Speculation: Trade Ideas and Free Agency XXV

[saywut]

I think part of the issue was Kuemper never really put in performance that warranted more playing time. Alex Stalock took one game to show he was ready.

Stalock played 8 games in the 20 days prior to that start. And Kuemper's games against Ottawa and Dallas were certainly more impressive. Not recalling the Edmonton/AZ performances but they might've been better as well. Adrenaline also kicks in, if we're basing things off 1 game John Curry's game against St. Louis years ago should've got him a better look.

Mind-sets were also different, Stalock's trying to prove himself to his hometown team and get back into the league whereas Kuemper knew his time with the Wild was coming to an end and for all we know Boudreau didn't even know his name. Sure, he's trying to prove himself for another NHL contract but if everyone except Bob Mason was against him(not saying they were, I don't know), hard to stay focused.

 

[Ban Hammered]

Stalock played 8 games in the 20 days prior to that start. And Kuemper's games against Ottawa and Dallas were certainly more impressive. Not recalling the Edmonton/AZ performances but they might've been better as well. Adrenaline also kicks in, if we're basing things off 1 game John Curry's game against St. Louis years ago should've got him a better look.

Mind-sets were also different, Stalock's trying to prove himself to his hometown team and get back into the league whereas Kuemper knew his time with the Wild was coming to an end and for all we know Boudreau didn't even know his name. Sure, he's trying to prove himself for another NHL contract but if everyone except Bob Mason was against him(not saying they were, I don't know), hard to stay focused.

Most starters are going to see 65-70% of the playing time so his job is to stay focused regardless of his playing time. Kuemper never seemed to be able to do that...hence why he wont be around.

 

[Wildfish]

Kind of a waste of time to discuss Kuemper, isn't it? Obviously he's history. I doubt he'll even make any NHL roster next year, he was flat out brutal. 100% no brainer he won't be back with the Wild next year, for obvious reasons... He flat out sucked.

 

[nt3005]

Kind of a waste of time to discuss Kuemper, isn't it? Obviously he's history. I doubt he'll even make any NHL roster next year, he was flat out brutal. 100% no brainer he won't be back with the Wild next year, for obvious reasons... He flat out sucked.

Kuemper wasn't great, but wasn't as bad as everyone in here says. He has the ability to be an NHL starter.

It looked to me like our team defense was not nearly as good when Kuemper was in net, would that give you a lot of confidence as a backup goalie?

 

[Minnesnota]

Kuemper wasn't great, but wasn't as bad as everyone in here says. He has the ability to be an NHL starter.

It looked to me like our team defense was not nearly as good when Kuemper was in net, would that give you a lot of confidence as a backup goalie?

He has been given more opportunities than he has earned and he has failed each time.

He will never be an NHL starter.

 

[AKL]

He has been given more opportunities than he has earned and he has failed each time.

He will never be an NHL starter.

Just to be clear, if a goalie spends the first 5+ years of his career absolutely sucking, and he's only 27, he'll never be a starting goalie in the NHL?

Someone should tell Dubnyk then so he can go back to his old self.

 

[Minnesnota]

Just to be clear, if a goalie spends the first 5+ years of his career absolutely sucking, and he's only 27, he'll never be a starting goalie in the NHL?

Someone should tell Dubnyk then so he can go back to his old self.

Dubnyk spent the first 5 years of his career playing for Edmonton when they're were the absolute ********* team in the league.

Kuemper had his chance to be a starting goalie on multiple occasions and he was too much of a head case to lock it down.

 

[Nharris31]

Dubnyk spent the first 5 years of his career playing for Edmonton when they're were the absolute ********* team in the league.

Kuemper had his chance to be a starting goalie on multiple occasions and he was too much of a head case to lock it down.

He also put up NHL average save percentage in those years besides one.

 

[Minnesnota]

He also put up NHL average save percentage in those years besides one.

Exactly. Kuemper has been blessed to play behind a Minnesota Wild defense. Even with that blessing, he has proven to be incredibly unreliable and an extreme liability whenever he is in net.

 

[nt3005]

He has been given more opportunities than he has earned and he has failed each time.

He will never be an NHL starter.

He Played extremely well in only giving up 3 goals in 3 home starts VS. Colorado in 14 playoffs.
He also had a stretch in 13-14 where he went 11-2-2 with .934 SV before he got hurt that year.
He also started that year 6-2 with two shutouts to start the year.

He has the ability. Just needs a chance. Playing in 18 games does not help a goalie play well.
Mismanagement of the situation.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

He Played extremely well in only giving up 3 goals in 3 home starts VS. Colorado in 14 playoffs.
He also had a stretch in 13-14 where he went 11-2-2 with .934 SV before he got hurt that year.
He also started that year 6-2 with two shutouts to start the year.

He has the ability. Just needs a chance. Playing in 18 games does not help a goalie play well.
Mismanagement of the situation.

~18 games is a pretty standard backup workload; not a reasonable excuse for a GAA > 3 and save % barely > 90%.

 

[Nharris31]

He Played extremely well in only giving up 3 goals in 3 home starts VS. Colorado in 14 playoffs.
He also had a stretch in 13-14 where he went 11-2-2 with .934 SV before he got hurt that year.
He also started that year 6-2 with two shutouts to start the year.

He has the ability. Just needs a chance. Playing in 18 games does not help a goalie play well.
Mismanagement of the situation.

If he was actually a starting goaltender we wouldn't had to trade for Dubnyk.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

Kuemper's best bet is probably a two-way to try and get his game back with some AHL time. It hasn't been the best situation for him and he probably has a chance to improve into a quality backup.

Without Kahkonen coming this season, it seems important to get an experienced backup in Iowa. Pretty thin depth chart if someone falters.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Kuemper wasn't great, but wasn't as bad as everyone in here says. He has the ability to be an NHL starter.

It looked to me like our team defense was not nearly as good when Kuemper was in net, would that give you a lot of confidence as a backup goalie?

Probably cause Kuemper saves the initial shot but always gives up gigantic rebounds. Dubnyk swallows the puck.

 

[saywut]

Kind of a waste of time to discuss Kuemper, isn't it? Obviously he's history. I doubt he'll even make any NHL roster next year, he was flat out brutal. 100% no brainer he won't be back with the Wild next year, for obvious reasons... He flat out sucked.

He's in a similar spot that Dubnyk was in back in 2014. He's flashed and under-performed, has the tools to be successful, just needs the right mindset. Whether or not a team wants him and can revive is career is to be determined, his agent is another concern given his extended negotiations with the Wild in the past. Wouldn't surprise me to see him in Europe next season.

What's the point of discussing him? Well, some people seem to think he was a major problem with this team and that Alex Stalock will solve those problems next season, neither of which I agree upon.

~18 games is a pretty standard backup workload; not a reasonable excuse for a GAA > 3 and save % barely > 90%.

Its below average for a back-up, wouldn't call it terrible given the circumstances. SV% and win% better than the last 2 seasons Stalock played in the NHL for comparison, and this is the worst year of Kuemper's career. Career-wise, pretty similar numbers though Kuemper's played ~1.5x the games.

Kuemper's best bet is probably a two-way to try and get his game back with some AHL time. It hasn't been the best situation for him and he probably has a chance to improve into a quality backup.

Without Kahkonen coming this season, it seems important to get an experienced backup in Iowa. Pretty thin depth chart if someone falters.

I'd rather us go after an NHL back-up. Might be tight with the cap but there's only 60 NHL spots, someone might slip through the cracks and come cheap. Also Vegas might select a bunch of goalies in the expansion draft and look to move a couple, as some teams have very little to expose.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Its below average for a back-up, wouldn't call it terrible given the circumstances. SV% and win% better than the last 2 seasons Stalock played in the NHL for comparison, and this is the worst year of Kuemper's career. Career-wise, pretty similar numbers though Kuemper's played ~1.5x the games.

Top clear-cut #1 goalies play 60-70 games if healthy all year, that's 12-22 games for their backups. We happen to have one of those goalies. Barring injury or major struggles, Kuemper wasn't going to see 30 games, so his job was to make the best out of the 18 that he saw. He couldn't, and that's why he gone.

 

[Sharppi]

Kuemper is a liability and needs to be gone. There's no trust in him inside the team.

 

[Minnesnota]

What are peoples thoughts on going after Anders Nilsson in free agency?

He's 27, 6'6" 230lbs, went 10-10-4 w/ a 2.67 GAA & .923 SV% with Buffalo this past season.

I was able to catch about 10-12 of his games this year and he looked very good for the most part. Left out to dry pretty often by his defense but he has great lateral movement and is technically sound in net.

He could be exactly what this team needs as a bonafide backup to Dubnyk who can provide insurance for the "what if" scenarios.

 

[Wabit]

Top clear-cut #1 goalies play 60-70 games if healthy all year, that's 12-22 games for their backups. We happen to have one of those goalies. Barring injury or major struggles, Kuemper wasn't going to see 30 games, so his job was to make the best out of the 18 that he saw. He couldn't, and that's why he gone.

BB's goal coming into the year was around 50 games for Dub and 30 games for Kemps (2:1) iirc. Dub stood on his head to open the season, and Kemps never saw the ice.

Kemps games#, days between:

G3
G6: 5 days (B2B)
G14: 20 days (B2B)
G18: 7 days
G22: 8 days
G30: 19 days
G33: 6 days (B2B)
G38: 15 days (B2B)
G41: 7 days (B2B)
G46: 8 days (B2B)
G49: 9 days (B2B)
G53: 8 days (B2B)
G57: 8 days
G61: 12 days (B2B)
G66: 10 days (B2B)
G67: 2 days
G74: 13 days(B2B)
G82: 14 days

In all fairness to Kuemper, he never really got a chance to get in any type of grove. He played games in the same calendar week twice all season and had 7 breaks of 10+ days. That is a lot of time between game action to brood over the goals he let in last game. Then after the 1st goal that went in against him, he'd get in his own head and start to fall apart. Goalie is all mental at the NHL level, they are all some of the best players in the world. He never really got a chance to see if he could get past the mental block this season. Not saying he deserved it, but it could be a factor in his overall play this season.

I don't want him back next year as the backup, unless it's for under $1m so we can waive him to Iowa (if needed) without taking a cap hit. The kid has the physical skillset to be a quality starter, the mental aspect is holding him back.

Maybe Brodeur has an offseason workout program or camp that Kemps could goto?

I do wonder if it's time for the Wild to get a new goalie coach; what has Mason really done for the goalies lately? Backstrom and Dub were finished products when the Wild got them. Harding and Kemps are the only guys he really has to hand his hat on.

 

[Wabit]

What are peoples thoughts on going after Anders Nilsson in free agency?

He's 27, 6'6" 230lbs, went 10-10-4 w/ a 2.67 GAA & .923 SV% with Buffalo this past season.

I was able to catch about 10-12 of his games this year and he looked very good for the most part. Left out to dry pretty often by his defense but he has great lateral movement and is technically sound in net.

He could be exactly what this team needs as a bonafide backup to Dubnyk who can provide insurance for the "what if" scenarios.

I like him, but he'll probably cost too much. Buffalo might end up bringing him back if they lose Ullmark to Vegas. Lehner/Nilsson was a nice 1a/1b combo for them.

 

[Minnesnota]

BB's goal coming into the year was around 50 games for Dub and 30 games for Kemps (2:1) iirc. Dub stood on his head to open the season, and Kemps never saw the ice.

Kemps games#, days between:

G3
G6: 5 days (B2B)
G14: 20 days (B2B)
G18: 7 days
G22: 8 days
G30: 19 days
G33: 6 days (B2B)
G38: 15 days (B2B)
G41: 7 days (B2B)
G46: 8 days (B2B)
G49: 9 days (B2B)
G53: 8 days (B2B)
G57: 8 days
G61: 12 days (B2B)
G66: 10 days (B2B)
G67: 2 days
G74: 13 days(B2B)
G82: 14 days

In all fairness to Kuemper, he never really got a chance to get in any type of grove. He played games in the same calendar week twice all season and had 7 breaks of 10+ days. That is a lot of time between game action to brood over the goals he let in last game. Then after the 1st goal that went in against him, he'd get in his own head and start to fall apart. Goalie is all mental at the NHL level, they are all some of the best players in the world. He never really got a chance to see if he could get past the mental block this season. Not saying he deserved it, but it could be a factor in his overall play this season.

I don't want him back next year as the backup, unless it's for under $1m so we can waive him to Iowa (if needed) without taking a cap hit. The kid has the physical skillset to be a quality starter, the mental aspect is holding him back.

Maybe Brodeur has an offseason workout program or camp that Kemps could goto?

I do wonder if it's time for the Wild to get a new goalie coach; what has Mason really done for the goalies lately? Backstrom and Dub were finished products when the Wild got them. Harding and Kemps are the only guys he really has to hand his hat on.

Harding, Fernandez, Roloson - that's a pretty good cast to hang your hat on to be honest.

 

[saywut]

Top clear-cut #1 goalies play 60-70 games if healthy all year, that's 12-22 games for their backups. We happen to have one of those goalies. Barring injury or major struggles, Kuemper wasn't going to see 30 games, so his job was to make the best out of the 18 that he saw. He couldn't, and that's why he gone.

Debatable if we have one of those goalies. After all, Dubnyk posted a 900 or worse in 12 of 24 games in February/March(889 in 14 March games overall), which by your standards is terrible for a back-up, nevermind a starter. So we had a 50/50 goalie for 2 months not named Kuemper(whom I'm aware was worse than 50/50 for the year). Now if we're saying he was worn down from too much playing time perhaps we need a back-up who can play more games. Kuemper didn't deserve it last year, but if we got someone who did, why shouldn't we give them ~30 starts?

It really didn't matter how Kuemper played this year, he was gone regardless. He didn't play well, it was his worst year. The assumption that Alex Stalock is going to be an upgrade is where I disagree. The assumption that we should expect no drop-off(unless we're calling Dubnyk's numbers sub-par as well) on a guy playing 3 games/month vs one playing 10+ is wrong, especially for ~25% of the salary. Or are we calling .910 acceptable for a back-up, meaning Kuemper let in 5 too many goals over 18 games. Hardly what I'd call a major problem. Or are the numbers useless and just a simple way of saying Kuemper wasn't very good? Because I agree, he wasn't very good and we should expect better, just don't expect it from Alex Stalock or someone agreeing to a 2-way or league minimum contract. And if we do go out and get somebody decent, wouldn't shock me in the least if he makes a case to take Dubnyk's job.

 

[Minnesnota]

Debatable if we have one of those goalies. After all, Dubnyk posted a 900 or worse in 12 of 24 games in February/March(889 in 14 March games overall), which by your standards is terrible for a back-up, nevermind a starter. So we had a 50/50 goalie for 2 months not named Kuemper(whom I'm aware was worse than 50/50 for the year). Now if we're saying he was worn down from too much playing time perhaps we need a back-up who can play more games. Kuemper didn't deserve it last year, but if we got someone who did, why shouldn't we give them ~30 starts?

It really didn't matter how Kuemper played this year, he was gone regardless. He didn't play well, it was his worst year. The assumption that Alex Stalock is going to be an upgrade is where I disagree. The assumption that we should expect no drop-off(unless we're calling Dubnyk's numbers sub-par as well) on a guy playing 3 games/month vs one playing 10+ is wrong, especially for ~25% of the salary. Or are we calling .910 acceptable for a back-up, meaning Kuemper let in 5 too many goals over 18 games. Hardly what I'd call a major problem. Or are the numbers useless and just a simple way of saying Kuemper wasn't very good? Because I agree, he wasn't very good and we should expect better, just don't expect it from Alex Stalock or someone agreeing to a 2-way or league minimum contract. And if we do go out and get somebody decent, wouldn't shock me in the least if he makes a case to take Dubnyk's job.

Sort of why I want the Wild to sign Anders Nilsson. I think he has what it takes to be a starter in the NHL. I think he brings a lot of value to the Wild in terms of options for the future as well.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Pominville for Niemi?
Pominville+Brodin for Niemi+#3?

Thoughts on those?

 

[Mnsportsfan22]

Pominville for Niemi?
Pominville+Brodin for Niemi+#3?

Thoughts on those?

I saw the Dallas goalie thread on the main board and thought that exact same thing. Flip pom for niemi which solves our issues and helps Dallas with there issues