Nino Noderreiter
Registered User
So with the Wild season at the brink, I'm starting writing my Offseason State of the Union for the Wild and strategy for the team going forward. The Wild have had the same basic group together for awhile now and it's becoming clearer that we are probably going to top out just below cup contender if the Wild don't make changes. The primes of the players they developed and the primes of the players they brought in just never meshed.
The Wild will probably look to shake things up a bit next year and I was looking for trade partners. EDM seems like a natural fit for both teams.
My basic thoughts---
-Going forward obviously every roster move will be made with the thought of McDavid on the team and the FO should construct a roster around him that grows and peaks at the same he does.
-This means that largely, the Oilers should be targeting players who are 20-21-22 so you don't face the issues that the Wild are facing now.
-EDM's biggest obstacle going forward will be drafting/acquiring/developing a D core.
-EDM's front office/fans are building around the idea of McDavid/Draisaitl #1/#2
--Nugent-Hopkins being a #3 means that EDM is very deep at C and could possibly trade a valuable asset to get valuable assets in return that shore up holes.
--This means that value wise McDavid/Draisaitl are a tier higher than Hall who is a tier higher than Hopkins and Eberle.
--Eberle and Hopkins are expendable because of the center depth EDM has and Eberle's age (25) means that he doesn't really fit with the long term future of the EDM when they will be contending for cups. Under this assumption, the best idea would be to trade Eberle sooner rather than later as the older he gets the less value he'll have
--EDM fans consider Klefbom, Nurse, and Reinhart as NHL caliber D with upside
--EDM's biggest need by far is defense. Articles I've read suggest that you need D that can step up and be a factor offensively too. http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Matt...se-From-The-Blue-A-Critical-Failure/191/76449
Well you won't find a team with as many young, talented dfenders who can play well in al 3 zones as the Wild have.
Available targets for EDM:
-Jared Spurgeon
In some lights he's our best defender. Small, but dictates the pace of the game when he plays. Can QB the PP. Great #2 to Suter or anchor as a #3/#4
-Marco Scandella
Bigger and a lot more prototypical than Spurgeon...he's physical, a good skater, has a bomb, and above average offensive skills. In a team with less D talent and without Ryan Suter, Scandella would have a bigger role and shine. His size makes him more protypically a shut down defender than Spurgeon.
Both of these guys in a bigger role and more opportunities would really shine. Both guys provide shut down defense with above average offense. Spurgeon is one of those players that can really set the tone in the same way that guys like Tyson Barrie are considered catalysts for the team.
I'm telling you that I'm not trying to sell you these players, but I'm not sure that there is any other team in the league thats offering these caliber of D who are in their primes and on team friendly contracts. Both guys have played as a #2 for stretches and when they played together a Spurgeon-Scandella combo was better than Suter-Brodin.
Now the reason these guys don't fit as well as at 25/26...again if I was EDM I would be looking younger.
Luckily the Wild can offer that too. Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin are 21 and 22 and basically good for opposite reasons.
Dumba is one of the more dynamic young defenders in the league and will definintely QB powerplays. Dumba has crazy high offensive potential as a defender. He's got all of the tools to sort of like PK Subban does. HUGE heavy shot. Great skating ability. Great passer. Good puck skills. Fights and stands up for himself and lays people out.
Dumba's 21 years old and an offensive defensmen so he definitely does have lapses in the defensive zone and times where his aggressive style gets him in trouble. But his floor is top 4 defender, #1 PP QB...20 goals 25 assists. Most upside here.
Brodin is an amazing player to those who know hockey. He's an old school defensive defender. He's one of the smoothest skaters on the team and the best defender and even better than Suter. He's played 200+ games mostly on top pairing and has plenty of playoff experience. Don't let his lack of points make yout hink he's bad with the puck. He's great at that first pass on the break out and regrouping. He just usually makes simple plays. Another potential #1 pairing guy.
What would the value of a Nugent-Hopkins and or an Eberle be?
The Wild will probably look to shake things up a bit next year and I was looking for trade partners. EDM seems like a natural fit for both teams.
My basic thoughts---
-Going forward obviously every roster move will be made with the thought of McDavid on the team and the FO should construct a roster around him that grows and peaks at the same he does.
-This means that largely, the Oilers should be targeting players who are 20-21-22 so you don't face the issues that the Wild are facing now.
-EDM's biggest obstacle going forward will be drafting/acquiring/developing a D core.
-EDM's front office/fans are building around the idea of McDavid/Draisaitl #1/#2
--Nugent-Hopkins being a #3 means that EDM is very deep at C and could possibly trade a valuable asset to get valuable assets in return that shore up holes.
--This means that value wise McDavid/Draisaitl are a tier higher than Hall who is a tier higher than Hopkins and Eberle.
--Eberle and Hopkins are expendable because of the center depth EDM has and Eberle's age (25) means that he doesn't really fit with the long term future of the EDM when they will be contending for cups. Under this assumption, the best idea would be to trade Eberle sooner rather than later as the older he gets the less value he'll have
--EDM fans consider Klefbom, Nurse, and Reinhart as NHL caliber D with upside
--EDM's biggest need by far is defense. Articles I've read suggest that you need D that can step up and be a factor offensively too. http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Matt...se-From-The-Blue-A-Critical-Failure/191/76449
Well you won't find a team with as many young, talented dfenders who can play well in al 3 zones as the Wild have.
Available targets for EDM:
-Jared Spurgeon
In some lights he's our best defender. Small, but dictates the pace of the game when he plays. Can QB the PP. Great #2 to Suter or anchor as a #3/#4
-Marco Scandella
Bigger and a lot more prototypical than Spurgeon...he's physical, a good skater, has a bomb, and above average offensive skills. In a team with less D talent and without Ryan Suter, Scandella would have a bigger role and shine. His size makes him more protypically a shut down defender than Spurgeon.
Both of these guys in a bigger role and more opportunities would really shine. Both guys provide shut down defense with above average offense. Spurgeon is one of those players that can really set the tone in the same way that guys like Tyson Barrie are considered catalysts for the team.
I'm telling you that I'm not trying to sell you these players, but I'm not sure that there is any other team in the league thats offering these caliber of D who are in their primes and on team friendly contracts. Both guys have played as a #2 for stretches and when they played together a Spurgeon-Scandella combo was better than Suter-Brodin.
Now the reason these guys don't fit as well as at 25/26...again if I was EDM I would be looking younger.
Luckily the Wild can offer that too. Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin are 21 and 22 and basically good for opposite reasons.
Dumba is one of the more dynamic young defenders in the league and will definintely QB powerplays. Dumba has crazy high offensive potential as a defender. He's got all of the tools to sort of like PK Subban does. HUGE heavy shot. Great skating ability. Great passer. Good puck skills. Fights and stands up for himself and lays people out.
Dumba's 21 years old and an offensive defensmen so he definitely does have lapses in the defensive zone and times where his aggressive style gets him in trouble. But his floor is top 4 defender, #1 PP QB...20 goals 25 assists. Most upside here.
Brodin is an amazing player to those who know hockey. He's an old school defensive defender. He's one of the smoothest skaters on the team and the best defender and even better than Suter. He's played 200+ games mostly on top pairing and has plenty of playoff experience. Don't let his lack of points make yout hink he's bad with the puck. He's great at that first pass on the break out and regrouping. He just usually makes simple plays. Another potential #1 pairing guy.
What would the value of a Nugent-Hopkins and or an Eberle be?