Minnesota Wild General Discussion - 2023-24

[Dr Jan Itor]

I'm fine with the Zucc extension if this is going to be his utilization.

 

[f7ben]

Underpaid this contract, agreed. 4 mill for next contract as a 29 year old who will not put up the points he did two years ago and will be surpassed by others...not at all idiotic, because again, we could maybe have re-signed him. It's not that hard to understand that you don't re-sign these guys prior to the season starting...there was no reason to. Business 101.

29 is still close enough to his prime where 4 million for a guy that can play up and down the lineup is pretty good. He brings a lot to the ice , is durable and can play anywhere you need him. I think he’s a slight bargain at 4 million and he took a discount to stay

 

[ThatGuy22]

Got the newest THN magazine (had a sub since as long as I can remember). This issue has Faber and Rossi on it, which is awesome in and of itself, but it's the "Rookie Issue". Well I have not gotten that far, but they show the average age of every franchise and Wild are 31 of 32. You all may have already know that...but my gosh...just another variable onto dead cap, injuries, etc.

Also, just another reason to hate the Zucc, Foligno, and Hartman extensions. And for those of you who are happy with 1, 2, or all 3, it is not necessarily that I hate the player or whatever (I do hate the term and $ amount, but thats another point), it's that the Wild could have revisited them in the offseason after flipping them at the TDL, getting some youth in the form of draft picks or prospects, and then seeing what the roster looks like in FA, etc.

Those three aren't really the problem in that ranking. We are probably talking a pretty small difference between top and bottom. My guess is less then 3 years. And plenty of teams have a trio of 30 to 35 guys in their top 9.

We have Fleury and goligoski who are like 3rd and 8th oldest in the league.

 

[NHL1674]

Those three aren't really the problem in that ranking. We are probably talking a pretty small difference between top and bottom. My guess is less then 3 years. And plenty of teams have a trio of 30 to 35 guys in their top 9.

We have Fleury and goligoski who are like 3rd and 8th oldest in the league.

Do they factor in Parise and Suter too? I mean, we're paying them.

 

[ThatGuy22]

Do they factor in Parise and Suter too? I mean, we're paying them.

If they do we have 4 of the top 8

 

[Webster]

I'm fine with the Zucc extension if this is going to be his utilization.

I'm sure you are. He offered a huge discount to get a deal done early. Guerin was quick to re-sign him. You don't have many $4M players with a realistic production of 70 points a season. It's a steal.

 

[MrRuin]

What a frustrating time for Rossi, he lost every role he had with the Wild due to no real fault of his own. The Wild are winning so it apprently works for the club, but he is just a serviceable part and nothing else. He doesn't get deployed in any meaningful situation anymore, PP2 is basically never on the ice with any time on the PP. Even the 4 min PP they got only a short shift to give PP1 a little rest. Welcome to full time bottom 6 duty Marco Rossi! His TOI wouldn't have cracked 10 minutes if Ek did not hurt himself.

 

[63firebird]

My two cents: team is winning so Rossi’s development/ice time is going to suffer because he’s a center. Just so few options.

Now Zucc’s and Johansen’s poor 5v5 production on wing entirely different dynamic.

For now decent goaltending and 87-14-12 scoring Is working.

 

[absolute garbage]

I have to say, what a disaster those cap penalties ended up being.

Like, from roster construction point of view the stars aligned actually pretty nicely here, and this and next season Wild could've been a legit Cup contender... but not with almost 20% of cap wasted. And then when those cap penalties disappear, guys like Faber are going to get paid.

That said, there's so many good things going on (lots of vets playing great, the Kaprizov "clock" if you will, Faber and Rossi on ELCs etc) that I do wonder if they still try to go for it though. I know it's not necessarily a popular idea here, but adding someone like Buchnevich now could be something they want to do. He'd give them that much needed secondary scoring for this and next season.

 

[AKL]

It would be eminently interesting to see Kaprizov-Ek-Boldy as a line full time for 82 games a year to see what their stat lines would look like at the end and how it would change the perception of Kaprizov and Ek specifically.

There are so many people out there who don't understand that these guys don't play together all the time. Yes, Ek and Kaprizov are together now, but they weren't for a large portion of the season. Obviously they wouldn't maintain this current pace (Ek has 15 in his last 8, Kaprizov has 18 in his last 8), but they might both still be on pace for 90+.

And I imagine Ek scoring 90+ would catapult him way up on a lot of guys lists who just have him as a 65-70 point guy because all they do is watch the stat lines without understanding the dynamic at play in Minnesota.

Same with Kaprizov. He's not "just" a 90+ point dynamic winger, he's that without getting to play with other top flight players for most of his career. He's that while carrying Zuccarello and Hartman around. Imagine if he did have the top line players most of the other guys he's competing against have.

 

[TaLoN]

I'm sure you are. He offered a huge discount to get a deal done early. Guerin was quick to re-sign him. You don't have many $4M players with a realistic production of 70 points a season. It's a steal.

This wasn't the discount you think it was. Stop using the Athletic as a market contract source. They themselves say it's not that. He was never going to get those numbers in a real market because of his age and his severely declining 5v5 abilities.

 

[Sweetnut]

This wasn't the discount you think it was. Stop using the Athletic as a market contract source. They themselves say it's not that. He was never going to get those numbers in a real market because of his age and his severely declining 5v5 abilities.

Don't forget he's playing with a broken arm! While mentoring the whole team.

 

[Webster]

This wasn't the discount you think it was. Stop using the Athletic as a market contract source. They themselves say it's not that. He was never going to get those numbers in a real market because of his age and his severely declining 5v5 abilities.

7-8 million is unrealistic despite the ppg production, true enough, but he'd get at least 6M as a UFA, age and risk taken into account. So he left around 2M a yr on Guerin's desk.

 

[TaLoN]

7-8 million is unrealistic despite the ppg production, true enough, but he'd get at least 6M as a UFA, age and risk taken into account. So he left around 2M a yr on Guerin's desk.

No way he gets more than Pavelski.

$5m tops on a 1yr deal. 2years +? No discount had at $4m.

 

[AKL]

Officially on Khusnutdinov watch now. Do you guys think he takes 22 with the Wild? If so, what do you guys think Yurov will wear?

 

[Sota Popinski]

I'm fine with the Zucc extension if this is going to be his utilization.

I'm not sure how anyone can argue that extension, but the Foligno one is mind maddening. Even if Billy properly valued Foligno, there are players like him available every free agency period. So extending him for 4 years and hamstringing yourself in a situation like this year where he could have sold Foligno at the deadline for a first or second, makes me lose faith that he's valuing players properly. He was a power forward type that had way more of a scoring touch than Foligno, and I think that influenced that decision

 

[Wonderful Tacos]

Not expecting anyone to change their minds but just for perspective Rossi vs some of his draft peers on current icetime (last 5 games) and usage (per daily faceoff):

2020 NHL Draft

#7 Alex Holtz - 4th line wing for the Devils playing 6-12 minutes a night

#8 Jack Quinn - injured for Sabres + unsure which line but was playing 12-16 min a night

#9 Marco Rossi - 3rd line (or 4th, debatable i suppose) center playing 11 to 14 minutes a night

#10 Cole Perfetti - 4th line wing for the Jets playing 7 to 14 minutes a night

#12 Anton Lundell - 3rd line center for Florida Panthers playing 13 to 18 minutes a night

#13 Seth Jarvis - 3rd line wing for Hurricanes playing 17 to 20 minutes a night

#14 Dylan Holloway - 4th line wing for Edmonton playing 7 to 12 minutes a night


Not saying this proves or disproves anything. Obviously you can still say qualitatively you'd rather have him playing wherever & getting whatever minutes. Just context.

 

[Wonderful Tacos]

Not expecting anyone to change their minds but just for perspective Rossi vs some of his draft peers on current icetime (last 5 games) and usage (per daily faceoff):

2020 NHL Draft

#7 Alex Holtz - 4th line wing for the Devils playing 6-12 minutes a night

#8 Jack Quinn - injured for Sabres + unsure which line but was playing 12-16 min a night

#9 Marco Rossi - 3rd line (or 4th, debatable i suppose) center playing 11 to 14 minutes a night

#10 Cole Perfetti - 4th line wing for the Jets playing 7 to 14 minutes a night

#12 Anton Lundell - 3rd line center for Florida Panthers playing 13 to 18 minutes a night

#13 Seth Jarvis - 3rd line wing for Hurricanes playing 17 to 20 minutes a night

#14 Dylan Holloway - 4th line wing for Edmonton playing 7 to 12 minutes a night


Not saying this proves or disproves anything. Obviously you can still say qualitatively you'd rather have him playing wherever & getting whatever minutes. Just context.

Also Stutzle playing 1C, Lafreniere & Raymond 2nd line, Byfield 3rd line. No time to check right now but Im sure they all get quite a few minutes. Skipped the top 4 draft picks on purpose clearly.

 

[Spurgeon]

Sounds like Duhaime and/or Dewar could be traded at the deadline due to the need to open space for a possible influx of prospects next season (including Heidt). Also sounds like there’s an outside chance that Yurov could still be signed.

Plus, this summer, the Wild will need to open spots in the lineup to give prospects like Khusnutdinov, 2022 first-round pick Liam Ohgren, 20, and 2023 second-round pick Riley Heidt a chance to make the team. Heidt, 18, leads the WHL with 101 points, and while he can only play in the NHL or WHL next season (not the AHL because he’ll be under 20), don’t be surprised if the Wild give him a long look in training camp and even give him a trial run into the regular season.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Go get Necas.

 

[AKL]

Sounds like Duhaime and/or Dewar could be traded at the deadline due to the need to open space for a possible influx of prospects next season (including Heidt). Also sounds like there’s an outside chance that Yurov could still be signed.

Interesting because they don't need to move either of them if their goal is roster space next year. Duhaime is a UFA and Dewar is an RFA that could be moved during the summer. I'm also not sure we should move Dewar, he could still be a very useful piece even with the influx of prospects.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Go get Necas.

At what cost though? Have to imagine it would take Rossi.

 

[MrRuin]

Not expecting anyone to change their minds but just for perspective Rossi vs some of his draft peers on current icetime (last 5 games) and usage (per daily faceoff):

2020 NHL Draft

#7 Alex Holtz - 4th line wing for the Devils playing 6-12 minutes a night

#8 Jack Quinn - injured for Sabres + unsure which line but was playing 12-16 min a night

#9 Marco Rossi - 3rd line (or 4th, debatable i suppose) center playing 11 to 14 minutes a night

#10 Cole Perfetti - 4th line wing for the Jets playing 7 to 14 minutes a night

#12 Anton Lundell - 3rd line center for Florida Panthers playing 13 to 18 minutes a night

#13 Seth Jarvis - 3rd line wing for Hurricanes playing 17 to 20 minutes a night

#14 Dylan Holloway - 4th line wing for Edmonton playing 7 to 12 minutes a night


Not saying this proves or disproves anything. Obviously you can still say qualitatively you'd rather have him playing wherever & getting whatever minutes. Just context.

the only thing you can justify Rossi's demotion with is the winning record of the Wild which arguably may not be any different with Rossi on the 2nd line getting 16+ minutes a night but it is what it is. They had a successful run with Rossi playing big minutes as well. He obviously doesn't play that big of a role singlehandedly on the outcome of Wild games at the moment. Once Foligno is back everything will be shaken up again most likely so let's just wait and see.

What I am a little more concerned is how much the Wild rely on their top 3 players at the moment. That is not sustainable. They also play their second PP unit way too little, they have no game practice whatsoever.

 

[57special]

Kind of surprised that not only Duhaime, but Dewar are being shopped. I get it, from their POV. The re-signing of Zucc, Hartman, FG, and Foligno has surely blocked them from getting meaningful TOI in the future, or at least limited their opportunities. It's not easy to score when you get zero PP TOI, mainly D zone starts, and PK duties.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Kind of surprised that not only Duhaime, but Dewar are being shopped. I get it, from their POV. The re-signing of Zucc, Hartman, FG, and Foligno has surely blocked them from getting meaningful TOI in the future, or at least limited their opportunities. It's not easy to score when you get zero PP TOI, mainly D zone starts, and PK duties.

Do you think that either of them should, or would on another team?