Wild Off-Season Moves 2016

[bbfenatic]

THN reporting Vanek will probably be bought out, wish they'd find a way to get rid of Pom as well. Reportedly going to consider trades for RFA's Kuemper, Zucker, and Dumba. IMO both Zucker and Dumba are expendable after a very disappointing season. Both Brodin and Scandella also may be on the block to try and find a scorer....let's see Fletch has been trying to land a scorer for how long now without success? 

Not much Cap Room, not many draft picks after giving those away...Fletch is gonna need a miracle to turn this around no matter who he hires to coach the team #goingnowherefast #small&fastisallwegot

Everyone's thoughts/opinions?

 

[hoppe56307]

I would say that the only ones that are safe are, Parise, Dubs, Hula, Nino, Coyle, and Granlund. Probably should add Suter to just because of his salary nobody is going to want him.  

[CaptainMusky]

If Dion Phaneuf could get traded I certainly think that Suter would have "suitors". Cap hit for each is almost the same (7.5M vs 7.0M) and both lengthy deals. Suter is a much better D man that Phaneuf ever will be. A deal could certainly be done and there would be people interested, the question becomes what could Fletch work out in return???

Toronto ended up getting a bunch of expiring contracts and a 2nd Round pick.

Will it happen? Most likely not, but it could and it should certainly be something that Fletch is checking into.

The whole Parise thing scares me. So the talk now is that he may not need surgery, but considering how he plays the game that is certainly going to make him more prone to that type of abuse in the future that would aggravate it.

Vanek had broken ribs and displaced ribs, I suspected as such seeing how he got a two handed chop to the lower back and the way he flopped to the ice. I would be surprised if he isn't bought out, but like you guys have said, there will have to be more moves than just that to make any sort of impact.

To me Brodin is our most stable D man. At the beginning of the season I would have said we have to keep Scandella, but after seeing his play this season he was terrible. I think Dumba took a stumble too. He is young and maybe he will develop, but I believe he really missed Leopold this year.

Zucker, Kuemper, Vanek I am sure will all be gone in one way or another.

It would be nice to bring in a strong Center, Okposo? IDK, I like the guy, but he might be the next in line of the kids we bring "home" that don't pan out.

[bbfenatic]

I just hope Fletch does not have Leopold convinced that we have a "good core" and that the younger players "are close to blooming" because even if they do step up a little bit there is no doubt we are FAR from a Cup Contender and these 2-4 yr players are not going to make huge strides, for the most part we have seen what they can do...and it is nothing to get excited about IMO. Parise/Koivu/Suter/Pom are on the downslide and the rest are just decent NHL players.

I am not a huge Brodin fan as IMO he cannot clear people in front and loses coverage too easily, too slender of a build, and prone to injury when he does try to "play tough". I'd love to see PokeCheck Suter get traded, for $100 Million he is no game changer, just a minute chewer. Parise is untouchable and the face of the team for one more year, maybe two. I like Reilly a lot, he's better defensively than I was hoping and really sees the ice well, controls the puck well even in coverage, and dishes nicely. Dumba has the goods but appears to have little heart, seems uninterested out there...may have been "dialed back" too much by the coaching staff for his liking. I hope another team sees Zucker's speed as a big asset and is willing to give up a top notch player for him, IMO he's a head case, too inconsistent, does not really like to play "within a system" and I'd like to see him go.

From my vantage point there were many times that when the Dmen (Scandella, Spurg, Dumba, Reilly) were playing real aggressively into the o-zone they actually were more dangerous than our forwards IMO which does not say much for our offensive capability....unless they change styles and give the Dmen the green light to bring the puck to the net more.

[Bryce]

Like to hear this talk of a Suter trade possible. In my mind, his complaining about who he was paired with was the cancer the started the apathy towards Yeo. Combine that with his coasting in order to take long shifts even when called off the ice are a bad influence on the younger players. Good bye is what I say. Trade him for a bag of pucks.

I have it from a good source that Zucker was made an offer and turned it down. Was about the time he spent some time as a healthy scratch. Gotta think Vegas is going to be interested in the marketing $ the hometown guy can bring.

I think I have voiced my opinion in Dumba. Trade him while there's value.

Still nervous about tending. Historical Wild problem.

Heard one report that Yeo is considered that top coach available? 

[CaptainMusky]

Boudreau Boudreau Boudreau Boudreau!!!!!

[bbfenatic]

27 minutes ago, CaptainMusky said:

Boudreau Boudreau Boudreau Boudreau!!!!!

Boy I don't know Captain...he's had a lot of talent there and they have stumbled in the playoffs last 4 yrs in a row.  I'd certainly like him over Torch.....but I don't think it matters who they hire if they don't make major lineup changes.  

Fletch has his head in the sand and said yesterday he is happy with the talent and they just need to "stick to the system" better. What a complete joke IMO and pathetic excuse. I'd wager we don't even make the playoffs next year at this point

[bbfenatic]

Did anyone else listen to Fletcher's "State of the Union" end of the year press conference on Thursday afternoon? IMO he must think everyone else in the organization is stupid or gullible or both. Fact is Iowa was terrible and the NHL Wild were not much better....in the bottom 3rd of the League, well below a .500 record and he's "excited about what the near future holds for the Wild", how does he look in the mirror every morning? And not to mention.....in the upcoming draft we have:

1 pick in the 1st Round (15th)

1 pick in the 4th Round (105th)

2 picks in the 7th Round (Last Round of the Draft) (195th & 203rd)

Maybe I am too critical so I'd like some opinions on how this team gets turned around next year or the year after? We have a below avg roster as it sits today, little money to sign any top notch UFA's, RFA's of our own that don't have much value, not very much true NHL talent in Iowa, and 4 picks in the upcoming draft with 2 of those in the last round. 

[Bear55]

Eh I don't think it's that bad but we need help scoring as usual. Read somewhere that our vets are probably a couple years too old and the young guys a couple years too young or just not good enough, that seems like a fair assessment. We see what this team can do when they are playing well and they are kind of close but just lacking something to get them over that hump. Weird season as a whole, best first start half in team history only to fire the coach a short time later. The whole world knows we need to trade some D for the O help, hopefully we can pull something off.

Guys I want to keep - Parise, Koivu, Coyle, Nino, Granlund on the wing, Haula and whatever D men we decide to hang onto. Dumba can be a bit of an adventure in his own zone but he is still very young. Kid just scored 10 and put up 26 points, that is nothing to sneeze at and we need as much scoring help as possible. Liked what I saw from Reilly too, hopefully he can improve on a decent start. Might give Zucker another chance, when he was on last season and early this year he can be fun to watch.

Hockey gods - send us a center!

[CaptainMusky]

I listened to some of the presser and it was a bit irritating his comments. Yes, there is some talent here, but when certain guys go into lengthy slumps there really isn't anyone there to pull us through. They had 3 stretches this year with lengthy losing streaks. They were like 1-15 in a specific set of games, leading up to Yeo getting fired and capping off the season. There was one other losing stretch not included there. His point was, they ended up with 87 pts which is certainly not where they wanted to be, but if they figure out some way to eliminate those swoons, they were actually on pace for 118pts with the winning pct of the remaining games. Granted, that surely wasn't going to happen, but it shows they have ability.

Im not buying it, because he has to sell some optimism and not totally degrade the team. There is work to be done and there will be moves. No way the owner would let him get by with that.

I get the comments about Boudreau in the playoffs, yes, that is important. He does have the highest winning pct of any coach in history though. That says something. Perhaps its because many of his seasons are in a weaker Division? The Pacific isn't really that great I guess so maybe that is padding some of it, but either way I would still take him over Torch. I like Torch, but I just don't know how much he can elevate their game. There aren't really much for options out there. Maybe just ride Torch this year, tank and get a top pick.

[Bear55]

Would be happy with Boudreau, team seems fine in the playoffs, it's just that mid season black hole we need to fix so we can actually make the playoffs without too much trouble.

Something to remember when it comes to our D men it can take them a little longer to mature (unless your name is Brodin). A lot of times they really come into their own and break out when they are 23-25. Brodin and Reilly are the same age will be 23 when the season starts, Reilly seems like the new toy but we have to take into consideration his age. Dumba is an entire year younger than Reilly and shown a lot more at a far younger age. I know I had my doubts about Spurgeon at times and had maybe even given up on Scandella before he started putting it together.

[Bear55]

Sounds like BB is our new guy.

[bbfenatic]

Yup....done deal.  I do like the fact that he claims to be an "offense first" guy and sounds like he is impressed with our D's speed and offense capabilities.  Finally a coach that at least will try and  bring out the best in our Speedy, Low Skilled Forwards and No Grit  O-minded Dmen, type team the Wild are.  IMO this is Fletch's last gasp with getting this to work and my guess is that we may (emphasis on "may") get one round deeper but this overall lineup is far from the Cup regardless of the coach...Good Luck Bruce!

[Bear55]

Scott Stevens hired as a D assistant, with him and BB this team might just have a chance next year.

[bbfenatic]

Great to hear from you Bear...hope all is well and the net has been full of fish! Exciting for the fan base to bring in big name coaches but that's all it is at this point. IMO we have nothing even close to Steven's style or toughness. We need to pull a Toronto and start a rebuild, good coaches in place but not much to work with...the old saying "lipstick on a pig it's still a pig".  BB and Stevens will be scratching their heads half way thru the season.  It is so fun watching the playoffs but it makes it even more evident the Wild are not close to the the level of the final 4 talent wise and then add in the ability of these upper echelon teams to bring it to an even higher level come playoff time and the separation is even a bigger hill to climb for the Wild. How does Stevens work with little spurg, weak brodin, stick check suter, and jekyl/hyde scandella? We do not have the talent on either side of the puck to be in the top 8 in the NHL....and other teams are passing us by with better young talent and better "older vets". Hopefully BB and Stevens can hang on long enough to be able to work with some bonafide NHL talent that can play tough defensively, make the plays required offensively, and snipe the corners when needed...which is often now days. This is Fletcher's team/problem and it matters not who coaches this bunch IMO...I expect some player changes before the puck drops this fall, some moves mid-season and a total overhaul after the 2016/17 season with or without Fletch.

[Bear55]

Plenty to look forward to this year and the new coaches have some skill to work with. No doubt we could use a 40 goal stud or two but until we find one we just have to roll with what we have. Hopefully we can make a move or two to get better but it's not all doom and glood, just had a bad ending so that is all we remember. Now I can't say we are in contender status but that is why they play the games, we do know that they are capable of more that what we saw last year.

[Bryce]

Aren't Stevens and Adam Oates somehow closely tied? Still a cancer in the locker room directing this circus. 

[CaptainMusky]

Oates and Stevens coached together for a stint in NJ. They were both passed over with a new coach getting hired, but were not even retained (not shocking).

I like the Stevens hire, not sure what to think about if Oates should be considered for anything and if he were hired how I would feel about it. I am disappointed in how he seemed to handle the situation last year, appearing with the team and even showing up at practices on the road. That is a class-A douche move IMO.

Yeo had every right to be pissed about it, its one thing to be invited by the coach, but that didn't happen.

[bbfenatic]

Happy for Yeo and the Blues have a good plan in place. Blues will go further sooner with Yeo once he has the helm than Wild will with BB/Stevens or whomever IMO....but there's always 2019, 2020, 2021......

[hoppe56307]

Well the Wild won't have to wait long to get a look at Assistant Yeo, they open the season against the blues in St. Louis.

[hoppe56307]

Been pretty quite in here.  But now that Vanek is gone, and word that Fletch is going after Okoposo(sp?).

[Bear55]

Or maybe a trade that takes on some cap space, doesn't make a ton of sense to buy him out unless something is in the works.

[bbfenatic]

I understand the economics of it but I was kind of bummed to see Vanek go, not a big fan of him overall with his lack of effort many times but but he was the only guy on the team who did not need half an open net to score ...you put him with more talent than we could give him and he could give you 25 and 60 one more year maybe...not too much on the plus side though.

KO would be nice but I don't think we can afford what he is worth in the marketplace....and one guy is not going to turn this club around....we'll have to give up some assets via trade and hope Fletch is able to upgrade....moves will be made for sure and Fletch will "spin" the moves and say we upgraded but the proof will be on the ice. We are so weak at Center and moving Grandlund to wing is not the answer IMO, he will take such a beating...not near tough enough or big enough to be an NHL winger....look at the health situation Parise is in fighting down low all the time and he could out muscle Granny all day long.

Plus we have to spend some $$$ just to sign our "top" free agents....like Zucker, Dumba, Kemps, Graovac, Schroeder, Dalpe, Folin...if we want to keep them they are only going to cost more, not less than last go around...so we are between a rock and a hard place IMO...probably easier on the budget to pay them a little more than risk paying even more for a replacement who may not be any better #thisseasonsnhldoormats 

 

 

 

[CaptainMusky]

My opinion on Okposo is that he is more reaping the rewards of playing with a highly skilled player like Tavares. Vanek was paired up with him at one point too and he lit it up. I don't think we have a good pairing for Okposo, perhaps Granlund?? That is probably a stretch.

No way we get Okposo unless we can unload some salary. I am almost of the opinion that we make a trade to bring in a Center like RNH, but otherwise minor moves until next season. The FA crop isn't really that great this year. Chuck better be planning ahead for the expansion draft and who could be left available. Not many players you can protect.

Im disappointed the Vanek signing didn't work out better. BB, you are absolutely right, he is the only real sniper we had, but too often he looked to pass and there were no finishers with him. If he could have spent a lot of time with Haula and Nino I think that could have really blossomed. Buying him out gave us some space to sign our RFA's.

I know it will probably come back to bite us, but I would like to see Kuemper dealt. Trading Dumba is like a 50/50 type thing in my eyes. It could come back to haunt us or maybe not, but I see that risk no higher than 50/50. He has a big shot, but doesn't seem to have the hockey sense. Maybe that will come, I know he is still young, but he is an asset that many teams covet so I think he is worth something.

We will likely lose a D Man. I know Brodin was shopped around a bit or at least mentioned last year, but I think losing him would be a much bigger blow than Dumba. Brodin is a steady guy that is consistently out there against the top forwards from the other team. He would be a huge loss.

[BartmanMN]

I'd like to see a gritty player.  A big bodied grinder that can score and throw his body around.  Graovac may fill these shoes eventually.  Even though I don't like the guy, maybe a guy like Milan Lucic.