2013/2014 Minnesota Wild News and Notes - New Division and New Expectations

[DANOZ28]

wow you really debated the issue! feel free to add some facts, stats , or reasons why zucker "projects" to only be at best a 3rd stringer. after playing 20 games last year & scoring 4G plus a monster playoff goal why should zucker be happy not making the cut? IF the wild dont find him a roster spot by next yr why wouldnt he want to go to another team that will give him a chance ? players career windows dont stay open 4 ever. ps 4G in 20 games projects to 16G full season dont ya think?

 

[Jarick]

Zucker played one bad game this year and all of a sudden he's a long shot to be a top sixer?

 

[tomgilbertfan]

wow you really debated the issue! feel free to add some facts, stats , or reasons why zucker "projects" to only be at best a 3rd stringer. after playing 20 games last year & scoring 4G plus a monster playoff goal why should zucker be happy not making the cut? IF the wild dont find him a roster spot by next yr why wouldnt he want to go to another team that will give him a chance ? players career windows dont stay open 4 ever. ps 4G in 20 games projects to 16G full season dont ya think?

If Zucker wanted to make the cut so badly he should've played better in camp, and shouldn't have tried to come back when he was clearly still injured and then should've been able to play better in his game up here. The wild are not the reason Zucker didn't make the team this year, Zucker is.

Also Zucker is 21 for gods sake. His window is not closing, at all. He's going to be a good player but right now he needs consistency. Shuttling him back and forth from AHL to NHL does him no good, and neither does playing 4th line minutes in the NHL.

I'm also sick of you continuing to say things like " IF the wild dont find him a roster spot by next yr why wouldnt he want to go to another team that will give him a chance "
1) He has no leverage here, he's a prospect who has played okay at the NHL, and is a RFA. The Wild hold all the cards, it quite frankly doesn't matter what Zucker wants.

2) From everything I've heard and seen Zucker is not some whiner who will pout if things don't go his way, he's more the type to be motivated by such things

3) stop trying to say that the Wild are shafting Zucker. They're not out to get him, they're not laughing maniacally as they see one of their prospects not playing in the NHL. The Wild want Zucker to succeed more than any of us do, so they're putting him in a position where they believe he will be able to grow most as a player.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Lol at all the overreactions (the ones who are actually serious)

Hey! It wouldn't be Minnesota sports if it weren't for the overreactions...

 

[Uberdachen]

3) stop trying to say that the Wild are shafting Zucker. They're not out to get him, they're not laughing maniacally as they see one of their prospects not playing in the NHL. The Wild want Zucker to succeed more than any of us do, so they're putting him in a position where they believe he will be able to grow most as a player.

"We took a perfectly useless psychopath like Cooke, and turned him into a successful NHL player. And during the same time, we turned an honest, hard-working prospect into a violently deranged AHL killer!"

 

[Jongdo]

If Zucker wanted to make the cut so badly he should've played better in camp, and shouldn't have tried to come back when he was clearly still injured and then should've been able to play better in his game up here. The wild are not the reason Zucker didn't make the team this year, Zucker is.

Also Zucker is 21 for gods sake. His window is not closing, at all. He's going to be a good player but right now he needs consistency. Shuttling him back and forth from AHL to NHL does him no good, and neither does playing 4th line minutes in the NHL.

I'm also sick of you continuing to say things like " IF the wild dont find him a roster spot by next yr why wouldnt he want to go to another team that will give him a chance "
1) He has no leverage here, he's a prospect who has played okay at the NHL, and is a RFA. The Wild hold all the cards, it quite frankly doesn't matter what Zucker wants.

2) From everything I've heard and seen Zucker is not some whiner who will pout if things don't go his way, he's more the type to be motivated by such things

3) stop trying to say that the Wild are shafting Zucker. They're not out to get him, they're not laughing maniacally as they see one of their prospects not playing in the NHL. The Wild want Zucker to succeed more than any of us do, so they're putting him in a position where they believe he will be able to grow most as a player.

If Zucker don't wanna sign with the Wild he wont, nobody can make him to sign. How you think that would help Zucker or Wild on any way?

 

[WildFinn*]

Zucker has to play well this season, come to next years camp and be better than Cooke or Fontaine and he should get a job, both of those can be traded if needed.

At least I hope this team operates like that, Heatley is not good for morale.

 

[Avder]

"We took a perfectly useless psychopath like Cooke, and turned him into a successful NHL player. And during the same time, we turned an honest, hard-working prospect into a violently deranged AHL killer!"

One of the best movies of all time.

And also one of the best analogies for how silly this is is getting.

 

[BigT2002]

Zucker played one bad game this year and all of a sudden he's a long shot to be a top sixer?

Never said that, just merely if we are going for another big fish this offseason where does he actually fit in with the team? You can't keep them down in the AHL without some of them complaining about not getting a legit shot at it. Jason proved he can play at the NHL level but needs to work on some of his mechanics. But if he is starting to have discipline issues that becomes a distraction and a problem. Something this team really has never had before in relation to a person being suspended multiple times in a season.

Love his work ethic, drive, and his ability. But I cannot cheer for players who think they are owed something because they scored 4 big goals during the season last year.

 

[Phant03]

Never said that, just merely if we are going for another big fish this offseason where does he actually fit in with the team? You can't keep them down in the AHL without some of them complaining about not getting a legit shot at it. Jason proved he can play at the NHL level but needs to work on some of his mechanics. But if he is starting to have discipline issues that becomes a distraction and a problem. Something this team really has never had before in relation to a person being suspended multiple times in a season.

Love his work ethic, drive, and his ability. But I cannot cheer for players who think they are owed something because they scored 4 big goals during the season last year.

Show me where Zucker has even hinted he was owed anything. The amount of conjecture in this thread is ridiculous.

 

[Jarick]

Zucker was suspended once this season. The second suspension was rescinded.

Unfortunately for him, Zucker got hurt in the pre-season and had to start in Iowa. There really haven't been many injuries in the top six to give him a shot. When Coyle went down, Granlund moved to the middle and Nino slotted up. Fontaine played well enough in the top six. The top three LW's (Parise, Nino, Cooke) have been healthy. So not much of a shot for him now.

Also, say what you will about the Wild's play this year, but they have looked a lot quicker than last year, especially with Heatley on the fourth line. And outside of Granlund, everyone in the top six has a size advantage over Zucker.

I'm not sure where he fits in long term...if they end up signing Vanek, maybe they look to trade Zucker if they can get a decent return. For now, no sense in dealing low. Let him rip it up in the AHL and try and find a spot on the team at some point.

 

[Jarick]

Also, Zucker is still leading the Aeros in PPG with 8 points in 9 games. Not shabby.

 

[DANOZ28]

Show me where Zucker has even hinted he was owed anything. The amount of conjecture in this thread is ridiculous.

i never once said zucker was owed anything, i started this talk because i think zucker is the most likely to be trade bait. i gave my reasons & it has snowballed into a msg board debate. reminder i was right about hackett so dont be so quick to call me crazy!

 

[Lapa]

Parise and Koivu has had better chemistry lately. I wonder why. Because of Coyle, maybe? Or is it that they're just starting to click?

 

[rynryn]

they haven't had poor chemistry. they've always "clicked" but goals just weren't going in. unpopular opinion, but it's like the whole team. everything BUT goal scoring was happening.

 

[Lapa]

They didn't have exactly bad chemistry, but it wasn't as good as I hoped. Now, I think it's a lot better.

 

[Jarick]

IMO because Koivu is being more selfish and aggressive. His last 2-3 games have been his best games by far all year and better than most of his games late last year. When he's playing with that kind of urgency and intensity, he's amazing. I wish he'd play like that all the time, so hopefully this is the start of a resurgence for him.

 

[Lapa]

According to @mnwild, Stoner, Bäckström in. Dumba, Harding out.

 

[W75]

According to Russo, Harding is sick.

Michael Russo @Russotrib

Backstrom starts in goal for #mnwild; Harding sick

 

[AJ Thelen]

According to Russo, Harding is sick.

Michael Russo @Russotrib

And so it begins

 

[Jongdo]

I don't even wanna think about it..

 

[Nordic*]

How has he been since his return?

 

[BigT2002]

And so it begins

At some point Backstrom was going to play again. Rather it not be a divisional opponent.

 

[Lapa]

How has he been since his return?

Not as good as I hoped. I think the bubble is distracting him.

Still, he's been decent.

 

[Beegoalie]

How has he been since his return?

For him..not good.