Prospect Info: Wild Prospect Thread 2024-25

[DigitalBoldy]

I do hope Guerin has learned a lesson

So he was right all along to not give Rossi a contract offer until after the season ends!

 

[BagHead]

Again this contract kicks in next season when the cap rises and 14m in penalties come off the books. Assuming he can do a decent job and flower's contract expiring we gain even more cap space.

Yeah, but if he wasn't going to be playing in the NHL he wouldn't be able to prove himself in the NHL, and his contract wouldn't be worth much more, if any more, than it is now. So what did the Wild gain by doing it that early - and telling him to find a place to live in Minnesota - besides mind-screwing their future goalie?

So he was right all along to not give Rossi a contract offer until after the season ends!

Different situation entirely, as Rossi could play in the NHL and had a 100% certain place on the team. That said, I'm ok with them holding off on Rossi, because I'd rather know what I'm getting in a smaller player than take a chance and lose. I'm more open to that sort of thing with a bigger player like Boldy or even Faber because it's one less risk factor.
I see your sarcasm smiley, I just wanted to address the point because plenty of people probably are willing to make that comparison.

 

[DigitalBoldy]

Different situation entirely, as Rossi could play in the NHL and had a 100% certain place on the team. That said, I'm ok with them holding off on Rossi, because I'd rather know what I'm getting in a smaller player than take a chance and lose. I'm more open to that sort of thing with a bigger player like Boldy or even Faber because it's one less risk factor.
I see your sarcasm smiley, I just wanted to address the point because plenty of people probably are willing to make that comparison.

Totally agree. Just a half hearted joke

 

[north21]

So what did the Wild gain by doing it that early - and telling him to find a place to live in Minnesota - besides mind-screwing their future goalie?

That is a strange one there, no way to justify any of that but the kid has a contract and it's sink or swim time. I think he will be ok, was a strange situation this year. Hopefully he can get back on track next year.

 

[BagHead]

That is a strange one there, no way to justify any of that but the kid has a contract and it's sink or swim time. I think he will be ok, was a strange situation this year. Hopefully he can get back on track next year.

Agreed, the situation is what it is now, and he needs to navigate his way through it and develop the tools to do so. I think most prospects have a down year at some point, even the ones that make it.

 

[Sota Popinski]

I think I'd like to see a little bit more from players before doing that type of Boldy/Faber deal. And really, it's two years long, so while it doesn't really hurt that much, it also doesn't seem like it helps at all. Having a backup goalie making 2M for 2 years isn't that great of a boon.

I like the strategy in general, I just don't think he executed well at all on this one.

He had just watched Askarov request a trade out of Nashville and probably didn't want to risk the same thing happen with wallstedt if all it cost him was less than 1.5M AAV for 2 years

 

[57special]

I don't have a problem with the contract itself, or even its timing (it seemed like he was going for a Boldy/Faber early deal to lock in low AAV), I have a problem with its being done with the Wild so close to the cap and already having two goalies on the roster. I think those are the lessons to learn.

Yeah, but if he isn't getting a pay bump till next year then what's the problem?

 

[AKL]

He had just watched Askarov request a trade out of Nashville and probably didn't want to risk the same thing happen with wallstedt if all it cost him was less than 1.5M AAV for 2 years

Yeah I don't see that as a valid concern, Wallstedt didn't have Saros in front of him with a huge contract extension.

 

[BagHead]

Yeah, but if he isn't getting a pay bump till next year then what's the problem?

It's not a huge problem to me, but it was poor risk management and a that provides lesson that can be learned by Guerin. Best to learn from the mistakes that don't hurt you too much, rather than wait for one that kills you.

To clarify on what I mean about risk management: With Wallstedt not having a solid role on the NHL team, he couldn't further prove himself much beyond that $2 million mark, but a bad season in the AHL would drop that $2 million nearly in half. They could have had him this offseason for $1.25M, likely. Guerin thinking he could keep him up even though he already had two goalies and was an injury away from having to send him down to the AHL for a long time (turns out it's the whole year) just shows that maybe that's another lesson he needed to learn before having it burn him TOO badly.

 

[Al Lagoon]

With all the cap space the Wild have coming up in the next few years, who cares?
No GM is perfect. Guerin has put the Wild in a terrific position to competitive for a good while.

 

[DANOZ28]

while no gm bats 1000, the 1st 2 years billy was making very intelligent calculated moves. since then he keeps re-signing old retreads to 3 & 4 year contracts (not leaving room for prospects). lowballed fiala causing fiala to demand a trade. (we got lucky w/faber). stramel at #21 was a mistake , easily could have picked him in the 30's adding a good pick. never adding a linemate "friend" of kaprizov. risking losing judd & company by trading away high picks. judd is one of the very best things that has happened to this club. cheers

 

[MNRube]

while no gm bats 1000, the 1st 2 years billy was making very intelligent calculated moves. since then he keeps re-signing old retreads to 3 & 4 year contracts (not leaving room for prospects). lowballed fiala causing fiala to demand a trade. (we got lucky w/faber). stramel at #21 was a mistake , easily could have picked him in the 30's adding a good pick. never adding a linemate "friend" of kaprizov. risking losing judd & company by trading away high picks. judd is one of the very best things that has happened to this club. cheers

Got lucky w/ Faber? He had plenty of big believers before we acquired him, it wasn’t some lucky dart throw for a local kid. He got great value for Fiala by identifying a future star.

Stramel was not a lock in the 30s, you have no way of knowing that. He’s trending way up and has all the looks of a classic late bloomer. Way too early to judge that pick.

Trade for Kap’s friend? Webster is in fits reading this. His best friend is one of the vets we extended. We will have 4 Russian regulars next year.

Brackett has had more extra 1st rounders than lost ones.

 

[MuckOG]

Do we want to get Billy credit for assembling the 4 Nations Cup team, or were the selections so obvious that anyone with half a brain could've built this team?

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Do we want to get Billy credit for assembling the 4 Nations Cup team, or were the selections so obvious that anyone with half a brain could've built this team?

It hasn't done anything yet.

I think probably 80% of the roster are "inside the box" picks (Boldy, Faber, Hanifin, Trocheck, Nelson and Kreider are the candidates). I can't think of a player not there that anybody is clamoring for, though if you told me in the summer of 2023 that Robertson wouldn't be there I'd have some questions.

 

[BagHead]

Do we want to get Billy credit for assembling the 4 Nations Cup team, or were the selections so obvious that anyone with half a brain could've built this team?

People with half a brain in USA Hockey have tried and failed in the past, so I'm giving him credit.

 

[north21]

Got lucky w/ Faber? He had plenty of big believers before we acquired him, it wasn’t some lucky dart throw for a local kid. He got great value for Fiala by identifying a future star.

I think we got lucky with his instant success but honestly everyone could see that kid was elite in college and projected as a sure fire nhl regular.

 

[DANOZ28]

IF just like kaprizov anyone knew he was going to be excellent he (faber) would have been drafted higher true or false? (cough true everyday of the week & twice on sunday! cough)

 

[DigitalBoldy]

@DANOZ28 I think you should elaborate more on the following points:

the 1st 2 years billy was making very intelligent calculated moves

Like what and how would it be different or more calculated than say, trading for Jiricek or drafting Zeev Buium?

since then he keeps re-signing old retreads to 3 & 4 year contracts (not leaving room for prospects).

Which prospects are being held back by these 3-4 year "retread" contracts? Can't really think of a single prospect that would make this point relevant enough to talk about. Yurov is over in Russia. Buium in college and will be in the NHL in a couple months. Ohgren is in the NHL. Heidt was forced back to juniors and was never really an option for the NHL. Stramel didn't show enough to warrant trying to pull from college and I still think he should stay another year.

Who is the prospect they didn't make room for?

lowballed fiala causing fiala to demand a trade. (we got lucky w/faber).

Please provide a source that Fiala demanded a trade.

stramel at #21 was a mistake , easily could have picked him in the 30's adding a good pick.

There is zero evidence to support this take. In fact, there was strong evidence right after the draft that the Rangers were going to take Stramel with their pick (#23).

never adding a linemate "friend" of kaprizov.

Is this you still complaining about Tarasenko not being on the Wild?

risking losing judd & company by trading away high picks.

What are you talking about with this? Judd has been here from the 2020 draft to present. Here are the picks he has had:

2020: 1st (#9), 2nd (#37), 2nd (#39)
2021: 1st (#20), 1st (#26), 2nd (#54)
2022: 1st (#19), 1st (#24), 2nd (#47), 2nd #56)
2023: 1st (#21), 2nd (#53), 2nd (#64)
2024: 1st (#12), 2nd (#45)

That's 7 1st round picks 8 2nd round picks in 5 drafts. Judd is not fragile or up in his feelings because we made a big trade to pick up a monster defenseman that was just a top 10 pick in the 2022... He's just not. Judd said himself that he would prefer Jiricek than the picks we gave up.

As you can probably tell, I disagreed with most of your post. I am open to hearing more about your thoughts on the situation and counter points to what I said above.

 

[DigitalBoldy]

IF just like kaprizov anyone knew he was going to be excellent he (faber) would have been drafted higher true or false? (cough true everyday of the week & twice on sunday! cough)

Your point would make more sense if Faber was traded immediately after the draft in 2020. Faber had two whole seasons with the gophers, two really well played world junior tournaments (including one where he was the captain of Team USA), and he was also part of Team USA for the Olympics in 2022. His value at the draft in 2020 was completely different than the value he had when he was traded. That is a fact that is true twice every day of the week and three times on Sunday.

 

[Sota Popinski]

I think we got lucky with his instant success but honestly everyone could see that kid was elite in college and projected as a sure fire nhl regular.

Please find one article from prior to the Fiala trade that describes Faber as a sure fire NHL regular

 

[DigitalBoldy]

Please find one article from prior to the Fiala trade that describes Faber as a sure fire NHL regular

Wheeler’s 2021 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 1 Los Angeles Kings

Why were the Kings 1st in Scott Wheeler's prospect pool rankings? Who is Los Angeles' top prospect?

www.nytimes.com

February 2021:

His skill doesn’t pop like his skating does, but he can kill a lot of play, he’s able to join the rush, he keeps his stick on pucks, and he stepped into one of the best defenses in college hockey and had an immediate impact as an August 2002 birthday. If he can develop some of his finer skills with the puck, he’ll become a modern NHL defender.

Wheeler’s 2022 NHL prospect pool rankings: No. 2 Los Angeles Kings

The Kings' pool is without question, the deepest in the league.

www.nytimes.com

February 2022:

He’s the prototype for the modern defenceman, combining feet and smarts to steer and control play without needing to be the guy who takes over a game. He’s got the makings of a very effective, three-zone five-on-five player.

Faber was listed as an honorable mention in Wheeler’s top 50 drafted prospect rankings in July of 2022, about a month after the trade.

I think it’s also important to remember that most people here watch the gophers and can decipher whether or not a player can play at the next level without needing a national prospect rankings writer to tell them. Hell, I only saw him four times a year when Minnesota and Wisconsin would play and I thought he was a Hjalmarsson mold type of player. Most people thought I was being disrespectful with that comparison. Goes to show how highly they thought of him.