Confirmed with Link: [NSH/MIN] Fiala for Granlund

[GoldOnGold]

I thought the trade was a good one at the time, even though I always really liked Fiala. But considering their respective production since, their age and team control, and the fact that Granlund is likely to go to UFA this summer, this trade looks worse and worse every day.

 

[glenngineer]

Production aside, we gave up a cost-controlled top 6 forward for a little over 4 years for a top 6 forward for a little over a year who can become a UFA. Not a smart move.

 

[adsfan]

I'm really interested in how people think Fiala was going to become something with us. He probably never was going to, despite showing that he could multiple times.
This team is filled to the maximum with underperforming forwards. It isn't a coincidence that every player entering our team commits offensive career suicide.

Nashville put up with 16 years of Trotz and his "defense first" ideas. What do you expect?

Then Lavi came to Nashville. The team goes to the SCF, wins a Presidents Cup and then it is all downhill from there. Now, the Preds are hoping for a WC spot.

Hynes seem to be revving up the moribund offense with a 13-9-1 record, which is the opposite of what he had in NJ with 9-13-4.

 

[DannyDimes8]

What a thread to read back. Neutral bystander here, but just goes to show how you don't know shit about a trade deadline trade. Just back in October arguments were being made that Nashville still won the trade. Fiala is a stud in the making.

NNCBama - great poster. So much reasonable, logical thought into his responses.

 

[MrJoshua]

It is very unlikely we'd ever have seen this version of Fiala in Nashville. Here, he was a turnover machine who made high-risk, low-reward plays in terrible parts of the ice. It apparently took getting traded to make him realize how badly he needed to work to improve his decision making and 200-foot game. We can say whatever we want in retrospect, but the version of Fiala as he was playing in Nashville was definitely inferior to the version of Granlund that was playing in Minnesota.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Bah....in hindsight, we got smoked in that trade. But rewind back to the deal, and I do that trade every time. Oh well.

 

[Soundgarden]

Bah....in hindsight, we got smoked in that trade. But rewind back to the deal, and I do that trade every time. Oh well.

Yes, if we redo that trade ten times I think it works out fine in nine of them.

 

[OldFan]

There is no way to factor in Fiala’s attitude. It damaged his future here and Poile had to get rid of him for the good of his teammates.
I saw him play. He pouted on the ice and did not give his team anywhere near his best effort. No doubts about his skills; just his maturity. I hope he’s matured and does well but he burned too many bridges here. Good trade.

 

[NoNecksCurse]

the narrative about fiala's horrible attitude is driven by online speculation. there is no evidence of it whatsoever. don't give me some bs about a practice fight.

it was a bad trade and me and @LCPreds said it from the beginning. it's all in this thread.

it's done with and we should all move on at this point. the bashing of fiala needs to stop though in my opinion. we don't know what goes on in a locker room. all we see is on ice results and Nashville post fiala looks like it's the one with the attitude issues.

just like the jarnkrok and Neal debate, some things just need to die.

 

[ILikeItILoveIt]

I’m tired of losing skilled players who aren’t Boy Scouts (Fiala, Rads). Other teams seem to get the best out of these players. We’re proud of punishing their non-boy-scout behavior.

Polie and Trotz screwed up the 2012 Rads situation. Since then, he’s been a better power forward than any Pred since, and he hasn’t ruined the room. Fiala blossoms at age 24 but we were too impatient to let him gain maturity.
For a team that can’t seem to draft and grow Top 6 forwards, out 2 best play for other teams

Very frustrating.

 

[LCPreds]

the narrative about fiala's horrible attitude is driven by online speculation. there is no evidence of it whatsoever. don't give me some bs about a practice fight.

it was a bad trade and me and @LCPreds said it from the beginning. it's all in this thread.

it's done with and we should all move on at this point. the bashing of fiala needs to stop though in my opinion. we don't know what goes on in a locker room. all we see is on ice results and Nashville post fiala looks like it's the one with the attitude issues.

just like the jarnkrok and Neal debate, some things just need to die.

It's interesting looking back on this thread because I can see how even in the first page I waffled a bit. Phases of grief all flashing simultaneously. Seems the first instinct was likely the correct one.

Fifi was likely the casualty of being in Lavy's doghouse and Poile/Lavy looking to shake it up. That shake up has basically continued since then and we still don't really have anything to show for it at present.

 

[Predsanddead24]

It was a win now trade in a time period where it appears we weren't actually a win now team compounded by the fact that Granlund hasn't played at the level we expected. Stuff like that happens and it is what it is. I will say that trying to argue that Fiala would have never achieved what he's doing in Minnesota here doesn't really hold water with me. Maybe it's true but if it is that's an organizational failure to not be able to develop a guy with the talent he very clearly has, especially since we very rarely seem to be able to draft that type of talent. I definitely agree with NoNeck about the Fiala bashing too. It's always amazing to me how many people seemed to be cheering for him to fail, because of some perceived attitude problem.

 

[GoldOnGold]

It's possible we look back on this trade in a couple of seasons as one we came out on the wrong side of, if Fiala develops to his full potential and Granlund isn't as good for us.

But looking at it right now, Poile made the right call.

Well dang

 

[Armourboy]

the narrative about fiala's horrible attitude is driven by online speculation. there is no evidence of it whatsoever. don't give me some bs about a practice fight.

it was a bad trade and me and @LCPreds said it from the beginning. it's all in this thread.

it's done with and we should all move on at this point. the bashing of fiala needs to stop though in my opinion. we don't know what goes on in a locker room. all we see is on ice results and Nashville post fiala looks like it's the one with the attitude issues.

just like the jarnkrok and Neal debate, some things just need to die.

I was one of his biggest detractors when it came to his attitude, but even in my first post I said that I wasn't really thrilled about the trade.

The narrative that everyone thought it was a good trade is just as wrong as his attitude issues. Granted my stance was less that he was pouty or anything and more that he was more worried about his personal stats due to his contract being up.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

I’m tired of losing skilled players who aren’t Boy Scouts (Fiala, Rads). Other teams seem to get the best out of these players. We’re proud of punishing their non-boy-scout behavior.

Polie and Trotz screwed up the 2012 Rads situation. Since then, he’s been a better power forward than any Pred since, and he hasn’t ruined the room. Fiala blossoms at age 24 but we were too impatient to let him gain maturity.
For a team that can’t seem to draft and grow Top 6 forwards, out 2 best play for other teams

Very frustrating.

I wouldn't say we have a blanket approach to employing Boy Scouts, moreso there may (or may not) have been issues specifically with those players.

Johansen had a contract dispute in Columbus and there was clear friction between him and the coach/front office before he left there. I believe I remember his work ethic/training to have been called into question as well.

Duchene had a contract dispute in Colorado and was having issues with the organization prior to being traded to Ottawa. In Ottawa he was one of several players publicly exposed for trashing the team and at least one of the coaching staff.

Forsberg was a highly touted draft pick but I remember reading at the time there were concerns over his development/potential in Washington (this article by Vignan seems to allude to it as well Only Time Will Tell How Martin Erat/Filip Forsberg Trade Will Pan Out for Capitals).

Difficult to say in hindsight but it is probable Radulov was always looking to just fulfill his obligation to us here and then sign in a preferred destination once that was over. I believe retaining him was always going to be an untenable proposition. Fiala...tough to say. I don't put much credence in the "attitude issues" angle, but he had stalled here under Lavy and also seemed to be unwilling to make the necessary corrections to his game (e.g. turnovers) that were helping to hold him back. The trade and subsequent bridge deal from Minnesota may have been THE wake-up call to get him back on the right path. Sucks that it wasn't here.

 

[drwpreds]

. The trade and subsequent bridge deal from Minnesota may have been THE wake-up call to get him back on the right path. Sucks that it wasn't here.

That may be true now, when all is said and done, but it certainly didn't start out that way. He was a healthy scratch numerous times with the Wild just like he was here, and up until recently most Wild fans absolutely hated the trade and would have undone it in a second if they could have.

We will never know, but I think he would have eventually broken out here just like he is doing there......

 

[OldFan]

There is no way to factor in Fiala’s attitude. It damaged his future here and Poile had to get rid of him for the good of his teammates.
I saw him play. He pouted on the ice and did not give his team anywhere near his best effort. No doubts about his skills; just his maturity. I hope he’s matured and does well but he burned too many bridges here. Good trade.

 

[bdub24]

There is no way to factor in Fiala’s attitude. It damaged his future here and Poile had to get rid of him for the good of his teammates.
I saw him play. He pouted on the ice and did not give his team anywhere near his best effort. No doubts about his skills; just his maturity. I hope he’s matured and does well but he burned too many bridges here. Good trade.

Yup. This. You dont get into fistacuffs with Arvy at practice. Just no.

 

[Predsanddead24]

Just a reminder since people continue to want to make a big deal of it that the so called fight was originally described as an unfriendly bearhug.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Just a reminder since people continue to want to make a big deal of it that the so called fight was originally described as an unfriendly bearhug.

No wonder they traded Subban. Third Man In. Despicable attitudes on all of them.

 

[Kat Predator]

He needed a change of scenery. He needed to know his lack of effort had consequences both here and in Minnesota. It was the kick in the butt that he needed to finally get serious, put in extra work, get with his coach and hone his craft, rather than lay around on the pool deck of his raw talent. No one ever questioned he had that talent. The question was just whether he'd wake up and realize nobody just gives it to you in the NHL.