Michael Russo: Wild signing a number of players today

[TaLoN]

So we'd theoretically be able to go over the cap leading into the season? I've never quite understood how the LTIR loophole worked.

You can be over the cap all the way until Monday of the opening week of the season. That day is when the cap takes effect.

If someone will be on LTIR - IE Chris Pronger - he's already on IR by that point and thus isn't counted on the cap.

 

[Ban Hammered]

Can I get a direct quote from Fletcher? If he actually said that and meant it, he's an idiot. Clearing $5.6 million of space would have been so much more useful than losing Scandella and adding Foligno and Ennis. LTIR does nothing to help us because we need to be under the cap before the season starts.

Ive been trying to find it and have not been able to unfortunately. Also if we are retaining on Poms...It is not clearing 5.6 of space. I also wasn't saying LTIR would help us before the season but IF Ennis gets hurt again it could going forward.

 

[TaLoN]

Ive been trying to find it and have not been able to unfortunately. Also if we are retaining on Poms...It is not clearing 5.6 of space. I also wasn't saying LTIR would help us before the season but IF Ennis gets hurt again it could going forward.

Check Russo's Fletcher/Flahr interview from the draft - that's where I remember they said it.

 

[Spurgeon]

Ive been trying to find it and have not been able to unfortunately. Also if we are retaining on Poms...It is not clearing 5.6 of space. I also wasn't saying LTIR would help us before the season but IF Ennis gets hurt again it could going forward.

I know, but the way that you are phrasing things, Fletcher would not have accepted picks for Pominville. I'm saying that if Fletcher would not have accepted a deal where a team sends us a 7th round pick in exchange for Pominville, he should be fired.

You can be over the cap all the way until Monday of the opening week of the season. That day is when the cap takes effect.

If someone will be on LTIR - IE Chris Pronger - he's already on IR by that point and thus isn't counted on the cap.

Ah, thank you. I see why that really benefits the Hawks then with Hossa. That could be a useful asset with Ennis if he does need to be LTIR, although it would only benefit us for 1 season. Not hoping for him to be put on LTIR though. I hope he goes out and pots 20 goals and 40 assists and makes me look like a dumbass.

 

[TwiztedHeat]

If someone would have ..it would have happened.

That is an assumption like everything else. You have nothing to back this.

 

[Wabit]

Look at the UFA signings this year. Not much money was spent on FWDs. It was a weak group, but that usually means some of these guys get overpayed.

Pommer at $4m doesn't look like a good deal compared to the guys that have signed and cost the club 0 assets. NTC or not, I don't think there was a market at Pommer for more than ~$3m/yr; even then I'm not sure.

 

[TwiztedHeat]

So you retain Poms at 50% and move him after today when teams get desperate. You don't ****ing chase a scrub 4th liner in Foligno.

 

[TaLoN]

So you retain Poms at 50% and move him after today when teams get desperate. You don't ****ing chase a scrub 4th liner in Foligno.

Again... Russo said the trade basically broke down like this:

Scandella for Foligno and a 3rd.
Pominville and a 4th for Ennis.

The Wild actually had to GIVE Buffalo a 4th for them to be willing to take Poms for Ennis.

Pominville clearly doesn't carry the value people assumed he did.

 

[Ban Hammered]

That is an assumption like everything else. You have nothing to back this.

Maybe i dont. But considering it did not happen and we had to deal Scandella too the assumption is much more likely.
I'd find the quote but I'm not a strib subscriber and have maxed out my articles.
You and others seem to want to believe Fletcher could have and should have done better with zero proof to it and that's fine. But the moves we have made suggest otherwise.

 

[TaLoN]

Maybe i dont. But considering it did not happen and we had to deal Scandella too the assumption is much more likely.
I'd find the quote but I'm not a strib subscriber and have maxed out my articles.
You and others seem to want to believe Fletcher could have and should have done better with zero proof to it and that's fine. But the moves we have made suggest otherwise.

Use a "Private Window" on firefox and the maxed out articles doesn't happen... read away to your heart's content.

 

[Spurgeon]

Maybe i dont. But considering it did not happen and we had to deal Scandella too the assumption is much more likely.
I'd find the quote but I'm not a strib subscriber and have maxed out my articles.
You and others seem to want to believe Fletcher could have and should have done better with zero proof to it and that's fine. But the moves we have made suggest otherwise.

We simply don't know what's been said. Based off of what you said, it sounds like Fletcher didn't want to move Pominville without getting a player back, which makes no sense to me.

I just am really against with the way things have gone since the expansion draft. Maybe things will work out in the end, but we'll see. I feel like we're a worse team now.

 

[Bazeek]

Again... Russo said the trade basically broke down like this:

Scandella for Foligno and a 3rd.
Pominville and a 4th for Ennis.

The Wild actually had to GIVE Buffalo a 4th for them to be willing to take Poms for Ennis.

Pominville clearly doesn't carry the value people assumed he did.

I don't have it in front of me, but I think he said Fletcher also had to leverage the Scandella deal to some extent. As in, "I'm not sending you Scandella unless we also figure out a way to send you Pominville with less cap coming back to Minnesota." That's how hard it was to move cap, especially under NTC restrictions.

I do agree that it might've been easier after the list expanded...but it might not have, either. I don't doubt Fletcher investigated the snot out of that option, and it's possible that there just wasn't much interest anywhere. Meanwhile maybe Buffalo addresses their LD in free agency and we're left with even fewer options for Scandella and still trying to peddle Pominville. It's hard to say, but I don't think we can just assume that interest in either guy was where we think it should be.

 

[Wabit]

Again... Russo said the trade basically broke down like this:

Scandella for Foligno and a 3rd.
Pominville and a 4th for Ennis.

The Wild actually had to GIVE Buffalo a 4th for them to be willing to take Poms for Ennis.

Pominville clearly doesn't carry the value people assumed he did.

I do view this as 2 separate trades. They just happen to be with the same team.

I think we rate Foligno lower than GMCF does. If that's really the guy he wanted (not just blowing smoke), then the trade isn't bad (to him). I would have liked a 2nd instead of a 3rd, but that's where I had Scandella's value. We don't know what other players from Buffalo were in the mix with Foligino.

The Pommer trade was just bad imo, I don't like Ennis, or his fit with the team. After today's UFA signings, I don't think there was a market for Pommer @ half price. The difference between Ennis and trading Pommer at half price is $1.8m, dunno if they could have gotten a replacement better than Ennis for $1.8m or less.

Use a "Private Window" on firefox and the maxed out articles doesn't happen... read away to your heart's content.

Incognito Mode works for Chrome also.

 

[Ban Hammered]

Incognito Mode works for Chrome also.

That's what i ws trying and i still got nailed.

 

[TaLoN]

I do view this as 2 separate trades. They just happen to be with the same team.

I think we rate Foligno lower than GMCF does. If that's really the guy he wanted (not just blowing smoke), then the trade isn't bad (to him). I would have liked a 2nd instead of a 3rd, but that's where I had Scandella's value. We don't know what other players from Buffalo were in the mix with Foligino.

The Pommer trade was just bad imo, I don't like Ennis, or his fit with the team. After today's UFA signings, I don't think there was a market for Pommer @ half price. The difference between Ennis and trading Pommer at half price is $1.8m, dunno if they could have gotten a replacement better than Ennis for $1.8m or less.



Incognito Mode works for Chrome also.

At least Ennis has an outside chance of being the player he was 2yrs ago and surrounded by more talent than he has ever been.

If not, it's still a bigger savings to give room to deal with Granlund and Nino which was the priority.

 

[Wabit]

At least Ennis has an outside chance of being the player he was 2yrs ago and surrounded by more talent than he has ever been.

If not, it's still a bigger savings to give room to deal with Granlund and Nino which was the priority.

Did you watch the Sabers the 14-15 season? That was the tank for McDavid year; it was bloody painful to watch them. They had a 1st line weaker than the Wild's 3rd lines of the last couple seasons.

 

[TaLoN]

Did you watch the Sabres the 14-15 season? That was the tank for McDavid year; it was bloody painful to watch them. They had a 1st line weaker than the Wild's 3rd lines of the last couple seasons.

I absolutely agree that was a poor team. That doesn't mean Ennis wasn't a bright spot on a poor team. IF he can get back to that level of play, he can absolutely fill Pominville's role on the 3rd line.

Pominville is getting older and slower every year. Ennis is 27yrso. If he's past the concussion from 2yrs ago and past the hernia that limited his play before he finally had surgery last season, he can be what he was. We wouldn't need to rely on him like that Buffalo team did.

Sheltered minutes like Pominville had, with more talented players even down to our 3rd line, he could perform.

 

[Marlowe Syn]

Just really disagree with your assesments. You're really relying on internal improvements that we do not know are going to be true. You're predicting JEE and Olofsson are going to be better players (in the upcoming season) based off of like 10-15 games of NHL experience. I'm not as optimistic. How I have it for next year is:

Pominville > Ennis

Scandella > Olofsson

Folin > Quincey

Haula = JEE

I just really think that moving Scandella was the wrong move, especially when we took back a cap dump of Ennis. We should've signed who we needed on the 1st by using our allotment of being able to go over the cap in the offseason. Then moved Pominville at $1.6 million retained to any of the 20 teams that may have been interested in him. We would have had $17.5 million to resign Nino, Granlund, 3RW, 4C, and 4LW. Would've been more than enough and we keep the dynamic of our team together, the defense.

I don't really care about the depth signings very much, I care more about the position we are currently in.

Would have rather eased Olofsson into his role by keeping Scandella and having Olofsson be our #6. We're not going to be looking good if Olofsson does not pan out how we are all hoping him to.


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I don't have a problem with trading Scandella. It's the entire trade package involved that makes me mad. Ennis was one of the last Buffalo forwards I wanted. Is the cap space going to be that tight that he need to include Pominville for a dump, all for a million$. I would have felt okay with with a Olof/Reilly-Folin pairing. Even though I'm not a Reilly fan.

Every post-ED move he's made I question.
~Yesterday he made our 3rd line less. A step down, but not like Pom was great player. Although his hot streaks achieves greatness at times.
~Lose Folin, sign Quincey? A crappy left handed Dman. I would rather have Prosser. All over giving Folin a one-way. Then turn around and sign a lesser player at that term for $400k more than Folin signed to. Way to think that one out Chuck.
~Our back up will likely suck next season. Of course it did last year too. There are goalies better than Sved out there I'm sure. Credit for at least a cheaper Kuemper.
~Still haven't addressed our 4th line center. Was really hoping they would make a push for Nate Thompson. I don't hate the contract he signed with Ottawa. Fletcher better not be sitting by his Matt Cullen Batphone waiting for it to ring.

Usually I try to see the plan or at least trust Fletcher has a plan. I don't think he does. Because I am just head scratching over the past 48 hours.

 

[TaLoN]

I don't have a problem with trading Scandella. It's the entire trade package involved that makes me mad. Ennis was one of the last Buffalo forwards I wanted. Is the cap space going to be that tight that he need to include Pominville for a dump, all for a million$. I would have felt okay with with a Olof/Reilly-Folin pairing. Even though I'm not a Reilly fan.

Every post-ED move he's made I question.
~Yesterday he made our 3rd line less. A step down, but not like Pom was great player. Although his hot streaks achieves greatness at times.
~Lose Folin, sign Quincey? A crappy left handed Dman. I would rather have Prosser. All over giving Folin a one-way. Then turn around and sign a lesser player at that term for $400k more than Folin signed to. Way to think that one out Chuck.
~Our back up will likely suck next season. Of course it did last year too. There are goalies better than Sved out there I'm sure. Credit for at least a cheaper Kuemper.
~Still haven't addressed our 4th line center. Was really hoping they would make a push for Nate Thompson. I don't hate the contract he signed with Ottawa. Fletcher better not be sitting by his Matt Cullen Batphone waiting for it to ring.

Usually I try to see the plan or at least trust Fletcher has a plan. I don't think he does. Because I am just head scratching over the past 48 hours.

Word is Folin was not willing to sign with the Wild for what he signed for in LA. He wanted out from all indications.

 

[Marlowe Syn]

Word is Folin was not willing to sign with the Wild for what he signed for in LA. He wanted out from all indications.

I can accept that. I'm sure all those healthy scratches did not help Folin's mindset. I'm just really going to be displeased with Olofsson-Quincy pairing. He's not priced to man the popcorn machine.

 

[Wabit]

He's not priced to man the popcorn machine.

That's true. That's why we got Ennis (Backstrom type money).

 

[Bazeek]

I don't have a problem with trading Scandella. It's the entire trade package involved that makes me mad. Ennis was one of the last Buffalo forwards I wanted. Is the cap space going to be that tight that he need to include Pominville for a dump, all for a million$. I would have felt okay with with a Olof/Reilly-Folin pairing. Even though I'm not a Reilly fan.

Every post-ED move he's made I question.
~Yesterday he made our 3rd line less. A step down, but not like Pom was great player. Although his hot streaks achieves greatness at times.
~Lose Folin, sign Quincey? A crappy left handed Dman. I would rather have Prosser. All over giving Folin a one-way. Then turn around and sign a lesser player at that term for $400k more than Folin signed to. Way to think that one out Chuck.
~Our back up will likely suck next season. Of course it did last year too. There are goalies better than Sved out there I'm sure. Credit for at least a cheaper Kuemper.
~Still haven't addressed our 4th line center. Was really hoping they would make a push for Nate Thompson. I don't hate the contract he signed with Ottawa. Fletcher better not be sitting by his Matt Cullen Batphone waiting for it to ring.

Usually I try to see the plan or at least trust Fletcher has a plan. I don't think he does. Because I am just head scratching over the past 48 hours.

I get the feeling that Fletcher might be on Plan C right now.

Plan A: Dumba for Drouin. Apparently he was pursuing this as hard as anyone, but Yzerman wanted something expansion exempt and I'm not sure there was anything Fletcher could (or should) have realistically done to make it happen. But if it had gone through it would have likely implied another big trade (Nino or Granlund?) to make the cap work.

Plan B: Scandella for futues. It sounds like Fletcher had agreed to a deal that sent #25 to Minnesota and Scandella to Montreal, but it fell through because Poehling was available at the pick. At that point the 2017 first round is effectively over and trading for futures might be a lot harder. 2018 picks involve a lot of uncertainty for both sides and teams might not be looking to move the kinds of prospects that we want.

Plan C: Adjust the cap team's cap distribution. Move out players that are making too much money for their role on the team and replace them either internally (Scandella -> Olofsson) or via trade (Pominville -> Ennis) with cheaper players. Make room to re-sign key RFAs and address some of the concerns from last year (lack of physicality, reliability of the 4th line, poor call-up depth).

I get the feeling that we'll see a major trade before 7/1/18; the Drouin stuff makes me think Fletcher is after that sort of move. But if options were restricted by a flat cap and the expansion draft this year, maybe it's best to defer for now.

 

[TwiztedHeat]

Gotta get Desharnais now for that 4c spot. He's good on FOs (>54%), kills PKs, and can chip in a little flair.

 

[Lapa]

A Finnish hockey site thinks the Kuemper signing will turn the Kings into a playoff team.

 

[Saga of the Elk]

A Finnish hockey site thinks the Kuemper signing will turn the Kings into a playoff team.

Peter Budaj had a 2.12 GAA and .917 save percentage last season over 53 games. The Kings will be a little different in style I assume but it wouldn't shock me in the least for Kuemper to put up similar numbers. He's too young for his career to be over, a change of scenery to another strong defensive team is exactly what he needed.