Minnesota Wild General Discussion - 2023-24

[Digitalbooya]

Would people feel better about Zucc on the 2nd line if the opposite winger was a 20+ goal guy? Or does that not change the opinion at all?

 

[AKL]

Would people feel better about Zucc on the 2nd line if the opposite winger was a 20+ goal guy? Or does that not change the opinion at all?

If Zuccarello plays like he did last year, does not change at all. Though it should go without saying that a better player on that line still probably leads to more success, which would mask Zuccarello's deficiencies a bit.

 

[Wabit]

Would people feel better about Zucc on the 2nd line if the opposite winger was a 20+ goal guy? Or does that not change the opinion at all?

Depends on the 20g+ player. If it was Boldy, Granny, and Rossi would be a no. If it was Nino, Tuch, or Hartman I'd be fine with it.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Would people feel better about Zucc on the 2nd line if the opposite winger was a 20+ goal guy? Or does that not change the opinion at all?

I feel better about him when he's in a spot to be the true complimentary player that he is. On this team, that's either with Kaprizov or Boldy+Eriksson Ek.

Would also be passable if it's with the player you're describing and Eriksson Ek/Hartman, as long as the new player can take on the heavy lifting in other areas too.

I'm not as down on Zucc as other are; I'm fine with him as the 3rd best player on the 2nd line at $4M.

 

[IAHockey25]

Spurgeon submits hit 10 team on July 1. Is there any chance he could be moved this season if he comes back and shows he is healthy? Would there need to be retention? Or out of the question?

I have always hated his contract

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Spurgeon submits hit 10 team on July 1. Is there any chance he could be moved this season if he comes back and shows he is healthy? Would there need to be retention? Or out of the question?

I have always hated his contract

Any chance? Sure. Likelihood? Probably not.

I think he's respected a lot more by the team and around the league than he is here.

Lest we forget, he's been voted a top 20 defenseman in 5 of the 7 years before last year's injury troubles, and a top 15 in 4 of those 5.

Also, if he comes back healthy (and our goalies don't suck), we're probably a playoff team so that would be another reason for 'no'.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Spurgeon submits hit 10 team on July 1. Is there any chance he could be moved this season if he comes back and shows he is healthy? Would there need to be retention? Or out of the question?

I have always hated his contract

He is the captain, it would take a very unique scenario for him to become available; if he demonstrates that he is healthy and effective enough to be valuable in a trade, then he is likely worth keeping on the roster, we have no immediate replacement and weakness below him in the lineup too.

 

[57special]

Spurgeon submits hit 10 team on July 1. Is there any chance he could be moved this season if he comes back and shows he is healthy? Would there need to be retention? Or out of the question?

I have always hated his contract

He is the captain, it would take a very unique scenario for him to become available; if he demonstrates that he is healthy and effective enough to be valuable in a trade, then he is likely worth keeping on the roster, we have no immediate replacement and weakness below him in the lineup too.

First, he'd have to come back and prove his effectiveness, then he might be a possible TDL move if we are not competitive, and if one(or two) of our D prospects look ready. While his play will probably decline somewhat, his cap hit will be offset by the higher salaries due to an increasing cap ceiling going forward.

I could see EDM paying a 1st+Ceci for Spurgeon, if Spurge is looking decent next year, and EDM is once again a serious contender.

Do i think it's going to happen this summer? Nah.

 

[NHL1674]

I miss Wild hockey. I know it can be frustrating to watch, but I miss it. Damn you, offseason!!

 

[keppel146]

The tank crowd is going to looooove this upcoming season. It's truly a throwaway season. One final bang before we see a little cap relief.

I guess 2024-25 should be a win/win either way. I wanted the tank the last two years (?-it’s been so long I can’t remember) to stockpile talent but now that we missed our window at that, I kinda want them to win again. Screw you Leipold for not wanting a Will Smith or Zeev Buium….

 

[57special]

I guess 2024-25 should be a win/win either way. I wanted the tank the last two years (?-it’s been so long I can’t remember) to stockpile talent but now that we missed our window at that, I kinda want them to win again. Screw you Leipold for not wanting a Will Smith or Zeev Buium….

Don't worry, this year should also be mediocre or worse with Yurov not coming over, a bunch of aging players on the roster, and a 15M cap penalty.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Don't worry, this year should also be mediocre or worse with Yurov not coming over, a bunch of aging players on the roster, and a 15M cap penalty.

Spurgeon back. Gus bounceback year. Wallstedt up for spot starts so Fleury only needs to play ~ 20 games. Rossi further developing. Ohgren being better than Johansson.

We are making the playoffs.

 

[AKL]

From a Canes fan in the new Necas thread on the trade board:

In all honesty... they have similarities in that they both suck at using their teammates and neither of them are NHL caliber C.

While they are both massive puck hogs they go about it in different ways. Necas is speed and zone entries with a laser shot. Both (I imagine Skinner is still good at this) protect the puck well but because of their absolute lack of on ice awareness they are usually super out of position so if they lose the puck it's an odd man rush the other way guaranteed because their linemates can't just be a permanent safety net.

This is why I have no interest in Necas and why I don't know why anyone here would, or Wild management either. He's just the worst parts of Fiala amplified, without all the good to balance it out like Fiala had.

 

[f7ben]

Spurgeon back. Gus bounceback year. Wallstedt up for spot starts so Fleury only needs to play ~ 20 games. Rossi further developing. Ohgren being better than Johansson.

We are making the playoffs.

Or…….

Kap starts off slow and Spurgeon resumes QBing a typical anemic wild PP. Zucc is playing through injury by game 3 and Brodin goes down with a broken ankle blocking a shot during game 9. Team starts off 7-17-3 and then Guerin makes some useless bottom 6 trade after a few players only meetings and the same lip service from everyone associated with the team.

Kap starts to heat up and during the second half of the season and during a stretch of games against basement dwelling teams the Wild manage to win 9 in a row. The team finishes the year 36-40-6 and that’s good for 10th place in the west and the 14th overall pick.

All the team mouthpieces lament the bad puck luck , injuries and how close they were during the exit interviews and statements.

Guerin continues to babble about identity and grit while Kap makes plans to test free agency and Yurov signs another 3 years in the K

 

[Digitalbooya]

You can always count on someone to be a buzzkill.

 

[NHL1674]

Spurgeon back. Gus bounceback year. Wallstedt up for spot starts so Fleury only needs to play ~ 20 games. Rossi further developing. Ohgren being better than Johansson.

We are making the playoffs.

Yeah, but don't forget Foligno's annual injury and surgery. Maybe we AREN'T making the playoffs.

 

[Digitalbooya]

Yeah, but don't forget Foligno's annual injury and surgery. Maybe we AREN'T making the playoffs.

Foligno is actually Cyborg now.

 

[f7ben]

Foligno is the 4 million dollar man!!!!

 

[IAHockey25]

Or…….

Kap starts off slow and Spurgeon resumes QBing a typical anemic wild PP. Zucc is playing through injury by game 3 and Brodin goes down with a broken ankle blocking a shot during game 9. Team starts off 7-17-3 and then Guerin makes some useless bottom 6 trade after a few players only meetings and the same lip service from everyone associated with the team.

Kap starts to heat up and during the second half of the season and during a stretch of games against basement dwelling teams the Wild manage to win 9 in a row. The team finishes the year 36-40-6 and that’s good for 10th place in the west and the 14th overall pick.

All the team mouthpieces lament the bad puck luck , injuries and how close they were during the exit interviews and statements.

Guerin continues to babble about identity and grit while Kap makes plans to test free agency and Yurov signs another 3 years in the K

You will probably lie but you want this to be true don't you? That is why you typed it

 

[f7ben]

You will probably lie but you want this to be true don't you? That is why you typed it

Want has nothing to do with it. The reality is that what I typed is far more likely than what DBY typed and that is based on track record , team construction and the fact that this is Minnesota.

 

[keppel146]

Want has nothing to do with it. The reality is that what I typed is far more likely than what DBY typed and that is based on track record , team construction and the fact that this is Minnesota.

The biggest factor being that is Minnesota.

 

[57special]

I don't know what is going to happen next season but it will be reasonable to assume that some of our older players(Spurgeon, Brodin, Bogo, Fleury, Zucc, MoJo, Foligno, Gaudreau) will decline or get injured.

Hopefully Rossi and Boldy improve. Hard to ask Faber to. Besides Ohgren and Marat cementing their NHL status, l thinks it's only mildly optimistic to see some of Hunt, Bankier, Wallstedt (makes up for Fluery)and Milne playing effective minutes at the NHL level. Maybe even ROR- haven't given up on him.

 

[BagHead]

You can always count on someone to be a buzzkill.

I think the reality we'll witness is probably somewhere in the middle of what you two suggest. f7ben is being unrealistically pessimistic, while you're ignoring how old a large part of the team is getting, and therefore how prone to injuries and regression the team itself becomes.

Last year 11 Wild players were over 30 years old to start the year, and Mermis joined them midway through the season in that. We've lost some of those guys, but we have 9 of them remaining as regulars. That's 40% of an active 23 man roster, and Russo keeps saying they want to add a "veteran" top-6 forward, which will add another and push a young guy out. With so many 30+ players, you can count on injuries or regression.

The hope is that the young guys have enough progression to offset it, but there were only 4 regulars last year that were under 24, Rossi, Boldy, Faber, and Chisholm. You can add Ohgren and Khusnutdinov into that if you think they'll both make the team, but they'll be rookies and likely inconsistent, as most rookies are. Even adding those two, this group doesn't outbalance the ten 30+ players.

Guerin has constructed a roster of old players, and it's most likely to do what rosters of old players do, decline. They may make the playoffs if their best 30+ guys don't get injured as happened last year, but when those players were several years younger they were a one-and-done playoff team. I think that's their best-case scenario, unless someone young makes an otherworldly progression.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I don't know what is going to happen next season but it will be reasonable to assume that some of our older players(Spurgeon, Brodin, Bogo, Fleury, Zucc, MoJo, Foligno, Gaudreau) will decline or get injured.

Hopefully Rossi and Boldy improve. Hard to ask Faber to. Besides Ohgren and Marat cementing their NHL status, l thinks it's only mildly optimistic to see some of Hunt, Bankier, Wallstedt (makes up for Fluery)and Milne playing effective minutes at the NHL level. Maybe even ROR- haven't given up on him.

I hope it's not.

 

[57special]

Am I the only one who thinks it's insane to trade Gus right now? That would be leaving the nets to a leaky 40 yr. old and a rookie. Gus's value has plummeted due to his poor season last year, but if he rebounds this year he will be an asset going forward, whether we keep him on the team or trade him. If he rebounds, we can get something decent for him at the TDL(he has a cheap contract for a starting goalie), but I think it would be wiser to keep him around and pair him with Wall going forward.

Trading him for 3-4th rounder right now makes no sense to me.

I hope it's not.

I'll be very happy if he duplicates last year's performance.