Management Bill Guerin

[AKL]

I didn't really think it was that weird at all. It was a good question and a decent response.

It was a pretty atrocious response

 

[Wild11MN]

It was a pretty atrocious response

I get what he's trying to say. Basically don't make moves just to get you into the second round. Make moves with the goal of winning a cup. i.e. don't trade away valuable prospects when you're more than one player away from competing and building a roster with an actual shot of winning a cup, which this team clearly is (more than one player away).

Obviously it's better to make the second round than not, and I think how he spoke on that part was indeed pretty dumb. But my takeaway is he was talking more about long-term roster building than what happened in the playoffs this year. The playoffs were obviously a failure, so I disagree with his statement there.

 

[Dickie Dunn]

I think you are right about what he tried, badly, to get at. But you can't also talk about culture and toughness and chemistry and then ignore that they aren't good enough or tough enough to jump the first hurdle.....even deny that the hurdle exists.

 

[Digitalbooya]

I think you are right about what he tried, badly, to get at. But you can't also talk about culture and toughness and chemistry and then ignore that they aren't good enough or tough enough to jump the first hurdle.....even deny that the hurdle exists.

I think they are plenty tough. Lack of skill at the center position is absolutely killer. Good thing we locked up Gaudreau for 5 more years and nobody wants to move on from Hartman because of his contract though! This episode has been on repeat for eight years now and it’s doomed to repeat again next year with almost the same group set to return.

 

[AKL]

I think they are plenty tough. Lack of skill at the center position is absolutely killer. Good thing we locked up Gaudreau for 5 more years and nobody wants to move on from Hartman because of his contract though! This episode has been on repeat for eight years now and it’s doomed to repeat again next year with almost the same group set to return.

What would moving Hartman accomplish in terms of getting more skill at center?

 

[Spurgeon]

I think they are plenty tough. Lack of skill at the center position is absolutely killer. Good thing we locked up Gaudreau for 5 more years and nobody wants to move on from Hartman because of his contract though! This episode has been on repeat for eight years now and it’s doomed to repeat again next year with almost the same group set to return.

I mean they can’t really make many alternative moves right now. Gaudreau and Hartman were some of the only two to contribute in the playoffs, so it seems odd to target them. Especially when they make less than half of what Kaprizov does combined.

Hartman and Gaudreau are perfectly fine 3rd liners. Ek is a great 2nd line center. This team just needs Rossi or Khusnutdinov to be something. It is very unfortunate that this team was 1 spot behind Dallas in the 2015 draft where they took Hintz and we took Greenway.

 

[Sota Popinski]

hAi, I aM StOoPid

I appreciate your honesty.

 

[Sota Popinski]

I think they are plenty tough. Lack of skill at the center position is absolutely killer. Good thing we locked up Gaudreau for 5 more years and nobody wants to move on from Hartman because of his contract though! This episode has been on repeat for eight years now and it’s doomed to repeat again next year with almost the same group set to return.

I think Gaudreau at 3C for 2.1M is a good contract and moving on from him doesn't get us any closer to a top 6 center.

Let him walk and trade Hartman and what C are we signing with that 3M?

 

[roon]

I get what he's trying to say. Basically don't make moves just to get you into the second round. Make moves with the goal of winning a cup. i.e. don't trade away valuable prospects when you're more than one player away from competing and building a roster with an actual shot of winning a cup, which this team clearly is (more than one player away).

Obviously it's better to make the second round than not, and I think how he spoke on that part was indeed pretty dumb. But my takeaway is he was talking more about long-term roster building than what happened in the playoffs this year. The playoffs were obviously a failure, so I disagree with his statement there.

Then stop trying to be competitive if you are building for the future. They want to have it all the ways - they want to make the playoffs to keep season ticket sales up, but they aren't good enough to actually do anything in the playoffs. They want to simultaneously build through the draft - while competing in the playoffs - also while buying out bad contracts to be competitive in the future....it just doesnt work and frustrates everyone involved.

You can't be halfway pregnant Billy boy - you need to pick a lane and go with it.

 

[AKL]

Then stop trying to be competitive if you are building for the future. They want to have it all the ways - they want to make the playoffs to keep season ticket sales up, but they aren't good enough to actually do anything in the playoffs. They want to simultaneously build through the draft - while competing in the playoffs - also while buying out bad contracts to be competitive in the future....it just doesnt work and frustrates everyone involved.

You can't be halfway pregnant Billy boy - you need to pick a lane and go with it.

Well he can do all of the above, technically, it's just not gonna lead anywhere we haven't already been. It's just going to result in a bunch of middle of the lineup guys who are just good enough to make the postseason most years, but not good enough to threaten any real success. Which I don't need to tell anyone here is exactly what this organization has been for most of its existence.

 

[Minnewildsota]

Then stop trying to be competitive if you are building for the future. They want to have it all the ways - they want to make the playoffs to keep season ticket sales up, but they aren't good enough to actually do anything in the playoffs. They want to simultaneously build through the draft - while competing in the playoffs - also while buying out bad contracts to be competitive in the future....it just doesnt work and frustrates everyone involved.

You can't be halfway pregnant Billy boy - you need to pick a lane and go with it.

No. Absolutely not.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

You can do both, and a team of middle of the lineup guys can succeed in the playoffs.

 

[Wild11MN]

You can do both, and a team of middle of the lineup guys can succeed in the playoffs.

Seattle and Vegas have both proven that possible.

 

[roon]

You can do both, and a team of middle of the lineup guys can succeed in the playoffs.

The Wild have been trying to do both since their inception and have been mediocre the entire time.

 

[TaLoN]

You can do both, and a team of middle of the lineup guys can succeed in the playoffs.

That's where coaching can be the difference and we just haven't had a true difference maker behind the bench since Lemaire.

 

[roon]

Seattle and Vegas have both proven that possible.

Vegas had MAF standing on his head and a very good coach.

Seattle - We'll see.

 

[57special]

I mean, Hakstol was considered to be incompetent, and was run out of Philly. Beniers is a very nice player, but SEA has no elite talent, just a bunch of cast offs, including ex Wild players Soucy and Donato.

 

[f7ben]

I mean, Hakstol was considered to be incompetent, and was run out of Philly. Beniers is a very nice player, but SEA has no elite talent, just a bunch of cast offs, including ex Wild players Soucy and Donato.

Move that team to MN and they get trounced in the first round.

 

[TaLoN]

Move that team to MN and they get trounced in the first round.

A worse team in MN made it to the conference finals.

 

[f7ben]

A worse team in MN made it to the conference finals.

Lemaire stared down the curse and the curse tucked tail and ran

 

[DeagleJenkins]

It seems to me he all but confirmed what we all pretty much know, we won’t be competing while sporting all this dead cap. He said it limits us from getting those big names at the deadline and free agency, which it does. Did seem to use it as somewhat of an excuse for sucking this year but I’ll accept knowing he isn’t completely stupid in knowing we won’t be doing squat these next two years besides hoping for lightning in a bottle and prospects hitting.

 

[Digitalbooya]

What would moving Hartman accomplish in terms of getting more skill at center?

Make room for Rossi. Force Dean’s hand.

 

[DANOZ28]

he could have "gone 4 it" trading all our picks for retreads like fletch was famous for but he didn't. he has to get some credit even if he created this mess.

 

[AKL]

Make room for Rossi. Force Dean’s hand.

Weren't you the one leading the "Rossi sucks and he hasn't earned those minutes" charge earlier this year?

I promise you Hartman is not blocking Rossi

 

[57special]

It's easy enough to move Hartman to RW. For a cap strapped team such as us, moving him and his 1.7M cap hit would not be something to be done lightly. Hartman is worth far more than his cap hit ... we need more of that type, not less.

Rossi being handed a C position will not help him skate faster, or get stronger.