Myths about your teams organization:

I thought I start this thread because I'm getting a little tired of correcting people over the Wild prospects, so I'll start.

MYTHS AND FACTS

Myth: The Wild need a top end goaltender
Fact: The Wild have Harding who has put together spectaculor seasons in the WHL. What the Wild do need is depth at the goaltending position.

Myth: The Wild need a top 2 defensemen
Fact: At the end of last year, the Wild lost defenseman Filip Kuba to a hand injury forcing them to either call up a defenseman or covert one of their forwards to defense. They chose the later and put Brent Burns on defense. It was a perfect match as Burns uses his size to hit people but he is also good at puck handling. While it is hard to say if he is a top 2 or top 4 defenseman at this point or if he is going to stay at the position is another matter but for the moment, I believe the Wild and Burns are comfortable with him being on the blueline.

Myth: The Wild need defensemen
Fact: I kind of perptuated this but the Wild actually do not need very many defensemen. We got Misharin and Bolduc along with Stokes, Reitz, and Michalek in the minors with Schultz and Burns in the NHL. We have good depth and it's not a glaring need, we'll probably pick up a few in the later rounds though.

Myth: The Wild have good grinders and 3rd/4th line players
Fact: The Wild in fact have lost a few of their grinders and are in the process of calling some up. We have Cavosie, Cavanaugh, Courchaine, and Cullen (well Courchaine is going to the minors this year hopefully) but we've lost a few in Hannula, Brandner, Berzins, Bala (if we don't sign back Krestanovich). Our depth at the forward position is very thin at best. With only 3 LWs in the system (not playing in the NHL), 2 RWs (one needs to be signed), and a couple centers. The Wild need to focus on forwards.

Myth: The Wild still need a top flight center
Fact: O'Sullivan, Koivu, Bouchard, Wallin. Lemaire likes using Wallin with Gaborik because Wallin is fast and he can bang home the pucks. He put up good numbers at the end of the year but he is still a bit injury prone. O'Sullivan should be a center but could move out to right wing. Koivu is a mystery and Bouchard is a LW for the time being but could see time back at center. All of them except Wallin are still pretty young and even Wallin is young. All of them though has top 6 potential and a top flight center.

Well that's all I can think of...

How about your team?

 

Big Big myth: That the Pens are 'the equivilent of the guy who comes out cleaning your windshield and begging for money' poor. Stemming mostly from the Jagr trade, for money and some trinkets and a small number of other trades. The way I usually hear it is other teams praying for us to land a top prospect as we will give said prospect to them for beads and trinkets.

Truth: That the Pens are not one of the richest teams, but not poor either. They did average well over 12,000 a game the last three years (not bad for finishing last and next to last the last two years), and during their heyday not long ago almost 15,000 a game. Most revenues come from tickets sold and how far off from anyone else is that? They are not rich, but the truth is that they are very well positioned and have no money problems, can easily withstand a lost season. They do need a new arena and revenue sharing and a salary cap would do wonders, but all that said most of their most recent moves have been oriented toward the new environment that they have been anticipating, not toward just scraping by poor as church mice as everyone here has been saying, and right now they are about the most cap friendly team in the NHL, with a young talented corps to build around. Facts can lie, and Craig Patrick is one of the best, as shown by other teams doing the same much later in the game, at the end of this year.

 

I wish I knew what is myth and what is truth about what the Rangers are doing.

 

Harding, just like ever other goalie prospect, is not a sure thing. It's not inconceivable that the Wild would want another top end goalie prospect who might have higher upside.

Burns is not a sure thing to be a top 4 d-man at this point, let alone a top 2 d-man. The Wild could use a top prospect d-man.

Misharin, Bolduc, Stokes, Reitz, and Michalek... that's hardly a group I'd want to rely on for defensive depth if I was a GM.

All of the guys you've named as losses were marginal prospects and can be replaced.

While none of them are sure things, the Wild do have some depth at center (as far as prospects go). I still don't think it would hurt them to take another center if they feel he's the best player available. Centers can also be moved to the wing with more ease than a winger can be moved to center.

According to you the Wild don't really need any more goalies, defensemen or centers but they could use some depth forwards. You almost come across as if the Wild don't even need to bother drafting anyone because they have hardly any weakness' in thier system. However, just like every other team in the league the Wild will always need more depth at every position because most of the time, prospects don't work out (or if they do, they aren't as good as you thought they'd be).

 

Myth #1: The Chicago Blackhawks have hope in the forseeable future

 

lol

 

Dude the Wild need depth at goaltender, defense, and forward position but we have to figure out our defense position first and we have to actually get rid of some goaltenders.

The Wild have also a bad history of not signing players or drafting OAs...So they haven't really built from the draft.

 

Myth: the wild are good
Fact: tsk is the only one who thinks they are



sorry, had to do it. you are the only one i see on these boards that says anything about the wild. you are always saying how great these players are, yet i have yet to see an unbiased poster say it. that doesnt mean your prospects wont become good players some day, but you guys are far from having very good prospects

 

????????

Jake Riddle or Eric Johanson, Barry Brust or Armands Berzins? Nothing to get bent out of shape about there. Some of the OA's have played here others havn't. They were filler for more immediate help. I know this has been discussed numerous times on other boards so I'll leave off here.

I would have to agree with what cagney has stated. We don't specifically need a goaltender but it won't hurt to pick one up which I would suspect they will do now that Brust wasn't signed. Hopefully the Wild will pick the best player on the board but if all things are equal, look for a forward.

 

Jake Riddle, Eric Johansson, but then have we mentioned to mention that all of our overage Euros have either returned to Europe or have fizzled out? Only one mentioning is Sekeras. But Sushinski, Passmore, Bartos, Sekeras, Johansson, Virta, Riddle, Erickson, Brust, Berzins, Eckerblom, Tyulyapkin, Brandner, Hannula haven't been signed by the Wild, came over fizzled, went back, or they have shown no intention on bringing them over.

And as I stated, the Wild might take a goalie with their second round pick.

And I stated that it's hard to say where Burns is going to end up. Even if he is going to be a defenseman!

Plus I think he underestimates our defense. We need depth still as I said we are likely going to take a few more defensemen in the later round.

Yes, they can be replaced...Through the draft...

Yes, I know that too, I wouldn't mind get Olesz or Schremp if they fell (unlikely). But then again, we never know. I'm just staying somethings I've noticed.

 

Myth - the Habs have the best group of prospects in the league.

Fact - they traded away their top prospect Josef Balej and their "top two" current prospects are very iffy at this point. Andrei Kastitsyn has shown nothing to indicate that he will be an NHL player and Alexander Perezhogin has a large cloud hanging over his head as a result of his AHL suspension. Marcel Hossa will be 23 years old when the season starts and he is spinning his wheels.The only viable prospects at the moment are Chris Higgins and Ron Hainsey with the possibility of one or both of Olivier Michaud and Yann Danis coming through. Corey Locke could be another if they sign him.

Andre Savard traded away or wasted a lot of picks that Rejean Houle had stockpiled and Bob Gainey has traded away a couple of more from this summer's draft already. There is cause for concern if the scouting staff doesn't perform better this time round.

 

Caps-

Myth-

Brendan Witt is a top 4 defenseman.
Washington needs to relocate.
Kolzig is an average goaltender.

Fact-

Witter has played like a #5 for at least 3 years
Washington has the sixth largest market
Olie has a season or two left in the tank, and was hung out to dry last season.

 

Where did you say that? Either way, if the Wild scouts think as highly of Schwarz or Montoya as some people do, it's possible that they could pick one of them.

My point was that even if Burns stays at defense they need a top d-man prospect. If Burns gets put back at forward they need one even more.

The guys you listed are average prospects at best. If you're OK with that then I don't know what to say.

I agree.

 

Whoops your right I guess I said that in another thread.

Yes they might but they need a forward even more than a defenseman. They thrive on bottom feeders. Look at Mitchell, Kuba, and Henry.

Bolduc and Misharin are really interesting prospects...They might not be top 4 but I believe top 6...Stokes, Reitz, and Michalek make complimentary defensemen.

 

Myth:
-The Rangers will take anyones overpaid garbage in a deal
-Glen Sather is a terrible GM
-The Rangers are looking to sign every UFA that walks the Earth
-The Rangers have no farm system and draft poorly
-The Rangers ruined Blackburn and Lundmark

Fact:
-Ryan McGill will be the next head coach
-The Hartford Wolfpack are NOT old (24.9yrs) and they have a solid system
-They need to sign a goalie coach! BECAUSE
-They have two of the best goaltending prospects in the league
-That the NYR should be feared once they get together a strong core of young guys, whom they have the resources to keep together for a long time
-The NYR should draft for depth at all positions (except goalie) this year
-The NYR should sign Umberger

I dont know, just my feelings on some things. Add some more fellas.

 

Because no one exactly follows every prospect, it's just IMO that we haven't had a good writer since GlenJackson took over and frankly I don't want to take the position. I told him that.

Harding, O'Sullivan, Burns, Koivu, Gaborik, and to some degree Bouchard are good prospects and if Foy gets his act together he will be too. Irmen put together a strong year at UM this year as a rookie (I'm not sold on him but the other guys are).

And maybe if I had some guys around here to help me? I mean other than ceber, DW, and sometimes some of the other guys come out to talk about the Wild but do you see anything about them? Mizral helps and so do some of the Canuck fans but you know what?

We have a long way to go. If you read any of my posts on the Wild board, I have criticized the Wild for taking OAs and unknown Europeans along with not signing a few of them but I beleive the Wild prospects get overlooked a lot.

 

Sounds right

Also Fact:
-Rangers haven't had a decent coch in about 10 years, and Sather keeps ignoring some excellent coaches

 

How about trying to offer Toni söderholm a contract then? The HIFK captain doen't have to be drafted because of high school years in North America and at worst will willingly go back to Finland, at best is an NHL regurlar. He had a veyr impressive season, is a late bloomer and was very impressive at this years World Championships, even if he lacks a touch of size, he more than made up for it, and hey, it's worth trying.. costs nothing..

 

Actually the Hawks do have hope for the future. As long as Pully retires to Florida & $Bill forgets where his money counting room is.
We have some very good prospects in Norfolk (Seabrooke, Babchuk, Barinka, Kukonen, D. Keith, Wisniewski on D...Vorobiev, Radulov, M. Keith, Ellison, Yakubov up front...and a TON of Goalie prospects, Crawford, Ayers, Berkhoel, Brodeur, Leighton, Anderson).
On the other hand, we have a coach (& Pully) who doesn't like playing young guys.

 

THN liked 'em plenty last year. Just because TSK is the only one who bothers to try to bring up some of the Wild prospects doesn't mean there aren't people who think they're good. Lots of hype doesn't make a team's prospects good, either.

 

TSK's not alone here. Risebrough's stated the #1 need for the team is scoring. It's pretty obvious, when you look at performance. The reason the Wild don't need a top-flight d-man is because scoring is a bigger need. I don't think TSK was saying that the Wild couldn't use a good guy at any position; he's just pointing out that many people (including media) think the Wild need D more than anything, and that's not the case. They like to say that defense can be taught, and that's what the Wild do. Plus, they've arguably got the best teacher, so average guys can fill the need until other, more pressing needs are taken care of. Also, I don't think Schultz gets much attention, and he may deserve more. He's still very young.

 

Name the second one... And you better not say LaBarbara...

They should, but they won't.

 

The WIld have only had 4 drafts so far (2000-2004). Do they even qualify to have a 'history' at the draft, nevermind a bad one in regards to OA's?

As for what they do at the draft, my money is on a blueliner, such as Meszaros or Thelan. Maybe one of Montoya or Schwarz in net though if either one falls to them.