Confirmed with Link: Wild Agrees To Terms With Free Agent Goaltender Adam Vay

[Saga of the Elk]

Is there also the possibility that Leland Irving returns? If Irving doesn't return then Hoffman will probably back up Michalek in Iowa, unless someone new is signed, but it seemed like in a paper I read that Hoffman is going to be in Iowa this year.

Sure, it's possible. Irving was a pretty good AHL starter last season. It seems the plan is to have Michalek take over those duties though. Hoffman ended up playing a lot of games for Quad City and the results were pretty ok. They could qualify him and have him be the backup, or find a better option - Vay might be that.

There are moving pieces:

Kuemper - the issue being that they've invested a lot in his development and he's a decent backup right now but the relationship between his reps and the Wild is poor from all indications. He definitely has some trade value, and since the Wild is very poor in picks and needs to stock the pool, it makes sense to deal him for the right package. If they get him signed, it's all moot.

An NHL backup - as posted above, there are options, but the Wild are tight to the cap and need someone reliable. Dubnyk can get overworked and shouldn't probably play 70 games.

The amount of cap space is largely contingent on moving Scandella or Brodin, and allowing Reilly or Olofsson to take some of those minutes...so not an easy offseason.

If Michalek falters, you have just Brody Hoffman or Adam Vay to cover for him. Last thing Iowa needs is three seasons as the worst team in the AHL, but they may not have the defensive depth to change that trend.

 

[kabidjan18]

Sure, it's possible. Irving was a pretty good AHL starter last season. It seems the plan is to have Michalek take over those duties though. Hoffman ended up playing a lot of games for Quad City and the results were pretty ok. They could qualify him and have him be the backup, or find a better option - Vay might be that.

There are moving pieces:

Kuemper - the issue being that they've invested a lot in his development and he's a decent backup right now but the relationship between his reps and the Wild is poor from all indications. He definitely has some trade value, and since the Wild is very poor in picks and needs to stock the pool, it makes sense to deal him for the right package. If they get him signed, it's all moot.

An NHL backup - as posted above, there are options, but the Wild are tight to the cap and need someone reliable. Dubnyk can get overworked and shouldn't probably play 70 games.

The amount of cap space is largely contingent on moving Scandella or Brodin, and allowing Reilly or Olofsson to take some of those minutes...so not an easy offseason.

If Michalek falters, you have just Brody Hoffman or Adam Vay to cover for him. Last thing Iowa needs is three seasons as the worst team in the AHL, but they may not have the defensive depth to change that trend.

So basically if 2 goalies are signed/resigned the goalie situation would look like Dubnyk - Kuemper/signing, Michalek - Irving/signing, Hoffman vs. Vay, and then the year after/the end of the year Kahkonen arrives. The key question I guess would be is Michalek ready to go from backup AHL duty to backup NHL duty?

 

[IHaveNoCreativity]

How old is Michalek now ? How many pro games?

 

[kabidjan18]

How old is Michalek now ? How many pro games?

22, he was backup to Irving last year so he has played 14 games for Iowa, has yet to debut in the NHL.

 

[Sanya]

Interview with Brent Flahr:
Of course he will begin in ECHL or AHL....but we have not contracted him as a backup
http://www.jegkorongblog.hu/2016/05/21/nem-a-kispadra-szerzodtettuk-vayt/#post-171275

 

[kabidjan18]

Interview with Brent Flahr:
Of course he will begin in ECHL or AHL....but we have not contracted him as a backup
http://www.jegkorongblog.hu/2016/05/21/nem-a-kispadra-szerzodtettuk-vayt/#post-171275

Wait really? I thought they signed him hoping he'd never make it past the ECHL

...why does he even need to mention this...

 

[TaLoN]

From the Strib...

-- Adam Vay and goalie situation: Very interesting story. He was basically an unknown before the world championships and is now hoping to one day become the first Hungarian to play in the NHL.

Fletcher said he was a complete unknown to him before the worlds.

“He played in the Hungarian-Romanian League if I’m not mistaken last year. We don’t have a great scouting presence in that league,” Fletcher said, sarcastically. “He played well in the worlds, caught everybody’s attention. He’s a gamer. Big, athletic, he has things he has to learn, but he’s excited about that.”

Alex Stalock is expected to be the No. 1 in Iowa, so the Wild will have to figure out how best to utilize Steve Michalek and Vay. Both need to play games, so maybe they switch back and forth between backing up in Iowa and starting with ECHL Quad City.

“At some point, they’ll both need to play games, so it’s important to make sure we develop them,” Fletcher said.

 

[Milansdad]

MOL League is purely a Hungarian league with Romanian - and now Croatian, Serbian - participating in it. A year ago we had a Slovakian Team as well. MOL League is trying to grow both in size and quality.

 

[Nooodles]

"Speaking of Vay, the Hungarian import earned the camp’s Hardest Worker Award."



No surprise though. The guy is a monster.

 

[BagHead]

"Speaking of Vay, the Hungarian import earned the camp’s Hardest Worker Award."



No surprise though. The guy is a monster.

Nice. He and Stezka were, IMO, the best goalies during the play that I saw. Even if he doesn't work out for us, Hungary's got a great goalie for years to come.

 

[gwh]

Nice. He and Stezka were, IMO, the best goalies during the play that I saw. Even if he doesn't work out for us, Hungary's got a great goalie for years to come.

Really?

Was watching his games in the WJC and he was more raw than a road rash. Talking 5 years out, at least...

 

[BagHead]

Really?

Was watching his games in the WJC and he was more raw than a road rash. Talking 5 years out, at least...

It's just half a scrimmage I got to see these goalies for, but he was positionally sound and unspectacular during it, and that means he was playing the angles appropriately. He only let in one goal on 18(?) shots. And some of those shots were very good chances, especially from Kunin.

He may be raw, but if he is, I didn't have a large enough sample size to judge that. He played well that day.