Tidbits: Around the League: NHL News - 2022-23

[thestonedkoala]

Fletcher FINALLY got fired in Philly.

Has anyone else had worse career return then Fletch?

 

[TaLoN]

Has anyone else had worse career return then Fletch?

Considering his success level here prior to Philly? Absolutely.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Considering his success level here prior to Philly? Absolutely.

That's what I mean. He was a average to below average GM here in Minnesota and then dismal in Philly. Like what the hell happened?

 

[TaLoN]

That's what I mean. He was a average to below average GM here in Minnesota and then dismal in Philly. Like what the hell happened?

No idea what the hell happened in Philly, it was terrible. He's clearly capable of better but it is what it is.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Probably started with completely mis-judging Ristolainen. 1st round pick + that contract.

Also, some bad injury luck with Couturier (74 games total the last 3 seasons) and Ellis (4 games total the last 2 seasons), a guy like Morgan Frost not becoming Robert Thomas-like and then the whole Nolan Patrick thing (Heiskanen, Makar and Pettersson the next 3 picks).

 

[Spurgeon]

I thought Fletcher was good here and he made logical decisions for the most part. I’d probably have him in the upper half of the league during most of his tenure here.

His moves in Philly have just been astonishingly bad. Makes me wonder if there was someone in the organization here that he leaned on

 

[Saga of the Elk]

I'll never wrap my head around the desire of posters here to defend Chuck Fletcher.

He was and is a below-average GM. What were his successes? Drafting Kaprizov is a credit to the scout. Signing free agent Spurgeon is a credit to the scout. One playoff series win and how many disasters of lost trades, terrible picks and abject mediocrity?

Being a nice guy is ... not enough. Supporting Chuck Fletcher is manifestly a loser's mentality.

 

[Wild11MN]

I'll never wrap my head around the desire of posters here to defend Chuck Fletcher.

He was and is a below-average GM. What were his successes? Drafting Kaprizov is a credit to the scout. Signing free agent Spurgeon is a credit to the scout. One playoff series win and how many disasters of lost trades, terrible picks and abject mediocrity?

Being a nice guy is ... not enough. Supporting Chuck Fletcher is manifestly a loser's mentality.

I'm not going to defend him at all here. But if you're giving credit to the scouts for his good moves, why aren't you blaming the scouts for the bad draft picks, trades, etc?

 

[thestonedkoala]

Makes me wonder if there was someone in the organization here that he leaned on

That's a good suggestion. He kept all of Riser's guys in place. His development and his pro scouting was dismal. He was kept a few years too long.

 

[TaLoN]

I'll never wrap my head around the desire of posters here to defend Chuck Fletcher.

He was and is a below-average GM. What were his successes? Drafting Kaprizov is a credit to the scout. Signing free agent Spurgeon is a credit to the scout. One playoff series win and how many disasters of lost trades, terrible picks and abject mediocrity?

Being a nice guy is ... not enough. Supporting Chuck Fletcher is manifestly a loser's mentality.

Managed the crap he was handed, turning the team into a perennial playoff team that made the 2nd round twice.

His failure here is that the team plateaued there. Didn't help that the Hawks were in dynasty mode at the time either.

 

[thestonedkoala]

Managed the crap he was handed, turning the team into a perennial playoff team that made the 2nd round twice.

His failure here is that the team plateaued there. Didn't help that the Hawks were in dynasty mode at the time either.

I mean he kept most of what had turned the team into crap. Plus he did the same thing to Fenton.

 

[TaLoN]

I mean he kept most of what had turned the team into crap. Plus he did the same thing to Fenton.

No, the team was very different in 2014 on than it was in 2009

Fenton was handed a perennial playoff team... with young assets on the roster.

Yes, the cupboard got bare again, because of trading too many picks, but that's why Fletcher was OK, not great and needed to go.

There's a wide range between terrible and great. Fletcher wasn't great, but he wasn't terrible either.

In Philly, he was terrible.

 

[DigitalBoldy]

The NHL's Russia-Pride jersey problem, explained: Canadiens join list of teams with players opting out of warmups

NHL teams continue to struggle with how to handle Pride jerseys, with the Sabres the latest not getting full participation.

theathletic.com

Seems to confirm the cancelling of the pride jerseys during warmup, not just a Minnesota Wild thing, is a league wide concern for Russian players following Russia’s anti-gay laws that were amended in December of 2022:

In particular, this issue has arisen for teams with prominent Russian players since that country’s anti-gay laws were amended in early December, per the New York Times, to make it “illegal to spread ‘propaganda’ about ‘nontraditional sexual relations’ in all media, including social, advertising and movies.”

I had a sneaking suspicion during that game that it wasn’t a Minnesota/United States thing.

Should be noted that last year both Kaprizov and Kulikov wore the pride jerseys.

 

[57special]

The NHL's Russia-Pride jersey problem, explained: Canadiens join list of teams with players opting out of warmups

NHL teams continue to struggle with how to handle Pride jerseys, with the Sabres the latest not getting full participation.

theathletic.com

Seems to confirm the cancelling of the pride jerseys during warmup, not just a Minnesota Wild thing, is a league wide concern for Russian players following Russia’s anti-gay laws that were amended in December of 2022:



I had a sneaking suspicion during that game that it wasn’t a Minnesota/United States thing.

Should be noted that last year both Kaprizov and Kulikov wore the pride jerseys.

Makes a lot of sense now. Russian players would face punishment that players from no other country have to… not fair to ask that of them.

 

[NHL1674]

I'm still baffled by how those in charge didn't plan better. They already knew about what happened in Philly. It wasn't a secret about the risks regarding Russian players. Anyone could see it coming, yet they didn't, leading them to drop it at the very last minute. Maybe don't commit to it....maybe don't say a word about it. If it's not a problem, surprise!!!!, we're wearing the jerseys in warmups. If it IS a problem, then you drop it and the fans don't miss what they never knew they had.

 

[Wabit]

I'm still baffled by how those in charge didn't plan better. They already knew about what happened in Philly. It wasn't a secret about the risks regarding Russian players. Anyone could see it coming, yet they didn't, leading them to drop it at the very last minute. Maybe don't commit to it....maybe don't say a word about it. If it's not a problem, surprise!!!!, we're wearing the jerseys in warmups. If it IS a problem, then you drop it and the fans don't miss what they never knew they had.

 

[kfan22]

Nashville loses to Arizona last night and Calgary loses at home to Anaheim tonight!

 

[NHL1674]

Nobody in the west wants to play in the postseason.

 

[Parax]

Nashville loses to Arizona last night and Calgary loses at home to Anaheim tonight!

ANA beats CGY for an outcome that both teams' fans hate. Great stuff.

 

[north21]

I'll never wrap my head around the desire of posters here to defend Chuck Fletcher.

He was and is a below-average GM. What were his successes? Drafting Kaprizov is a credit to the scout. Signing free agent Spurgeon is a credit to the scout. One playoff series win and how many disasters of lost trades, terrible picks and abject mediocrity?

Being a nice guy is ... not enough. Supporting Chuck Fletcher is manifestly a loser's mentality.

He was a clear upgrade over Doug Risebrough, and he was able to at the very least turn us into a consistent playoff team from literally nothing but a koivu and a burns, there was zero talent in the farm system when he took over.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

He was a clear upgrade over Doug Risebrough, and he was able to at the very least turn us into a consistent playoff team from literally nothing but a koivu and a burns, there was zero talent in the farm system when he took over.

Making the Conference Finals is something Fletch never sniffed. Under Risebrough, the Wild were also consistently in the playoffs. They were the 3 seed in the west in 2008 and of course missed the playoffs in 2009 despite being the 2nd best defensive team in the league. With that high draft pick Fletch took Nick Leddy, we all know that story. He then traded blossoming defenseman Brent Burns, turning him into washed-out winger Devin Setoguchi, 3rd line center Charlie and a total bust whose name I'm sick of typing all these years. He accomplished less than Risebrough, is the main point. And he kept all the same scouts Risebrough had too, for the most part, listening to his Russian scout twice in ten years. The difference is mostly that 2006-2008 were some of the weakest classes in years.

And people complain about Guerin... unreal fanbase.

 

[TaLoN]

Under Risebrough, the Wild were also consistently in the playoffs.

Uh... no

3 times in the playoffs under DR in 8 seasons.

In 9 seasons under Fletcher, they were in the playoffs the last 6 seasons.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Making the Conference Finals is something Fletch never sniffed. Under Risebrough, the Wild were also consistently in the playoffs. They were the 3 seed in the west in 2008 and of course missed the playoffs in 2009 despite being the 2nd best defensive team in the league. With that high draft pick Fletch took Nick Leddy, we all know that story. He then traded blossoming defenseman Brent Burns, turning him into washed-out winger Devin Setoguchi, 3rd line center Charlie and a total bust whose name I'm sick of typing all these years. He accomplished less than Risebrough, is the main point. And he kept all the same scouts Risebrough had too, for the most part, listening to his Russian scout twice in ten years. The difference is mostly that 2006-2008 were some of the weakest classes in years.

And people complain about Guerin... unreal fanbase.

3 times in 8 years, but definitely had the hardest degree of difficulty, no question.

 

[TaLoN]

3-1

3 times in 8 years, but definitely had the hardest degree of difficulty, no question.

2nd half of that difficulty was his own doing was the problem.

 

[north21]

Making the Conference Finals is something Fletch never sniffed. Under Risebrough, the Wild were also consistently in the playoffs. They were the 3 seed in the west in 2008 and of course missed the playoffs in 2009 despite being the 2nd best defensive team in the league. With that high draft pick Fletch took Nick Leddy, we all know that story. He then traded blossoming defenseman Brent Burns, turning him into washed-out winger Devin Setoguchi, 3rd line center Charlie and a total bust whose name I'm sick of typing all these years. He accomplished less than Risebrough, is the main point. And he kept all the same scouts Risebrough had too, for the most part, listening to his Russian scout twice in ten years. The difference is mostly that 2006-2008 were some of the weakest classes in years.

And people complain about Guerin... unreal fanbase.

That was a fairytale run, nothing the GM did, that was all on the coach. Nobody is saying Fletcher was great, he just wasn't nearly as horrible as he was in Philly. We had some good years under Fletch, to only complain about everything gets old. Risebrough was worse, no way around it.