Armchair GM Thread

[Softball99]

Marco Rossi ? Report: Marco Rossi Camp Not Happy with Minnesota Wild

 

[Scoresberg]

Marco Rossi ?

Sign me up. Exactly the type of player we need to be acquiring if we're serious about turning this around QUICK.

 

[hockey diva]

Sign me up. Exactly the type of player we need to be acquiring if we're serious about turning this around QUICK.

And why would he come to this shitshow?

 

[Softball99]

And why would he come to this shitshow?

He'll get top 6 minutes and more money

 

[Armourboy]

He'll get top 6 minutes and more money

Not if he's under 30 lol

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

And why would he come to this shitshow?

Well, he wouldn't have any choice if he was traded here? I don't think anybody is proposing that we could offersheet him... some better teams out there could, but in our case we're kind of locked out of that world because we can't afford to risk losing our 2026 #1 pick. More competitive teams could go after him via offersheet, but not us.

Sounds like Hynes still has his size/hits fetish. Very happy to trade him all of Smith, McCarron, Lauzon for Rossi!

But seriously, aside from hoping Guerin would do something dumb, I'm not sure how to get him here? I guess offer the TB/VGK 1st plus a top prospect plus some of those hitter depth NHLers? I'm not sure we can put the best offer on the table compared to other teams.

And then there's the whole question of just what Brunette would do with a 5'9" young center. If we give up a good enough package to acquire him, he might long for the "good ol' days" in Minnesota where he got to play 11 minutes on a 4th line with players as good as Trenin and Brazeau. That might be better than what he gets here.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Well, he wouldn't have any choice if he was traded here? I don't think anybody is proposing that we could offersheet him... some better teams out there could, but in our case we're kind of locked out of that world because we can't afford to risk losing our 2026 #1 pick. More competitive teams could go after him via offersheet, but not us.

Sounds like Hynes still has his size/hits fetish. Very happy to trade him all of Smith, McCarron, Lauzon for Rossi!

But seriously, aside from hoping Guerin would do something dumb, I'm not sure how to get him here? I guess offer the TB/VGK 1st plus a top prospect plus some of those hitter depth NHLers? I'm not sure we can put the best offer on the table compared to other teams.

And then there's the whole question of just what Brunette would do with a 5'9" young center. If we give up a good enough package to acquire him, he might long for the "good ol' days" in Minnesota where he got to play 11 minutes on a 4th line with players as good as Trenin and Brazeau. That might be better than what he gets here.

Contrary to his complaints about usage/time, Rossi did play about half his 5v5 minutes with some combination of Boldy, Zuccarello, Kaprizov, Hartman/Johansson. I mean, one doesn't get to 60 points playing the lion's share of their time on the bottom line with Yakov Trenin. But you nail it, why waste assets on a player type that isn't going to find any more favor here than he will in Minnesota?

 

[Scoresberg]

But you nail it, why waste assets on a player type that isn't going to find any more favor here than he will in Minnesota?

If every trade / draft discussion ends up to this conclusion, then wtf are we still doing here? The team MUST change something at some point, if next year goes off the rails from the get-go, someone's going to get canned. Right? Because if it's just going to stay this way there's really no point for watching or following this team, there are better things to do in everyone's lives.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

If every trade / draft discussion ends up to this conclusion, then wtf are we still doing here? The team MUST change something at some point, if next year goes off the rails from the get-go, someone's going to get canned. Right? Because if it's just going to stay this way there's really no point for watching or following this team, there are better things to do in everyone's lives.

I just think it's insane how they want to establish a "culture" - of winning, playing physical, being big and committed or whatever... all to sit in 30th place. It's sheer stupidity. Who cares if a guy is 5'9" or just 22 years old or might get pulverized in the playoffs? We are NOWHERE NEAR THE PLAYOFFS! I wouldn't care if we had a whole team of smurfs, if they were producing and improving and raising their market value, then those are appreciating assets and if you ever do get somewhere near the playoffs, THEN go ahead and fine-tune or tweak in some of the types of players you think are more likely to fit that style of game. We're just going at this all wrong. The priority should be on developing and playing young players, skilled players, raising their stock, not sidelining and liquidating them for nothing.

I do agree there is only so much of this that most fans can take. I think I have a little bit of time left, but not much. Pointing out the folly of picking up a player like Rossi only to see the current "braintrust" sideline him is just another way of critiquing the current approach and venting. Once we stop even critiquing and venting is when we stop caring... and that's coming if things keep up this way.

 

[Scoresberg]

I just think it's insane how they want to establish a "culture" - of winning, playing physical, being big and committed or whatever... all to sit in 30th place. It's sheer stupidity. Who cares if a guy is 5'9" or just 22 years old or might get pulverized in the playoffs? We are NOWHERE NEAR THE PLAYOFFS! I wouldn't care if we had a whole team of smurfs, if they were producing and improving and raising their market value, then those are appreciating assets and if you ever do get somewhere near the playoffs, THEN go ahead and fine-tune or tweak in some of the types of players you think are more likely to fit that style of game. We're just going at this all wrong. The priority should be on developing and playing young players, skilled players, raising their stock, not sidelining and liquidating them for nothing.

I do agree there is only so much of this that most fans can take. I think I have a little bit of time left, but not much. Pointing out the folly of picking up a player like Rossi only to see the current "braintrust" sideline him is just another way of critiquing the current approach and venting. Once we stop even critiquing and venting is when we stop caring... and that's coming if things keep up this way.

I agree with the notion that you can't be too small as a team to succeed in the playoffs. But Rossi at 5-9 is very sturdy and strong, kind of like Stankoven. You can also have those types of players. Ideally, he's not a matchup center in the playoffs but he's still a very good player and - again - the type of player, age-wise and other, we should be acquiring in case we want to turn this around quick.

That being said, I don't envision Trotz going after him. He's dead-set on burning dollars in FA and I'm not even 100% sure he knows it's allowed to also TRADE during the summer rather than only SIGNING players from FA.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

If every trade / draft discussion ends up to this conclusion, then wtf are we still doing here? The team MUST change something at some point, if next year goes off the rails from the get-go, someone's going to get canned. Right? Because if it's just going to stay this way there's really no point for watching or following this team, there are better things to do in everyone's lives.

I don't think every discussion must necessarily end with that conclusion, though based on the board activity the last few weeks I may be one of the few that still thinks that--this board is f***ing dire. In this instance though, Trotz/Bruno seem to share a lot of similarities in what they are looking for in/want to see out of players as Guerin/Hynes do. If Rossi isn't being valued by the Wild, whatever warts/flaws/limitations in his game are surely going to be viewed the same way by the Preds.

 

[glenngineer]

I just think it's insane how they want to establish a "culture" - of winning, playing physical, being big and committed or whatever... all to sit in 30th place. It's sheer stupidity. Who cares if a guy is 5'9" or just 22 years old or might get pulverized in the playoffs? We are NOWHERE NEAR THE PLAYOFFS! I wouldn't care if we had a whole team of smurfs, if they were producing and improving and raising their market value, then those are appreciating assets and if you ever do get somewhere near the playoffs, THEN go ahead and fine-tune or tweak in some of the types of players you think are more likely to fit that style of game. We're just going at this all wrong. The priority should be on developing and playing young players, skilled players, raising their stock, not sidelining and liquidating them for nothing.

I do agree there is only so much of this that most fans can take. I think I have a little bit of time left, but not much. Pointing out the folly of picking up a player like Rossi only to see the current "braintrust" sideline him is just another way of critiquing the current approach and venting. Once we stop even critiquing and venting is when we stop caring... and that's coming if things keep up this way.

Unless he's a 5'9" playoff warrior, what's the point of acquiring him? I get that we're nowhere close to where we need to be. On the flip side, if I'm building towards a contender, I start doing it with pieces that are valuable for when we get in that window.

And for what it's worth, people get too hung up height and not the build of a player. Tootoo was 5'9" if I remember correctly and he was a tank because he weighed, what, 190? I want guys who are proportional when talking about height.

I also care about guys who have heart and fight in them and raise their games when it comes playoff time.

We'll see what happens but right now, this team has no identity. They're easy to play against and will be again next season unless some major changes happen.

 

[Kat Predator]

Let's not forget guys with long necks. We need more of those guys.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Unless he's a 5'9" playoff warrior, what's the point of acquiring him? I get that we're nowhere close to where we need to be. On the flip side, if I'm building towards a contender, I start doing it with pieces that are valuable for when we get in that window.

And for what it's worth, people get too hung up height and not the build of a player. Tootoo was 5'9" if I remember correctly and he was a tank because he weighed, what, 190? I want guys who are proportional when talking about height.

I also care about guys who have heart and fight in them and raise their games when it comes playoff time.

We'll see what happens but right now, this team has no identity. They're easy to play against and will be again next season unless some major changes happen.

I don't know if he's a "playoff warrior" or not. But some of these small guys (Marchessault, Arvy incl.) they have been facing the size question all their lives, so they have learned to play an extra notch harder to overcome it. I don't know if that's Rossi also. But my point was, you want the skill. Get guys who can play hockey, skate, put up points. If by the time you are nearing contention you figure out you need a little more size/"warrior" mentality, then at least you've got skilled assets with good numbers and market value who you can try to trade to make those tweaks. Just get good hockey players meanwhile. Don't throw away skilled players today for nothing just because they may not fit on your final Stanley Cup winning fantasy roster 5-7 years from now. Pump their tires now, Maximize their asset value. THEN make the changes.

 

[glenngineer]

I don't know if he's a "playoff warrior" or not. But some of these small guys (Marchessault, Arvy incl.) they have been facing the size question all their lives, so they have learned to play an extra notch harder to overcome it. I don't know if that's Rossi also. But my point was, you want the skill. Get guys who can play hockey, skate, put up points. If by the time you are nearing contention you figure out you need a little more size/"warrior" mentality, then at least you've got skilled assets with good numbers and market value who you can try to trade to make those tweaks. Just get good hockey players meanwhile. Don't throw away skilled players today for nothing just because they may not fit on your final Stanley Cup winning fantasy roster 5-7 years from now. Pump their tires now, Maximize their asset value. THEN make the changes.

It's interesting you use Arvy and March as examples. One raised his game in the big moments and the other didn't. Another example is Yarncrotch. For all the love Jarnkrok got around here, he just scored his 5 playoff goal in 100 games, 1 of which was an empty netter. I get what you're saying and I'm all for improving the talent base. I'd rather do it with guys who have a better chance of performing come playoff time rather than trying to make moves to shore up a roster and then end up with guys like Turris, who was soft as a marshmallow.

Any way we look at it, we're screwed.....haha.

 

[predhead1]

It's interesting you use Arvy and March as examples. One raised his game in the big moments and the other didn't. Another example is Yarncrotch. For all the love Jarnkrok got around here, he just scored his 5 playoff goal in 100 games, 1 of which was an empty netter. I get what you're saying and I'm all for improving the talent base. I'd rather do it with guys who have a better chance of performing come playoff time rather than trying to make moves to shore up a roster and then end up with guys like Turris, who was soft as a marshmallow.

Any way we look at it, we're screwed.....haha.

But there are also examples like Marchand, who fits every definition of a playoff warrior and someone all 32 teams would want in their playoff lineup. Marty St. Louis was pretty damn good in the playoffs as well. Size measurements don't mean anything without the complete context.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

It's interesting you use Arvy and March as examples. One raised his game in the big moments and the other didn't. Another example is Yarncrotch. For all the love Jarnkrok got around here, he just scored his 5 playoff goal in 100 games, 1 of which was an empty netter. I get what you're saying and I'm all for improving the talent base. I'd rather do it with guys who have a better chance of performing come playoff time rather than trying to make moves to shore up a roster and then end up with guys like Turris, who was soft as a marshmallow.

Any way we look at it, we're screwed.....haha.

Jarnkrok isn't actually all that small? He lists 6'/190 anyway. But he's certainly an example of cotton-y softness with no other particularly redeeming qualities. I think we went along for a while with the idea that it was nice you could kind of slide him all around the lineup from 1st to 4th line filling in at all positions, like a utility infielder. Plus he was dirt cheap. But we definitely pumped his tires about as much as we could have before using him for the Seattle Expansion Draft as an asset. I guess Seattle got a pretty good haul when trading him too. For a fairly useless player. But again, I think that's what we should do with guys who have at least some modicum of NHL skill. Like Tomasino. I don't really like Tomasino. But I bet we could have pumped his tires a little, the guy could score 20+ goals and be a little above 0.5 PPG if you just kept rolling him out there in a position to succeed. Then you get at least something when you trade him, rather than nothing.

Whereas instead we are rolling out grinders and tweeners who will never be worth anything no matter what we do with them.

 

[Armourboy]

Jarnkrok isn't actually all that small? He lists 6'/190 anyway. But he's certainly an example of cotton-y softness with no other particularly redeeming qualities. I think we went along for a while with the idea that it was nice you could kind of slide him all around the lineup from 1st to 4th line filling in at all positions, like a utility infielder. Plus he was dirt cheap. But we definitely pumped his tires about as much as we could have before using him for the Seattle Expansion Draft as an asset. I guess Seattle got a pretty good haul when trading him too. For a fairly useless player. But again, I think that's what we should do with guys who have at least some modicum of NHL skill. Like Tomasino. I don't really like Tomasino. But I bet we could have pumped his tires a little, the guy could score 20+ goals and be a little above 0.5 PPG if you just kept rolling him out there in a position to succeed. Then you get at least something when you trade him, rather than nothing.

Whereas instead we are rolling out grinders and tweeners who will never be worth anything no matter what we do with them.

That's what makes guys like Tomasino and even more so Fabbro so frustrating. Even if you didn't think they were a solution long term the team was out of it by Thanksgiving, give them top minutes, inflate stats a bit and see if you can pull something a bit more out of it. Who knows maybe you discover a guy can actually play in the process.

It's why I fussed so much about the year before being a wasted season even if we did make the playoffs. That was the year all of those guys, Tomasino, Parssinen, Fabbro, etc. should have been getting top minutes to see what they had. If you weren't thrilled you move them around at the draft or the trade deadline and get a bit more for them.