Minnesota Wild General Discussion - 2022-23

[DigitalBoldy]

An actual dead horse would have had 4 pts as Kaps passenger in that series. Zucc was awful

2 of Fiala’s 3 playoff points were mooched off of Kaprizov being an absolute sniper on the power play.

 

[Jesus comma Brodin]

Well not quite every area. Kaprizov wasn't on the team when GMBG arrived. He was in the system though, so I guess it depends on how you view that.

I do mostly agree with you though. The NHL team is worse overall (except in net Dub/Stalock were terrible). The AHL team is much worse too.

Yeah I don't see BGs role in him being in the system at all, but he is reaping the benefits because without 97, we are a bottom 7 team in this league.

Also has $12-15M less cap space to work with. They weren't winning a cup with Parise and Suter on the team, so who cares if he kept them at this point, that's my view.

This is of his own doing though, he didn't take the job with $12M-$15M of dead cap space, he created that situation. This team wasn't winning a cup with Suter and Parise, sure, but we aren't winning one during the 4 years of cap hell either, so what did we actually benefit from him creating this space? Suter's $7,538,462 in a top 4 Defensive Role is now costing us $8,821,794 this year and $9,821,794 for the next two, which is a downgrade at that spot by the way. There was literally no point to the debacle he put himself in.

The buyouts added real cap space for one season, and it was a good regular season but the following 3 provide zero cap savings (which is the purpose of a buyout) when you add their buyout cap hit with the AAV of their replacement. Then, just to add a little salt, let's also add another $1,666,666 worth of dead cap until 2030. This is beating a dead horse at this point, but the buyouts provided nothing. You could say we used those spots to develop younger talent? Nope, average age of defensemen is 30 and forwards are quite young but only 5 of them are through the draft. This whole thing just made ZERO sense.

 

[MNNumbers]

I have no idea what Suter would have been here in a situation without the Country Club mentality around him. However, just numerically, we would have had more cap space without buying him out.
(I also think it's a stupid NHL rule the way it went down, because the Suter and Parise contracts were signed under different cap rules, but that's a thing for another thread.)

btw, Fiala is better than a point per game in LA.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

I have no idea what Suter would have been here in a situation without the Country Club mentality around him. However, just numerically, we would have had more cap space without buying him out.
(I also think it's a stupid NHL rule the way it went down, because the Suter and Parise contracts were signed under different cap rules, but that's a thing for another thread.)

btw, Fiala is better than a point per game in LA.

It really is on the league for retroactively punishing those contracts, of course though, the Wild are the only team to actually be punished by it. Leipold did appeal to the board last off season and was essentially told to pound sand, it just makes so little sense that they would add that punishment and why the PA didn’t get up in arms about them forcing a team to underpay players by $15MM a year is anyone’s question.

 

[Wild11MN]

This is of his own doing though, he didn't take the job with $12M-$15M of dead cap space, he created that situation. This team wasn't winning a cup with Suter and Parise, sure, but we aren't winning one during the 4 years of cap hell either, so what did we actually benefit from him creating this space? Suter's $7,538,462 in a top 4 Defensive Role is now costing us $8,821,794 this year and $9,821,794 for the next two, which is a downgrade at that spot by the way. There was literally no point to the debacle he put himself in.

The buyouts added real cap space for one season, and it was a good regular season but the following 3 provide zero cap savings (which is the purpose of a buyout) when you add their buyout cap hit with the AAV of their replacement. Then, just to add a little salt, let's also add another $1,666,666 worth of dead cap until 2030. This is beating a dead horse at this point, but the buyouts provided nothing. You could say we used those spots to develop younger talent? Nope, average age of defensemen is 30 and forwards are quite young but only 5 of them are through the draft. This whole thing just made ZERO sense.

Until they both retire before their contracts were up. We all know why he did it - cost certainty. It absolutely made sense. I'm not even saying it was definitely the right choice, but the reason is very clear.

 

[DigitalBoldy]

I have no idea what Suter would have been here in a situation without the Country Club mentality around him. However, just numerically, we would have had more cap space without buying him out.
(I also think it's a stupid NHL rule the way it went down, because the Suter and Parise contracts were signed under different cap rules, but that's a thing for another thread.)

btw, Fiala is better than a point per game in LA.

Suter was a huge part of the “country club.” What do you mean?

I feel this question is generally avoided since nobody knows, but do we actually have confirmation that Fiala wanted to sign here long term this past offseason?

It could be that Fiala forced his way out because he didn’t like the contract negotiations the prior offseason, which we all can agree was a screw up not to sign him long term around $6-6.5M.

 

[MNRube]

One thing I like about what Guerin has done is fill the bottom 6 with speedy guys. Yes we have Bass Reeves back there now but Shaw, Dewar, Walker and Duhaime can all motor and team speed is much more noticeable.

 

[MNNumbers]

Suter was a huge part of the “country club.” What do you mean?

I feel this question is generally avoided since nobody knows, but do we actually have confirmation that Fiala wanted to sign here long term this past offseason?

It could be that Fiala forced his way out because he didn’t like the contract negotiations the prior offseason, which we all can agree was a screw up not to sign him long term around $6-6.5M.

I agree totally on Fiala. The right approach from Guerin would have been:
Buy out Parise
Have a discussion with Suter. You're buddy is gone. We're not trading you because there are potential cap issues involved in that for us which we wish to avoid. You're going to get first pair minutes any more because has caught up with you, but we think that you are a great 2nd pair guy. There are 22 other guys in the clubhouse, that everyone is just as valuable as you are. Spurgeon is making more money than you are, Kapisov probably wil, too. This is just the way it is. This conversation essentially says, "Hey. The country club is closed. We're operating on a 'work hard, so we can all get better' idea now.
Sign Fiala before the 21-22 season, instead of low-balling him. We could all see the offensive talent there. Hang on to it.

 

[57special]

It really is on the league for retroactively punishing those contracts, of course though, the Wild are the only team to actually be punished by it. Leipold did appeal to the board last off season and was essentially told to pound sand, it just makes so little sense that they would add that punishment and why the PA didn’t get up in arms about them forcing a team to underpay players by $15MM a year is anyone’s question.

Luongo(VAN/FL) also had a cap recapture hit attached to him, as does Weber(NSH/MTL)

 

[P10p]

Yeah I don't see BGs role in him being in the system at all, but he is reaping the benefits because without 97, we are a bottom 7 team in this league.

This is of his own doing though, he didn't take the job with $12M-$15M of dead cap space, he created that situation. This team wasn't winning a cup with Suter and Parise, sure, but we aren't winning one during the 4 years of cap hell either, so what did we actually benefit from him creating this space? Suter's $7,538,462 in a top 4 Defensive Role is now costing us $8,821,794 this year and $9,821,794 for the next two, which is a downgrade at that spot by the way. There was literally no point to the debacle he put himself in.

The buyouts added real cap space for one season, and it was a good regular season but the following 3 provide zero cap savings (which is the purpose of a buyout) when you add their buyout cap hit with the AAV of their replacement. Then, just to add a little salt, let's also add another $1,666,666 worth of dead cap until 2030. This is beating a dead horse at this point, but the buyouts provided nothing. You could say we used those spots to develop younger talent? Nope, average age of defensemen is 30 and forwards are quite young but only 5 of them are through the draft. This whole thing just made ZERO sense.

Never understand how fans who see these guys a few hours a week on the tube at most think that they know the team better than the guys who are with them every single day for hours on hours.

Just because you don't see/understand the point, does not mean that there wasn't one. And on top of that, no one owes us an explanation. Things can happen behind closed doors that we aren't entitled to.

 

[Bazeek]

Never understand how fans who see these guys a few hours a week on the tube at most think that they know the team better than the guys who are with them every single day for hours on hours.

Just because you don't see/understand the point, does not mean that there wasn't one. And on top of that, no one owes us an explanation. Things can happen behind closed doors that we aren't entitled to.

Agreed, but conversely no one owes them the benefit of the doubt.

 

[P10p]

Agreed, but conversely no one owes them the benefit of the doubt.

Agreed!

 

[Dakota Sioux]

 

[Wabit]

One thing I like about what Guerin has done is fill the bottom 6 with speedy guys. Yes we have Bass Reeves back there now but Shaw, Dewar, Walker and Duhaime can all motor and team speed is much more noticeable.

Shaw, Dewar, Duhaime were in the system already.

Freddy G, Reaves, Steel, and Walker are the FWDs GMBG brought onto the team.

 

[ProfessorMcFatty]

View attachment 620913

He's not wrong...

 

[AKL]

Shaw, Dewar, Duhaime were in the system already.

Freddy G, Reaves, Steel, and Walker are the FWDs GMBG brought onto the team.

Fletcher
Kaprizov
Eriksson Ek
Spurgeon
Shaw
Foligno
Greenway
Dumba
Brodin
Duhaime

Fenton
Zuccarello
Boldy
Dewar (kinda? Fenton took over a few weeks before this draft and was using Fletcher's scouts/Flahr)
Hartman

Guerin
Addison
Gaudreau
Steel
Middleton
Merrill
Goligoski
Reaves
Walker

 

[Wabit]

Fletcher
Kaprizov
Eriksson Ek
Spurgeon
Shaw
Foligno
Greenway
Dumba
Brodin
Duhaime

Fenton
Zuccarello
Boldy
Dewar (kinda? Fenton took over a few weeks before this draft and was using Fletcher's scouts/Flahr)
Hartman

Guerin
Addison
Gaudreau
Steel
Middleton
Merrill
Goligoski
Reaves
Walker

I don't know who to give blame/credit for that 2018 (FJ) draft. IIRC Russo said something about weird things happened around it with the regime change.

 

[AKL]

I don't know who to give blame/credit for that 2018 (FJ) draft. IIRC Russo said something about weird things happened around it with the regime change.

I'm not saying there was retalitory sabotage by Flahr and the scouting team for Fletcher getting the boot. I'm NOT saying that.

But if I was in Flahr's position and I wanted to sabotage that draft for my old boss getting the boot, I would have done so by drafting a no-upside defenseman that was projected to go in the second/third round in the first round.

 

[DigitalBoldy]

Fletcher
Kaprizov
Eriksson Ek
Spurgeon
Shaw
Foligno
Greenway
Dumba
Brodin
Duhaime

Fenton
Zuccarello
Boldy
Dewar (kinda? Fenton took over a few weeks before this draft and was using Fletcher's scouts/Flahr)
Hartman

Guerin
Addison
Gaudreau
Steel
Middleton
Merrill
Goligoski
Reaves
Walker

We must bring back Fletcher!

 

[DANOZ28]

can't stand any of our gms. we need someone like stevie Y. (or me!)

 

[fredrikstad]

It really is on the league for retroactively punishing those contracts, of course though, the Wild are the only team to actually be punished by it. Leipold did appeal to the board last off season and was essentially told to pound sand, it just makes so little sense that they would add that punishment and why the PA didn’t get up in arms about them forcing a team to underpay players by $15MM a year is anyone’s question.

Agreed completely on all of this. The least they should do, was to subtract Suter and Parises current Cap Hits with their new teams, from the cap penalties The Wild have. I mean, this year Suter is skating around with a total cap hit of 10 021 794, and the next two years with 11 021 794 USD.
Like I said before, it's a crime to The Wild, The NHL, and most of all to Kaprizov, that he can't be connected with a legit 1C. Sad for hockey.

 

[BagHead]

can't stand any of our gms. we need someone like stevie Y. (or me!)

Yep, Steve Yzerman and DANOZ28. Those are the two names I always think of next to each other.

 

[57special]

Yep, Steve Yzerman and DANOZ28. Those are the two names I always think of next to each other.

"Identity Line" or "Hemi" - which is worse?

 

[AKL]

"Identity Line" or "Hemi" - which is worse?

Identity line AINEC

 

[BagHead]

"Identity Line" or "Hemi" - which is worse?

Identity line, because we've already got a better name for them. I've yet to hear a nickname for Kaprizov I really like.