two there is no upside.

I am hopeful that Freddy comes back much better next year, and has a 25-30 point year while playing good defense and winning FO's. This year he was atrocious.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

Mojo isn’t nearly as bad as this board views him unfortunately. His skating is still pretty dynamic. If he’s your 9th forward I think you’re alright.

 

[Wabit]

I think you're overestimating other GMs. We don't have the sole questionable one.

The last 2 times he was on the FA market he wasn't a hot commodity. He'll be 34 when the season starts next year and outside of his good 20 game stint last year in MN he hasn't been good. Even the TDLs he hasn't gotten much or a return: 3rd rounder (MN) and a 4th+6th (WSH). His good years in NJD are long past.

Plenty of GMs make bad moves, but not many Playoff quality teams are going to take on a cap dump instead of using their available cap to make the current team better.

MarJo is a cap dump that MN is going to have to pay someone to take, if he wasn't MN wouldn't be looking to get rid of him.

 

[Webster]

Zuccarello's almost 9 minutes exit speech was interesting, you'll hear about all the mentoring and coaching, and why he doesn't shoot more

You'll also hear from Fleury and Spurgeon. Available on Wild Video.

 

[Sota Popinski]

The last 2 times he was on the FA market he wasn't a hot commodity. He'll be 34 when the season starts next year and outside of his good 20 game stint last year in MN he hasn't been good. Even the TDLs he hasn't gotten much or a return: 3rd rounder (MN) and a 4th+6th (WSH). His good years in NJD are long past.

Plenty of GMs make bad moves, but not many Playoff quality teams are going to take on a cap dump instead of using their available cap to make the current team better.

MarJo is a cap dump that MN is going to have to pay someone to take, if he wasn't MN wouldn't be looking to get rid of him.

Never heard of a 2M cap dump. It's 1M more than the minimum. What's the asset attached to dump a 1 year 2M contract? A 4th rounder?

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

I think they’re going to try and trade Rossi for Pinto

 

[Sota Popinski]

Most of us we pulling a hissy fit when Evason chose to play Fleury over Talbot in the playoffs, when the stats said that Talbot was the better goalie.

Talbot's wife went public with her displeasure, which caused BG to make the trade.

I think it takes some fantastical thinking to believe Guerin would allow the comments from a players disgruntled wife force him to make a trade. Do you think she had stronger feelings about it than her husband? Talbot said nothing was gonna play the part of good soldier but his wife ruined it?

 

[BagHead]

I think it takes some fantastical thinking to believe Guerin would allow the comments from a players disgruntled wife force him to make a trade. Do you think she had stronger feelings about it than her husband? Talbot said nothing was gonna play the part of good soldier but his wife ruined it?

Talbot's wife's comments certainly didn't help, but those weren't the only comments by Talbot's people. Talbot's agent, George Bazos, approached Guerin at the draft and had a heated conversation with him. It was more than just "Talbot's wife is upset so let's move him". Clearly Talbot himself was upset, but was unwilling to say so himself, be it out of professionalism or meekness.

Now, I don't know that that's why Guerin made the trade, but it is definitely a thing that happened before the trade was made. Guerin has also given off the impression in interviews of being a pretty emotional guy. I think people are just connecting those dots.

 

[57special]

I think they’re going to try and trade Rossi for Pinto

Juicy

 

[Sota Popinski]

Talbot's wife's comments certainly didn't help, but those weren't the only comments by Talbot's people. Talbot's agent, George Bazos, approached Guerin at the draft and had a heated conversation with him. It was more than just "Talbot's wife is upset so let's move him". Clearly Talbot himself was upset, but was unwilling to say so himself, be it out of professionalism or meekness.

Now, I don't know that that's why Guerin made the trade, but it is definitely a thing that happened before the trade was made. Guerin has also given off the impression in interviews of being a pretty emotional guy. I think people are just connecting those dots.

Here is a paragraph from a Russo article right before we traded for Fleury:

"Talbot and Kahkonen are near the bottom of the league in virtually every analytical measurement. Asked whether this is something he may need to address by Monday, Guerin said, “Not necessarily. I still have confidence in these guys. I know the numbers aren’t telling me I should, but I do. I know the people. I know the character of these guys. And, I think if you ask them, they’re the first ones to tell you that they haven’t been playing as well as they can. And they’ll need to be better."

Wild rediscover identity in win over Bruins after 'reminder' of trade deadline

Guerin’s point? The Wild have problems that must be remedied internally, not externally.

theathletic.com

Talbot had a chance to lock down the starting goalie job playing in front of one of the best defensive teams in the league and he blew it. For him, or his wife, to complain after the fact because he was going to have to compete with someone who had a way stronger resume than him is a problem of his own making.

Same with Fleury and Gus now, or in any other occupation. If you aren't meeting the expectations of your employer, you run the risk of being replaced. If he was doing a great job, they wouldn't have traded for Fleury in the first place.

 

[TaLoN]

Exactly. The players got the same or similar playing time under both coaches. That whole issue seems like much ado about nothing.

Except, Evason was underutilizing young players himself. That's one of the complaints we had about him too... Evason had Zucc stapled to Kap no matter how bad Zucc played.

That said, Hynes quickly got rid of that problem. So at least progress was made there. Yet we all saw how even with Hynes, Rossi was getting subpar lineup positions much of the season.

I don't know if Evason is a very good standard of compassion to say Hynes doesn't have that problem. I think the jury is still out for a bit. Need to see how he does moving forward still.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Buyout isn't a smart cap move ($667k x 2). Send him through waivers instead: $850k x 1 if he isn't claimed, $0 if he is claimed. I could see him getting claimed as a low risk move to flip him at the TDL by a bottom feeder with cap space.

Yes please. Do it

 

[BagHead]

Except, Evason was underutilizing young players himself. That's one of the complaints we had about him too... Evason had Zucc stapled to Kap no matter how bad Zucc played.

That said, Hynes quickly got rid of that problem. So at least progress was made there. Yet we all saw how even with Hynes, Rossi was getting subpar lineup positions much of the season.

I don't know if Evason is a very good standard of compassion to say Hynes doesn't have that problem. I think the jury is still out for a bit. Need to see how he does moving forward still.

Yeah, I can understand why you don't think Evason is a great example of what a coach should do, I also have qualms about his coaching. I believe neither coach is great, but I also believe most coaches give time to the players they think will win them games.

It seems clear to me that Rossi and Faber were given decent minutes under both coaches (Faber was 1st among defensemen, and Rossi was 5th among forwards), so I think both coaches saw how good both players were and played them accordingly. Both should have had better linemates, but that's more on the GM than the coach. The team just isn't deep enough to spread the skill around all that much.

 

[Digitalbooya]

I think they’re going to try and trade Rossi for Pinto

Rossi+ for Batherson

Kap-Ek-Boldy
Ohgren-Yurov-Batherson
Zucc-Khusnutdinov-Hartman
Foligno-Gaudreau-Shaw
Johansson

Batherson is 6’3” 200+lb. 172 points in his last 210 games (67 point pace per 82 games). Almost had 30 goals this year. Three more years on his contract at $4.975M AAV.

 

[TaLoN]

Yeah, I can understand why you don't think Evason is a great example of what a coach should do, I also have qualms about his coaching. I believe neither coach is great, but I also believe most coaches give time to the players they think will win them games.

It seems clear to me that Rossi and Faber were given decent minutes under both coaches (Faber was 1st among defensemen, and Rossi was 5th among forwards), so I think both coaches saw how good both players were and played them accordingly. Both should have had better linemates, but that's more on the GM than the coach. The team just isn't deep enough to spread the skill around all that much.

It was about as bad as it could possibly be when we had Rossi between the L's... that was like sub-4th line levels.

Even worse considering it was so Freddy could be bumped up to the 2nd line.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

Rossi+ for Batherson

Kap-Ek-Boldy
Ohgren-Yurov-Batherson
Zucc-Khusnutdinov-Hartman
Foligno-Gaudreau-Shaw
Johansson

Batherson is 6’3” 200+lb. 172 points in his last 210 games (67 point pace per 82 games). Almost had 30 goals this year. Three more years on his contract at $4.975M AAV.

I like Batherson a lot I just don’t want to turn Rossi into a winger. I think it’s a bad bet to rely on Yurov and Ohgren as top 6 guys the next couple of years