Why the Erik Haula Trade is bad

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TaLoN

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Haula and Tuch React to Leaving the Wild for Vegas

"I'm really excited. It's a fresh start," Haula said by phone Thursday from the island of Capri, where he was wrapping up an Italian vacation with his girlfriend. "You knew where you were going to be going into camp with Minnesota, but here, I get a chance to compete for those top spots, which is the chance you want. I understand that nothing's ever given and I've learned that throughout my days. But hopefully I can go in there and make a really good impression and get a chance to play some of those top minutes."

"[Wednesday] was a very crazy day for me," Tuch said. "It started with a rumor and turned into a life changing phone call. To be a part of a historic event like the 2017 expansion draft is amazing. I understood the risk of the draft and leaving the Minnesota Wild organization will be difficult. They have been amazing to my family and I over the past few years and I wouldn't be where I am without the support of such a great organization."

Fletcher made clear he explained to center Eric Staal when left unprotected that he was confident the veteran center was safe from being protected. "We had this arrangement with Vegas [for Haula] now for close to a week," Fletcher said. "So I was able to talk to Eric early on, and I don't Eric was ever in danger of not being with our club."
 

HanSolo

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From the island of Capri, huh? Too bad my career in hockey never happened. Went there as a normie and was blown away by how expensive everything was.
 

Aurinko

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From the island of Capri, huh? Too bad my career in hockey never happened. Went there as a normie and was blown away by how expensive everything was.

don't be too sad, hockey players have to live with the fact that they chased a black piece of rubber for the majority of their lives :wally:
 

MAHJ71

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Another update on the details behind how the deal went down...

Russo was on KFAN radio this afternoon and said that the Wild gave Vegas the choice of Kaprizov, Greenway or Tuch as the prospect, and they chose Tuch.

Which Tuch is pretty much the best of those prospects no?
 

TaLoN

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Which Tuch is pretty much the best of those prospects no?

Closest to the NHL of those prospects.

I think wild fans would have been ok with either Tuch or Greenway, but many would have found Kaprizov hard to swallow. Some see Kaprizov as by far our best prospect.

So quite a few say we dodged a bullet there.

Tuch is likely the surest bet for top 6 player, as in lowest risk. Kaprisov is much higher risk but possibly much higher reward.
 

Aurinko

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Closest to the NHL of those prospects.

I think wild fans would have been ok with either Tuch or Greenway, but many would have found Kaprizov hard to swallow. Some see Kaprizov as by far our best prospect.

So quite a few say we dodged a bullet there.

Tuch is likely the surest bet for top 6 player, as in lowest risk. Kaprisov is much higher risk but possibly much higher reward.

Kaprizov should have been a no-brainer with all the hype and possible upside.

Tuch is exactly like you said a low risk pick. Big and smart.
 

Bart9349

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Turns out Haula and Tuch weren't such a horrible picks after all.

McPhee 1 - the general opinion 0

I appreciate the bump up of this thread.

Just goes to show that "expert" opinion is not always correct.

From the linked article:

Alex Tuch is nothing special either. He was the 18th pick in the 2014 draft and is currently 21. He had 18 goals and 19 assists in 57 games this year for the AHL’s Iowa Wild, good for 0.65PPG. While that’s not bad for a 21 year old in the AHL, it’s not absolutely eye-popping either. He’ll probably need one-two more years down there before he’s NHL-ready, and even then he doesn’t project as much more than a low-end second liner.

While this trade isn’t horrid or detrimental, I do think it’s a bad start and starts Vegas off at a weaker point then we could have been at had we taken Dumba or Scandella, but I guess time will tell. Maybe Tuch gets put on Shipachyov’s wing next season and pots 25, who knows?

It seems that Haula and Tuch could be pillars of this team for years to come.

A brilliant move by GMGM.
 
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Say Hey Kid

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I appreciate the bump up of this thread. Just goes to show that "expert" opinion is not always correct. From the linked article: It seems that Haula and Tuch could be pillars of this team for years to come. A brilliant move by GMGM.
Agreed. Wins are what matter.
 
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willy702

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I don't know if you can call a win on this yet. I mean who does the team have on D next year? Wouldn't Dumba be a real cornerstone at the toughest position in the NHL to get stars at? Haula and Tuch are not bad players, but neither feels like they will be worth as much as Dumba will be in a couple of years. And what if they did take Dumba, wouldn't GMGM have followed a changed strategy with all these D? And how about Shippy, maybe he never goes to the AHL if you have two less forwards to try to slot in. I mean so many ways to look at this and it seems a decent value for the moment, but I'm not about to call this a win yet either. Haula gets paid pretty good money for a position slot many other teams pay less than $2.8m a year for. The 3C is also a spot where you have to think Glass and Suzuki are going to get slotted early on in their NHL careers, so he creates a potential log jam as well.
 

Vegas Mac

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I don't know if you can call a win on this yet. I mean who does the team have on D next year? Wouldn't Dumba be a real cornerstone at the toughest position in the NHL to get stars at? Haula and Tuch are not bad players, but neither feels like they will be worth as much as Dumba will be in a couple of years. And what if they did take Dumba, wouldn't GMGM have followed a changed strategy with all these D? And how about Shippy, maybe he never goes to the AHL if you have two less forwards to try to slot in. I mean so many ways to look at this and it seems a decent value for the moment, but I'm not about to call this a win yet either. Haula gets paid pretty good money for a position slot many other teams pay less than $2.8m a year for. The 3C is also a spot where you have to think Glass and Suzuki are going to get slotted early on in their NHL careers, so he creates a potential log jam as well.

You're reaching. It is a clear win at this point and will likely remain so.

Haula is far better than he was valued at in that place and time, and McPhee saw things clearly with him and Tuch as well.

McPhee is simply a very good GM, and dare I say at this point clearly one of the best in the league. Nobody's perfect of course but overall we are in good hands.
 

Bart9349

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Don't say that too loudly or you'll attract a crowd of internet hot takers screaming ERAT ERAT ERAT at you.

Interesting article describing GMGM's tenure in Washington:

McPhee's achievement in Washington was building a speedy team that was able to outskate opponents, and creating one of the top-scoring teams in NHL history. But his downfall was becoming overly complacent with his roster and allowing major holes to develop on the forward and defensive corps, as well as shying away from using the team he built a certain way to its best abilities.

How McPhee lost his job

Admittedly as a Pens fan, I couldn't help feeling more than a little schadenfreude at the hapless Caps' misery.

New team. New chapter. So far, so good.
 
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MCassel

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I never even heard of the original article but it's extremely surprising that people were as strongly against it then and that some have still not quite come around.
 
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