Speculation: Trade and Free Agency Talk XLIII

[Dr Jan Itor]

GMs don’t have open ended timelines. We’ll find out one way or the other how good his plan is.

 

[Bazeek]

And I would agree, and have been very critical of some of his moves and the consequences of them.

All I'm saying is the one thing I do agree with him on is not rushing out to find any old center just because we're weak at the position right now. I think it's very important to demonstrate patience, to a degree, when you're making this type of commitment. I wish he would have demonstrated the same type of care in his other decisions.

But at the same time, I'm not going to grill him for losing Dumba for nothing just because Russo said Guerin might be leaning towardsa losing Dumba for nothing. I will gladly roast him over a bonfire if it actually happens. I'll also be more willing to burn him at the stake if we find out that one or more good, young, long term center options are available this summer, and someone else gets them and we don't. I'm only going to judge him by the actions he's actually taken or not taken, not the actions he needs to take in the future.

That's entirely fair and admittedly better than my approach. I just can't shake the feeling that Guerin has strong opinions about the best flavor of crayon and that this is all headed somewhere very ugly. I hope I'm just being a ****.

 

[Prior]

You’re selling short the rest of the central far too easily. We all know we would lose to the hawks at least a few times no matter how bad they are supposed to be

Have you watched any of these team this year? You mentioned Dallas and they are terrible.

It’s the Avs in a tier above all but the Wild are significantly better than all of these other teams.

 

[2Pair]

Debatable. Peg isn’t playing bad hockey, Dallas looks good and the blues are either good or not so you can’t bet on them either way. We are not a sure fire 2 seed

Dallas is sub 500 point percentage. Blues are in the same division as the Wild this season and are 10 points back despite playing a much easier schedule. The only real debate would be between the Wild and Jets over who is 2nd and who is 3rd.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Dallas is sub 500 point percentage. Blues are in the same division as the Wild this season and are 10 points back despite playing a much easier schedule. The only real debate would be between the Wild and Jets over who is 2nd and who is 3rd.

Eerily similar to the present.

 

[TaLoN]

hanzal and rask arent even in the same ballpark as players and comparing them is almost offensive to hanzal.

Yet the point remains. Just because he was 2C in AZ doesn't make him considered a 2C in the NHL... that is a valid point through and through.

When he was traded away from AZ, there wasn't a team looking at him for the playoffs that expected him to be in their top 6.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Have you watched any of these team this year? You mentioned Dallas and they are terrible.

It’s the Avs in a tier above all but the Wild are significantly better than all of these other teams.

I have not seen much of the stars no as I’m not allowed much viewing outside of highlights sadly... this entire streaming Bologna’s gets old quick.

Dallas is sub 500 point percentage. Blues are in the same division as the Wild this season and are 10 points back despite playing a much easier schedule. The only real debate would be between the Wild and Jets over who is 2nd and who is 3rd.

I know the blues are in our division currently, not exactly under a rock. As I said they are good and bad, don’t see them as much better or worse than we are. I stated before I don’t disagree we are playing well just find it hard to say we are very good. Could argue if we were swapped with Dallas our record would be quite different given the opponents.

 

[Prior]

Team is 24-12-2.

‘I don’t know if this team is any good’. Never change MN.

 

[2Pair]

I have not seen much of the stars no as I’m not allowed much viewing outside of highlights sadly... this entire streaming Bologna’s gets old quick.

I know the blues are in our division currently, not exactly under a rock. As I said they are good and bad, don’t see them as much better or worse than we are. I stated before I don’t disagree we are playing well just find it hard to say we are very good. Could argue if we were swapped with Dallas our record would be quite different given the opponents.

The Wild have the 9th best point percentage in the league despite playing 14 of their 38 games against Colorado and Vegas.

 

[MK9]

I guess, judging by what appear to be pretty weird moves by Guerin so far, I feel like he's going to go after a center that we're all going to go, 'Wtf?' or 'Who?!'. It'll be some relatively young, under the radar guy. His response to the center question on (I don't remember what podcast) when he said something akin to 'The #1 center idea in the NHL has changed. You don't really need a #1 guy (or something like that) We're looking for a 200' center that can play both ends. (I dislike that answer and find it a little worrying) But, I get what he's saying. Like any GM, anything he says is fluid, it can and will change. But, I don't get the feeling he's a 'make a big splash' kind of guy. Like, at all.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Team is 24-12-2.

‘I don’t know if this team is any good’. Never change MN.

Apparently any good and very good mean the same thing. Intriguing.

The Wild have the 9th best point percentage in the league despite playing 14 of their 38 games against Colorado and Vegas.

also vs Anaheim Arizona and la. I guess those games don’t factor into win percentages huh?

 

[Bazeek]

I guess, judging by what appear to be pretty weird moves by Guerin so far, I feel like he's going to go after a center that we're all going to go, 'Wtf?' or 'Who?!'. It'll be some relatively young, under the radar guy. His response to the center question on (I don't remember what podcast) when he said something akin to 'The #1 center idea in the NHL has changed. You don't really need a #1 guy (or something like that) We're looking for a 200' center that can play both ends. (I dislike that answer and find it a little worrying) But, I get what he's saying. Like any GM, anything he says is fluid, it can and will change. But, I don't get the feeling he's a 'make a big splash' kind of guy. Like, at all.

I hadn't heard that podcast but I actually like the answer. It's not what everyone's hoping for but a Stephenson-for-a-5th type trade could be great if the team's pro scouts are up to the task.

 

[AKL]

I guess, judging by what appear to be pretty weird moves by Guerin so far, I feel like he's going to go after a center that we're all going to go, 'Wtf?' or 'Who?!'. It'll be some relatively young, under the radar guy. His response to the center question on (I don't remember what podcast) when he said something akin to 'The #1 center idea in the NHL has changed. You don't really need a #1 guy (or something like that) We're looking for a 200' center that can play both ends. (I dislike that answer and find it a little worrying) But, I get what he's saying. Like any GM, anything he says is fluid, it can and will change. But, I don't get the feeling he's a 'make a big splash' kind of guy. Like, at all.

Morgan Frost would still be an excellent target for that criteria
Christian Dvorak fits the type, if not the age profile
Danault would technically be the type, but again, not really the age profile
Joe Veleno
Gabriel Vilardi
Pavel Zacha
Robert Thomas

Just spitballing, not sure any of these are even available. I hope he's still looking for offense to some degree. You're playing an extremely dangerous game if you're going to go after Bonino type players and hope they can be top 6 centers just because they play defense. Danault can't play on the PP, as an example, so that's not something that really helps much. You still need a center that can play PP.

 

[57special]

I don't expect Guerin to say we've got to get a #1C ASAP in public, but I sure as hell hope he says it to himself before he goes to bed every night. I do have some sympathy for his predicament...he did select the best C talents available in the draft with his first two picks. Not his fault that Rossi caught Covid, and some pretty nasty aftereffects.

 

[MK9]

I hadn't heard that podcast but I actually like the answer. It's not what everyone's hoping for but a Stephenson-for-a-5th type trade could be great if the team's pro scouts are up to the task.

I think for me it's just, the older I get the more averse to change I am. So, the 'you have to have a #1 pointgetting center' mentality is so ingrained in my head from 40 years of watching hockey, my brain went, 'Ehhhh, I don't like that theory.' when he said it. And it may well be how things end up trending.

As far as the podcast, it was a couple weeks ago, but I can't for the life of me remember where I heard it. I think it was some deal on the Strib website if I recall correctly. I'll see if I can dig it up and if so will post a link. And incidentally, I probably misremembered what he actually said, but it was fairly close to that.

 

[2Pair]

I guess, judging by what appear to be pretty weird moves by Guerin so far, I feel like he's going to go after a center that we're all going to go, 'Wtf?' or 'Who?!'. It'll be some relatively young, under the radar guy. His response to the center question on (I don't remember what podcast) when he said something akin to 'The #1 center idea in the NHL has changed. You don't really need a #1 guy (or something like that) We're looking for a 200' center that can play both ends. (I dislike that answer and find it a little worrying) But, I get what he's saying. Like any GM, anything he says is fluid, it can and will change. But, I don't get the feeling he's a 'make a big splash' kind of guy. Like, at all.

Or, those are just the quotes that a GM spews to the public when he has built a team where Victor Rask is his best center?

 

[MK9]

Or, those are just the quotes that a GM spews to the public when he has built a team where Victor Rask is his best center?

Yeah, that'd be why I included: "Like any GM, anything he says is fluid, it can and will change."

 

[AKL]

Or, those are just the quotes that a GM spews to the public when he has built a team where Victor Rask is his best center?

Or maybe it's to temper expectations of fans who think he can just simply acquire an Eichel, Barkov, or even O'Reilly type player just because the team needs one.

 

[2Pair]

Or maybe it's to temper expectations of fans who think he can just simply acquire an Eichel, Barkov, or even O'Reilly type player just because the team needs one.

Wanna know who doesn't have to "temper expectations"? People that are good at their jobs.

 

[AKL]

Wanna know who doesn't have to "temper expectations"? People that are good at their jobs.

If Rossi becomes a 50-60 point center next season, and an 80 point center in the future, is Guerin good at his job? Or does he specifically need to trade for or sign a 50-60 point center for you to be satisfied?

 

[Minnewildsota]

Wanna know who doesn't have to "temper expectations"? People that are good at their jobs.

This isn’t true at all

 

[DeagleJenkins]

Morgan Frost would still be an excellent target for that criteria
Christian Dvorak fits the type, if not the age profile
Danault would technically be the type, but again, not really the age profile
Joe Veleno
Gabriel Vilardi
Pavel Zacha
Robert Thomas

Just spitballing, not sure any of these are even available. I hope he's still looking for offense to some degree. You're playing an extremely dangerous game if you're going to go after Bonino type players and hope they can be top 6 centers just because they play defense. Danault can't play on the PP, as an example, so that's not something that really helps much. You still need a center that can play PP.

i never watched Danault on the pp, but what was he used as? net front?

 

[16thOverallSaveUs]

To a large degree this is semantics, but I find it really hard to call what he's been doing a rebuild. The only proactive move he's made in that direction was trading Zucker, and that was a case where the player was almost getting pushed off the roster by Kaprizov and he had his old boss busting down his door to acquire him. Beyond that the most rebuild-y thing he's done is not trade futures. Which is... fine, but I don't know that I'd call that a rebuild. Especially when what he has been proactive about is extending UFAs that, in most rebuilds, would be traded for futures.

Like I don't know what label to slap on this, but I think "rebuild" requires a lot of squinting.

Guerin always refers to it as “building on the fly”

 

[P10p]

Or, those are just the quotes that a GM spews to the public when he has built a team where Victor Rask is his best center?

Guerin took over this team in 2019. Less than 2 years ago, so no, he hasn't built this team. He inherited a mess at center.

Also, are you completely blind to the fact that covid has disrupted business as usual?

 

[TwiztedHeat]

I'm really thinking we're not making any moves. I wish we could unload Rask/Bonino/Johansson plus some picks/prospects for a center/picks, but I don't see anything happening.