Solving the Mediocre Minnesota Wild

[Muikea Bulju]

They should do a complete, utter rebuild for once.

The only problem is that their vets are mainly on toxic deals with NMC's

Suter+Parise will be 40-41 when their deals are up. Spurgeon 38. Nobody is gonna give ~anything for them then. Suter might bring in something, if you trade him NOW. Highly doubt anyone would give anything for Parise, if you don't hold 50%.

Give Koivu 1 year, Galchenyuk 2 years, and trade them at the next deadline. Pateryn, Brodin, Hunt also out at the next deadline. If Staal wants a trade, same for him, too. Parise can stay & bring up the kids, Suter can decide if he wants a trade or to stay through.

Z has gone off a cliff, he has a NMC, so he too stays to fill up the cap. Dubnyk was 89,0% last season, and is 35 next year, so he might not bring in nothing.

This plan should give the Wild 2-3 extra 1st rounders, or good prospects. And a slew of 2nd / 3rd rounders. Then go for the draft lottery in 2021 + 2022

A few seasons of pain, and the team should be back in 2023 playoffs, and maybe compete for winning a couple of rounds at least in 2024. The cup would come 2024-25, before the highest picks get their big new deals.

 

[Frobbo]

KK was the top goaltender in the AHL this year and has had 13 SO in two years. He had two more than second place (Max Legace) who has a total of 8 in his career. He was 4th in GAA and in SV%. He is extremely underrated as a goalie.

I am sure Wheeler is aware of all of the above save for the last sentence.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

KK was the top goaltender in the AHL this year

Not quite. Shestyorkin was in the league for half the season.

 

[lawrence]

they went on a late season surge, they were doing bad and according to a tank season, now they are just 1 point behind the Canucks who were chasing a playoff spot.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Not quite. Shestyorkin was in the league for half the season.

*won the top goaltender award

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

they went on a late season surge, they were doing bad and according to a tank season, now they are just 1 point behind the Canucks who were chasing a playoff spot.

Nobody believes us when we say that we’d be comfortably in a playoff spot if we had even league average goaltending this year, but it’s true.

 

[AKL]

Not quite. Shestyorkin was in the league for half the season.

Hey, don't be so insecure, it's gonna be okay. Some guy named Dan Vladar was better than both of them.

 

[gwh]

Nobody believes us when we say that we’d be comfortably in a playoff spot if we had even league average goaltending this year, but it’s true.

If we would have given Dubnyk zero starts, we would have been approximately top 6 in the league in the goal differential.

 

[Just Linda]

Ryan O'Reilly was the Blues 1C and had 77 points, 19th in the league for Cs (well, Cs and Ws that are still counted as Cs).

Anze Kopitar was the Kings 1C and had 76 points in 2012, 9th in the league for Cs, and 70 points in 2014, 10th in the league for Cs.

They don't have to be an elite top 5 scorer or ought but they do need to be productive and capable of centering a line that can go against opposition best.

Maybe you could get away with, I dunno, Danault and William Karlsson as your top 6 Cs if you were loaded everywhere else, but nobody's made it happen recently. And tbh, I'd imagine if they were that bolstered, one of them would put up 1C numbers, sorta like how Bergeron started posting much higher numbers when with Pasta and Marchand. I guess Boston would be the closest to that now I mention it, but Krejci got 23rd in scoring that year and 29th, so... kinda low end 1Cs.

I think William Karlsson is a great example of the need for a 1C. Vegas hasn't really changed too much over the 3 years, I'd argue that the addition of the Pacioretty - Statsny - Stone line (soon to be Patch the Glass Stone line) has made them a lot better. During that time though, Karlsson went from the 11th best producing centre to the 40th and 41st in the following years. He had a year as a legit top centre by numbers in which his team made it to the cup finals to a year they were first round existed. In a nut shell, there's a lot more than went into both but I find that a good capsule into what happens in the league.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

They should do a complete, utter rebuild for once.

The only problem is that their vets are mainly on toxic deals with NMC's

Suter+Parise will be 40-41 when their deals are up. Spurgeon 38. Nobody is gonna give ~anything for them then. Suter might bring in something, if you trade him NOW. Highly doubt anyone would give anything for Parise, if you don't hold 50%.

Give Koivu 1 year, Galchenyuk 2 years, and trade them at the next deadline. Pateryn, Brodin, Hunt also out at the next deadline. If Staal wants a trade, same for him, too. Parise can stay & bring up the kids, Suter can decide if he wants a trade or to stay through.

Z has gone off a cliff, he has a NMC, so he too stays to fill up the cap. Dubnyk was 89,0% last season, and is 35 next year, so he might not bring in nothing.

This plan should give the Wild 2-3 extra 1st rounders, or good prospects. And a slew of 2nd / 3rd rounders. Then go for the draft lottery in 2021 + 2022

A few seasons of pain, and the team should be back in 2023 playoffs, and maybe compete for winning a couple of rounds at least in 2024. The cup would come 2024-25, before the highest picks get their big new deals.

Makes no sense

 

[tucker3434]

If we would have given Dubnyk zero starts, we would have been approximately top 6 in the league in the goal differential.

If you improve their greatest weakness and hold everything else constant, yes, it’s a better team. The wild were also top 5 in shooting percentage this year which resulted in a PDO north of 1.

Goaltending doesn’t fix the wild. It’d patch them up a bit, but they’re still icing a roster paying 1/3 of its cap to guys on the wrong side of 30 whose best days are behind them. I don’t see how they take the next step without blowing it up.

I don’t think they will. Being moderately competitive is far better than sitting in the cellar for an indefinite time.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

If you improve their greatest weakness and hold everything else constant, yes, it’s a better team. The wild were also top 5 in shooting percentage this year which resulted in a PDO north of 1.

Goaltending doesn’t fix the wild. It’d patch them up a bit, but they’re still icing a roster paying 1/3 of its cap to guys on the wrong side of 30 whose best days are behind them. I don’t see how they take the next step without blowing it up.

I don’t think they will. Being moderately competitive is far better than sitting in the cellar for an indefinite time.

It would’ve this season.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

Hey, don't be so insecure, it's gonna be okay. Some guy named Dan Vladar was better than both of them.

I'm so insecure that my team's player is demonstrably better than yours.

Besides, Vladar isn't anywhere near as good either.

Let's see these guys prove themselves like Shestyorkin has in the NHL. How about also doing it season after season like Shestyorkin has?

 

[thestonedkoala]

Let's see these guys prove themselves like Shestyorkin has in the NHL. How about also doing it season after season like Shestyorkin has?

He has? He had some early on struggles, but he played 5 games and had a 2.96 GAA and a .913 sv%, not great, but not as bad as Dubnyk. The team actually played better in front of him as well. As a collective whole, Minnesota does put goalies in positions to succeed.

It’d patch them up a bit, but they’re still icing a roster paying 1/3 of its cap to guys on the wrong side of 30 whose best days are behind them. I don’t see how they take the next step without blowing it up.

This is so overblown. Koivu is probably gone after this year, Parise put up 25 goals and has been a consistent 25 goals/82 gp player since he joined the Wild. Staal has one more season before he's gone. Suter has been solid as ever. Dubnyk is gone after next season. Stalock is paid peanuts. Zuccs is the only issue.

They don't need to blow it up, because they only have really two players (Parise and Zuccs) that maybe a problem after 20-21. Suter and Spurgeon are going to be fine.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

He has? He had some early on struggles, but he played 5 games and had a 2.96 GAA and a .913 sv%, not great, but not as bad as Dubnyk. The team actually played better in front of him as well. As a collective whole, Minnesota does put goalies in positions to succeed.

These two things can't both be true.

 

[thestonedkoala]

These two things can't both be true.

I mean if we had Kahkonen's goaltending, they would be competitive for the playoffs. It isn't any surprise that Minnesota's surge came around the time Dubnyk left and Kahkonen was called up. Hell, even Stalock was decent. But Kahkonen's numbers aren't great, but they aren't bad. His numbers in the AHL are pretty good though. 13 shutouts in 2 seasons. He was named top goaltender in the AHL for a reason and he has been successful in every stint. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't continue that success in the NHL. He just needs a season or two to acclimate

 

[pabst blue ribbon]

2/3 of the league is populated by mediocre teams

 

[Spikey]

The rebuild already happened.

And still is happening.

 

[nt3005]

I love when Oilers and Devils fans come into these conversations and talk about getting out of mediocrity. Lucking into multiple first overall picks and still struggling for playoff spots doesn't constitute knowing how to build a contender.

The blues were in the exact same situation and made a trade for a C and pulled up a young goalie.

 

[BrindamoursNose]

Ron Hextall

 

[Fixxer]

Ron Hextall

I don't know the current roster and prospects. Hextall has been a very patient GM in Philly. Good for building a prospect pool, not so good for keeping his alter ego Hakstol for too long. Hextall wanted to keep Carter Hart in the minors longer for him to mature. I think Hex could work something out, but it could take some time.

 

[Muikea Bulju]

Makes no sense

You think swimming for 20 years in mediocre land makes sense? You are not winning a single cup with that strategy.

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

You think swimming for 20 years in mediocre land makes sense? You are not winning a single cup with that strategy.

I’d rather fool myself into thinking I have a shot at a cup and not win it than fool myself into thinking being bad for a stint of time Will Lead my team to a cup. It won’t. Look at all these teams who did what your suggesting: Buffalo, Edmonton, Florida, NJ, etc. All of them spent years of their lives pushing out a miserable product. Some of them will continue to. The reality is, to win a cup you have to be extremely lucky in a number of areas. I’d rather sit in the middle of the pack and watch some competitive, meaningful hockey while I wait to get lucky than be miserable while I wait. Not to mention, the point I was responding to was your argument that we need a rebuild. You obviously haven’t paid any attention to what’s been going on in MN because the rebuild already happened.

 

[Spurgeon]

If you improve their greatest weakness and hold everything else constant, yes, it’s a better team. The wild were also top 5 in shooting percentage this year which resulted in a PDO north of 1.

Goaltending doesn’t fix the wild. It’d patch them up a bit, but they’re still icing a roster paying 1/3 of its cap to guys on the wrong side of 30 whose best days are behind them. I don’t see how they take the next step without blowing it up.

I don’t think they will. Being moderately competitive is far better than sitting in the cellar for an indefinite time.

They've literally had the best defense over the past 5 years, better goaltending would contribute massively to fixing the Wild.

 

[AKL]

If you improve their greatest weakness and hold everything else constant, yes, it’s a better team. The wild were also top 5 in shooting percentage this year which resulted in a PDO north of 1.

Goaltending doesn’t fix the wild. It’d patch them up a bit, but they’re still icing a roster paying 1/3 of its cap to guys on the wrong side of 30 whose best days are behind them. I don’t see how they take the next step without blowing it up.

I don’t think they will. Being moderately competitive is far better than sitting in the cellar for an indefinite time.

I give you my personal money-back guarantee that getting league average goaltending all season, even slightly below league average, would have gained us 6 extra points (max 3 wins, maybe a few extra loser points mixed with one additional win) this season, and we'd be sitting where Dallas is right now.