Confirmed with Link: Wild Sign Zuccarello 5yrs $6m aav

[DANOZ28]

i pretty much agree with hellion. i don't think zucc should have signed here because we're not a contender and we should be rebuilding or atleast more retooling to get younger & faster. if zucc's added points prevent us from a year or 2 of very high draft picks all while missing the playoffs then i think it was a mistake to sign him.

 

[Minnewildsota]

i pretty much agree with hellion. i don't think zucc should have signed here because we're not a contender and we should be rebuilding or atleast more retooling to get younger & faster. if zucc's added points prevent us from a year or 2 of very high draft picks all while missing the playoffs then i think it was a mistake to sign him.

Consider me shocked. SHOCKED!

 

[2Pair]

i pretty much agree with hellion. i don't think zucc should have signed here because we're not a contender and we should be rebuilding or atleast more retooling to get younger & faster. if zucc's added points prevent us from a year or 2 of very high draft picks all while missing the playoffs then i think it was a mistake to sign him.

What if Zuccarello helps turn one of Fiala or Donato into a 30 goal guy? What if he gets Zucker back into being a 30 goal guy? What if signing a RW like Zuccarello allows Kunin to play center and he turns into an option as a Koivu/Staal replacement? Still a mistake?

 

[PuckInTheNards]

funny i remember DR offering 8 x 8 mill if memory servs , gabby said i want out. we should have made an offer then traded him the summer before ufa. i ripped the gaborik name off my jersey & replaced with DANO.

Perspective changes as you get older, I think. When he was young, it was pretty clear Gaborik craved the big city lights - now that he's older, maybe he appreciates Minnesota more.

 

[dBoon]

i pretty much agree with hellion. i don't think zucc should have signed here because we're not a contender and we should be rebuilding or atleast more retooling to get younger & faster. if zucc's added points prevent us from a year or 2 of very high draft picks all while missing the playoffs then i think it was a mistake to sign him.

I know I will enjoy watching the Wild more with Zuccarello than scuffling for a lottery pick.

 

[DANOZ28]

i guess i feel we've been down this road before signing parise & suter didn't bring a cup to minny. trading for havlat ; heatly ; vanek & pommer didn't solve our problems. using valuable cap space to add a player that might make season ticket holders a bit happier but wont dig us out of the central cellar doesn't really make sense to me. what if zucc is the difference between a top 5 pick vs 12-14 pick?

 

[2Pair]

i guess i feel we've been down this road before signing parise & suter didn't bring a cup to minny. trading for havlat ; heatly ; vanek & pommer didn't solve our problems. using valuable cap space to add a player that might make season ticket holders a bit happier but wont dig us out of the central cellar doesn't really make sense to me. what if zucc is the difference between a top 5 pick vs 12-14 pick?

Who have the Wild drafted that helped win them a cup?

 

[DANOZ28]

Who have the Wild drafted that helped win them a cup?

i guess i will point out remember how Chicago won cups? they drafted very high & very well then added a couple pieces. we are at best middle of the pack and that's where we will stay.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

i guess i will point out remember how Chicago won cups? they drafted very high & very well then added a couple pieces. we are at best middle of the pack and that's where we will stay.

who did st louis draft really high that pushed them to win the cup this year?

 

[57special]

To be fair, Zach Parise said that before last season, as well. Lots of players say it, and probably mean it, but even with being built up bigger and stronger than when they were younger they wear down earlier into the season than they did when they were younger. Kids just bounce back quicker than men. Personally, I think the contract will be... fine. Not great, nor terrible, just fine. And that sucks because Zuccarello's been one of my favorite players for while now.

The other thing is that you get more brittle as you age. Injuries happen more easily, and it takes longer to recover from them.

 

[57special]

Perspective changes as you get older, I think. When he was young, it was pretty clear Gaborik craved the big city lights - now that he's older, maybe he appreciates Minnesota more.

Or maybe he found out that being a hockey player in NYC wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

 

[57special]

I know I will enjoy watching the Wild more with Zuccarello than scuffling for a lottery pick.

Let's talk once they are swept in the 1st round of the playoffs yet again, or even worse, miss out on the wild card spot by 1 point.

 

[2Pair]

i guess i will point out remember how Chicago won cups? they drafted very high & very well then added a couple pieces. we are at best middle of the pack and that's where we will stay.

Chicago didn't do anything until they signed Hossa

 

[2Pair]

Let's talk once they are swept in the 1st round of the playoffs yet again, or even worse, miss out on the wild card spot by 1 point.

My guess is that you will be complaing about not trading all the players that you just spent the last month complaining about talking about trading. Just a guess

 

[nt3005]

Let's talk once they are swept in the 1st round of the playoffs yet again, or even worse, miss out on the wild card spot by 1 point.

I would prefer watching the first round over watching a team that’s not bad enough to get a top 5 pick.

 

[W75]

Started to watch 'Wisting' (Norwegian Nordic Noir series) to celebrate Zuccarello/Minnesota union.

 

[dBoon]

who did st louis draft really high that pushed them to win the cup this year?

Excellent point. Their highest pick the last decade was 14th overall: they didn't even have a 1st in 2011, 2013, or 2015.

 

[DANOZ28]

who did st louis draft really high that pushed them to win the cup this year?

stl had a little luck with all the heavyweights getting knocked out don't ya think?

 

[Bazeek]

stl had a little luck with all the heavyweights getting knocked out don't ya think?

Funny how that word figures in pretty prominently every time this topic comes up.

 

[DANOZ28]

Chicago didn't do anything until they signed Hossa

remind me how many cups did they win AFTER they drafted kane & toews? (plus adding hossa & sharp) never would have happened if they didn't draft high & well! cheers

 

[DANOZ28]

Funny how that word figures in pretty prominently every time this topic comes up.

rookie goalie performing spectacular doesn't happen everyday does it? all the fav heavyweights knocked out? nevermind worst to first when was the last time that happened? just a smidge of luck.

 

[Bazeek]

rookie goalie performing spectacular doesn't happen everyday does it? all the fav heavyweights knocked out? just a smidge of luck.

My point is more that there seems to be a lot of focus on the "correct" way to build a winning team, but when you look at real examples the answer starts veering uncomfortably close to "get hot, get lucky."

Pietrangelo is the only guy St Louis drafted in the top-5 and that was a decade ago. They've managed to put together a good team via good (non-top-10) drafting, trades and signings. Binnington was a rare situation, but it was a rare situation that they were able to make the most of because of the rest of the roster was in good shape. Compare that to teams like Buffalo and Edmonton that have had multiple recent top-5 picks and still can't put a playoff caliber team together: they've gotten massive seasons out of guys like McDavid and Draisaitl, and they've gone mostly to waste.

There's something to be said for maintaining a competitive hockey team, even if we've got a glaring question left to answer at center.

 

[DeagleJenkins]

stl had a little luck with all the heavyweights getting knocked out don't ya think?

were the bruins not a heavyweight? not to mention did they not sweep the canes in the finals and have 10 days off before the Stanley cup finals? speaking of the bruins... how many first round picks were on that team that they picked??? their best line was a 25th overall, 45th and marchand was 200ish? is that just luck those guys turned out to be good then?

 

[2Pair]

remind me how many cups did they win AFTER they drafted kane & toews? (plus adding hossa & sharp) never would have happened if they didn't draft high & well! cheers

They won zero cups in the two years that Superstars Kane and Toews played without Hossa. Using your own logic, the free agent signing of Hossa was much more significant.

 

[W75]

They won zero cups in the two years that Superstars Kane and Toews played without Hossa. Using your own logic, the free agent signing of Hossa was much more significant.

Much more significant or the missing piece?