Minnesota Wild General Discussion XIX

[f7ben]

I remember about 20 games into the season when I said Goligoski brought zero to this team and should be moved at any cost while his value was high. Not too many agreed with me then.

 

[thestonedkoala]

I remember about 20 games into the season when I said Goligoski brought zero to this team and should be moved at any cost while his value was high. Not too many agreed with me then.

It wasn't and still isn't feasible. The Wild have an agreement with Goligoski to bring him back. I don't think he'd like to be traded - especially 20 games in after agreeing to that deal. I also don't see Guerin taking back said handshake deal.

 

[AKL]

I remember about 20 games into the season when I said Goligoski brought zero to this team and should be moved at any cost while his value was high. Not too many agreed with me then.

It's not necessarily that people think he's a valuable asset, though some people probably do think that. He has a full NMC though. He physically can't be moved without his permission. And frankly, even though he's overpaid and not that great, there's no pressing need to move him. It's not like we have anybody better waiting in the wings. Addison should already be playing over Benn, and possibly over Merrill, although I actually like Merrill on the bottom pair.

 

[Bazeek]

It wasn't and still isn't feasible. The Wild have an agreement with Goligoski to bring him back. I don't think he'd like to be traded - especially 20 games in after agreeing to that deal. I also don't see Guerin taking back said handshake deal.

The (highly speculative) idea was that overpaying on this year's deal kept the door open for a cheaper 1-year extension for next year: the player would get the same amount of money as on a 2-year deal, but the team would be able to front load the cap hit.

The fact that it's now March and there hasn't been so much as a whisper about extending Goligoski indicates that the team probably isn't looking at that second year anymore. Not that that really makes trading him now or 3 months ago feasible, either.

 

[63firebird]

So is foligno just going to let this continue? Dean Evason? Kaprizov is taking so many cheap hits along with boldy, and foligno is doing nothing. The whole team just watches. Is there lockerroom issues going on we aren't being told off?

Tkachuk is the same age and weight as Kaprizov. Tkachuk is also a top scorer. Maybe Kap should look after himself?
Perhaps they think Boldy and Kaprizov have to adapt to slashing holding elbowing and cross checking. I hate to see that myself but there is little honour in the NHL and there certainly is none for some 20 year old with 20 games.

Foligno probably wants to keep out of the box since the Wild scored zero goals when they tried the tough guy route. Didn’t go so well.

 

[AKL]

Tkachuk is the same age and weight as Kaprizov. Tkachuk is also a top scorer. Maybe Kap should look after himself?
Perhaps they think Boldy and Kaprizov have to adapt to slashing holding elbowing and cross checking. I hate to see that myself but there is little honour in the NHL and there certainly is none for some 20 year old with 20 games.

Foligno probably wants to keep out of the box since the Wild scored zero goals when they tried the tough guy route. Didn’t go so well.

I think the nature of any sport, but especially a sport like hockey, is you're going to have lesser players doing whatever they can to slow down or keep up with better players. Any top player has to learn to play through that stuff, even if you do have an enforcer on your roster. Even having Tom Wilson on this team wouldn't deter players from slashing and getting extra physical against Kaprizov or Boldy.

 

[GuerinUp]

Well... the EU and the US along with Canada have banned all Russian flights from their airspace. Russia has in turn banned 12 EU nations from their airspace. This will make it difficult for Russian players to travel to and from Russia as long as these bans remain in place.

Will Russian NHL players just stay in the US and Canada as a result?

I suppose they could go through China instead?

Could take a boat

 

[63firebird]

I think the nature of any sport, but especially a sport like hockey, is you're going to have lesser players doing whatever they can to slow down or keep up with better players. Any top player has to learn to play through that stuff, even if you do have an enforcer on your roster. Even having Tom Wilson on this team wouldn't deter players from slashing and getting extra physical against Kaprizov or Boldy.

Modern Fighting with a helmet and visor maybe pumps your fan base and team up but it seems the only “ message” that gets sent is to your own swollen bloodied knuckles from beating a hard helmet. Totally unethical I realize but your better off to crosscheck Tkachuk in the mouth as he does to send a “ message”

 

[BagHead]

So is foligno just going to let this continue? Dean Evason? Kaprizov is taking so many cheap hits along with boldy, and foligno is doing nothing. The whole team just watches. Is there lockerroom issues going on we aren't being told off?

I'm not sure that's fully on Foligno. I mean, when the other team gets called by the refs eventually, and the Wild's PP doesn't even get zone time, much less scoring chances, it's hard to make the opponent stop playing dirty. You gotta kill them with your power play if you want them to stop gooning it up. Score a couple of goals and that crap will stop.

 

[thestonedkoala]

The (highly speculative) idea was that overpaying on this year's deal kept the door open for a cheaper 1-year extension for next year: the player would get the same amount of money as on a 2-year deal, but the team would be able to front load the cap hit.

The fact that it's now March and there hasn't been so much as a whisper about extending Goligoski indicates that the team probably isn't looking at that second year anymore. Not that that really makes trading him now or 3 months ago feasible, either.

Maybe they are waiting until the summer. It's not like they have any rush on re-signing him.

 

[Bazeek]

Maybe they are waiting until the summer. It's not like they have any rush on re-signing him.

The point is that if they were somehow obligated to do so it'd likely have been done sometime in late January or early February, to get everything squared away for the trade deadline and beyond. Not that we can rule out extending him (gods help us), but if they do it it won't be because of some half-rumored handshake deal.

 

[NHL1674]

Foligno has simply been a different player since his suspension. It's like the DOPS scared the #$@% out of him or something. He needs to get over it, because his energy (and lack of) can be contagious on the bench. When he's fired up, the team follows. And when he's very timid, well....yuck.

 

[thestonedkoala]

The point is that if they were somehow obligated to do so it'd likely have been done sometime in late January or early February, to get everything squared away for the trade deadline and beyond. Not that we can rule out extending him (gods help us), but if they do it it won't be because of some half-rumored handshake deal.

I mean why does it have to be squared away for the trade deadline and beyond? They could still have an agreement and they are pushing it off to the summer for a variety of reasons. The only thing I can recall is that Russo reported that they had a handshake agreement for a multiyear agreement after this season. The only rumor I heard is after January 1st (or on January 1st) they would extend Goligoski. Could be a variety reasons on why this hasn't happened...yet.

 

[Bazeek]

I mean why does it have to be squared away for the trade deadline and beyond? They could still have an agreement and they are pushing it off to the summer for a variety of reasons. The only thing I can recall is that Russo reported that they had a handshake agreement for a multiyear agreement after this season. The only rumor I heard is after January 1st (or on January 1st) they would extend Goligoski. Could be a variety reasons on why this hasn't happened...yet.

If you can find it that'd be interesting, because I recall literally nothing about potential multi-year extensions. Just speculation about another 1-year deal at a "discount" which I'm pretty sure Russo stated wasn't sourced to anything beyond his own imagination.

 

[thestonedkoala]

If you can find it that'd be interesting, because I recall literally nothing about potential multi-year extensions. Just speculation about another 1-year deal at a "discount" which I'm pretty sure Russo stated wasn't sourced to anything beyond his own imagination.

Confirmed Signing with Link: - [MIN] Alex Goligoski signs with the Wild (1 year, $5M)

Don't know where rynryn found that.

Confirmed with Link: - Alex Goligoski signs for 1 year, $5.0m (full NTC)

I think there was a conflation of the two; multiyear vs one year and then next year another year.

Confirmed with Link: - Alex Goligoski signs for 1 year, $5.0m (full NTC)

But this seems to have been the idea, nothing about a January 1 hard deadline. Just after January 1st.

 

[JiricekSaveUs]

Prior to the recent slump, we seemed to be a team that was living a charmed existence. I never saw so many come from behind points, or goals with the goalie pulled. Confirmed bottom sixers like Foligno and Hartman were scoring like top sixers, JEE popping in goals at a 30 + pace, bottom pairing Dmen like Merrill scoring, Zuccarello scoring career highs at age 34 yo, etc..

At this point, it seems like all that luck we had has disappeared, and we are coming back to the mean, which is very familiar territory...fringe, one and out, playoff team. More offensively talented than in the past, and less defensively talented.

I don’t know, it reminds me a lot of Florida’s situation. The last two years, they’ve been getting tons of production from bottom 6 guy and it’s not regressing yet. Look at Marchment. Kinda a Hartman situation

I don’t want Gologoski back.

Man, the back end on this team is questionable, and it’s going to keep getting worse, especially if/when we lose Dumba.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I don’t want Gologoski back.

Man, the back end on this team is questionable, and it’s going to keep getting worse, especially if/when we lose Dumba.

Which is why I'd be pretty surprised if we lost Dumba.

 

[f7ben]

Talbot and Goligoski could both be upgraded by any replacement level ahl contract. Neither of them looks like an nhl player the last few months.

 

[P10p]

Talbot and Goligoski could both be upgraded by any replacement level ahl contract. Neither of them looks like an nhl player the last few months.

You need to watch more AHL games if you are serious about this.

On another note, I think all of us underestimate Dumba and, to a lesser extent, Greenway's emotional energy that they bring. The team just looks charged when Dumba is playing. Guerin and the coaching staff have eluded to this multiple times as well, that Dumba is the energy sparkplug in that locker room.

 

[57special]

Which is why I'd be pretty surprised if we lost Dumba.

Man, the back end on this team is questionable, and it’s going to keep getting worse, especially if/when we lose Dumba.

I will be interested to see if the team starts winning as soon as Dumba comes back - let's give him a couple of games to get acclimated.

Fiala is looking great. As much as I want a strong D, losing him in order to keep Dumba or Zuccarello(even though he has been fantastic this year) makes my head want to explode.

If we can keep all three by simply moving Greenway and Talbot then how can you not?

 

[GuerinUp]

You need to watch more AHL games if you are serious about this.

On another note, I think all of us underestimate Dumba and, to a lesser extent, Greenway's emotional energy that they bring. The team just looks charged when Dumba is playing. Guerin and the coaching staff have eluded to this multiple times as well, that Dumba is the energy sparkplug in that locker room.

i dont, ive always been a huge dumba fan.

 

[TaLoN]

i dont, ive always been a huge dumba fan.

I've never hidden my love of having Dumba on this team either.

Yes, Wild fans have generally underestimated what he brings to the squad though overall.

 

[Joseph Nathan]

I will be interested to see if the team starts winning as soon as Dumba comes back - let's give him a couple of games to get acclimated.

Fiala is looking great. As much as I want a strong D, losing him in order to keep Dumba or Zuccarello(even though he has been fantastic this year) makes my head want to explode.

If we can keep all three by simply moving Greenway and Talbot then how can you not?

I mean with all due respect, greenway isn't getting moved. Not after just signing an extension that doesn't even begin until next year and the fact Ek, foligno struggles without greenway on their line.

Also, something must be going on behind the scenes to not hear of any extension talk with fiala. Very good chance team doesn't trust fiala, Guerin can't get over his pettiness regarding contract situations, or fiala's agent is still asking for kaprizov's money

 

[57special]

Greenway(4th full year in league) is tied with Duhaime, a rookie 4th liner in points. He is being outscored by Merrill and Kulikov, two 3rd pairing Dmen, and Sturm, a 4th liner. I am all for strong defensive play, but Greenway mails it in far too often(biggest coaster on the team, IMO), is slow, has mediocre puck skills, doesn't shoot, and doesn't fight. What exactly does he do well on a consistent basis?

 

[GuerinUp]

Greenway(4th full year in league) is tied with Duhaime, a rookie 4th liner in points. He is being outscored by Merrill and Kulikov, two 3rd pairing Dmen, and Sturm, a 4th liner. I am all for strong defensive play, but Greenway mails it in far too often(biggest coaster on the team, IMO), is slow, has mediocre puck skills, doesn't shoot, and doesn't fight. What exactly does he do well on a consistent basis?

take penalities